Herman Palmer was born in New York in about 1857, August Palmer was also born in New York about 1857, Yes twins but not identical. Their mother was Josephine.
Herman Palmer's New York Mugshot taken Feb 1881.
August Palmer's mugshot taken 1880 New York
Both their mugshots were most likely taken at Sing Sing.
Herman had a few alias:
Dutch Palmer
Dutch Herman
James Smith
George Smith
He was a carpenter & later a plumber.
I will start with Herman and his crimes but most crime they committed together.
He may have had more before this as his brother was in Sing Sing in 1876.
17 Feb 1881 — Herman is arrested for suspicion that he had a role in the April 1880 pawnshop robbery, but is released for lack of evidence, convicted and sentenced to 5 yrs in Sing Sing on 28 Jun 1880. Herman was discharged on this case as there was no evidence against him.
Newspaper clipping on this crime:
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48519037/august-palmer/
19 July 1884 — Herman is arrested and convicted for stealing $800 of silverware. A man to whom he sold some of the goods, named Hoefner, testifies against Herman. Herman is sent to Sing Sing for four years.
Burglary of a hardware store at No. 1011 3rd Ave on 17 July 1884, where he obtained $6,000 worth the silverware. For this he was convicted of receiving stolen goods and was sentenced for 4 yrs in Sing Sing on 12 Aug 1884.
His Sing Sing Record
Newspaper clipping on this crime:
His Sing Sing Record for this crime
Herman Palmer's New York Mugshot taken Feb 1881.
Both their mugshots were most likely taken at Sing Sing.
Herman had a few alias:
Dutch Palmer
Dutch Herman
James Smith
George Smith
He was a carpenter & later a plumber.
I will start with Herman and his crimes but most crime they committed together.
He may have had more before this as his brother was in Sing Sing in 1876.
17 Feb 1881 — Herman is arrested for suspicion that he had a role in the April 1880 pawnshop robbery, but is released for lack of evidence, convicted and sentenced to 5 yrs in Sing Sing on 28 Jun 1880. Herman was discharged on this case as there was no evidence against him.
Newspaper clipping on this crime:
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48519037/august-palmer/
19 July 1884 — Herman is arrested and convicted for stealing $800 of silverware. A man to whom he sold some of the goods, named Hoefner, testifies against Herman. Herman is sent to Sing Sing for four years.
Burglary of a hardware store at No. 1011 3rd Ave on 17 July 1884, where he obtained $6,000 worth the silverware. For this he was convicted of receiving stolen goods and was sentenced for 4 yrs in Sing Sing on 12 Aug 1884.
Newspaper clipping on this crime:
Aug 1887
Released From Sing Sing Prison
Herman is released one year early after serving three years.
1888 and 1889 — Herman Palmer arrested and released; then arrested, tried and acquitted of a string of burglaries.
Newspaper clipping with his photo
Mar 1892 — Herman Palmer alias George Smith; and August Palmer, alias Charles Smith, arrested trying to open the safebox at a butcher shop. Both are sentenced to ten years in Sing Sing.
Sep 1898 — Herman Palmer released from prison, with 3 years 6 months taken off his term.
1900
Another newspaper clipping:
Feb 1902 — Herman Palmer arrested on suspicion of robbery of a restaurant safe.
1903 arrested on suspicion for a Cadian burglary for safe robbing.
August Palmer
His alias:
"Big Auguy"
He was a cigar maker.
Wife was Mary Steele
1876 March — August arrested while stealing from a silk merchant. Sent to Sing Sing for eighteen months.
His wife claimed the silk was hers and she was also arrested.
At the time that August’s home was searched and the pawn-tickets found, there was also found two pieces of silk dress goods, that were stolen from Mannassa L. Goldman’s dry-goods store on Canal Street, New York. The store was entered by burglars on Christmas-day, 1879. August’s wife claimed the silk, and she was sent to the penitentiary for having stolen goods In her possession. Palmer was arrested again in New York City for assaulting a party who gave evidence against his brother Herman, and sentenced to three years for assault In the second degree, on 19 Sep 1884. His sentence will expire, if well behaved, on 17 Jan 1887. Palmer’s picture is a good one, taken in 1880.
His Sing Sing Record for this crime
July 1878 — Less than a year after his release, August is sent back to Sing Sing (under the alias William Johnson) for two years and six months.
Sing Sing Record
1879 Dec -1880 June — Released early, August Palmer burgles a silk merchant in December, a pawnshop in April, and in June is caught trying to rob the safe of another pawnbroker. His residence is searched, and pawn tickets are found linking him to the earlier crimes. He is sent to Sing sing for five years.
Newspaper clippings on this burglary:
Aug 1884 — Released a year early from his five year stretch, August Palmer tracks down Hoefner and beats him to a pulp. He is sent to Sing sing for three years for assault.
His SIng Sing record for that crime
Newspaper clipping for this crime:
Aug 1884 — Released a year early from his five year stretch, August Palmer tracks down Hoefner and beats him to a pulp. He is sent to Sing sing for three years for assault.
Aug 1887 — Herman is released one year early after serving three years.
Oct 1887 — August Palmer, recently release after serving his sentence for assault, is caught during a burglary and sentence to Sing Sing for five years.
May 1891 — August Palmer released a year early.
Mar 1892 — Herman Palmer alias George Smith; and August Palmer, alias Charles Smith, arrested trying to open the safebox at a butcher shop. Both are sentenced to ten years in Sing Sing.
Oct 1901 — August Palmer arrested in Ottawa, Ontario and sent to prison for seven years.
1902
1906
1907
Dec 1909 — August Palmer and an accomplice arrested in Springfield, Massachusetts for burglary. In January, 1910 he is sentence to an 8 year term in the Massachusetts State Prison. Herman is mentioned as currently serving a five-year term in Sing Sing.
1911
1912 He got forgery here.
This was the last I found on the brother's. I didn't find any other family information, census records, nothing. Just the prison records and newspaper articles.
They sure were something. August was arrested in Canada in 1901 and 1903 he did do time in Kingston Prison in Ontario.
I would like to know when and where they died. Guess there will be more digging at a later date. In the meantime here is their story. I also made them a tree on Ancestry and added all this info to it.
What long hard sad life.
What an incredible amount of work you have done on this. They definitely did not learn, over the years, not to do what they were doing their whole lives, apparently.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, I love writing their stories.
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