On October 25, 1915, an unusual incident involving a homeless man, railroad security, and the Yonkers Police Department illustrated the relationship between public order and transportation infrastructure in early twentieth-century New York. According to research published by Yonkers historian Mary Hoar, police arrested a man after William Daxon, a special agent employed by the New York Central Railroad, reported observing him throwing potatoes at the windows of trains approaching Yonkers Station. Although the reported conduct involved projectiles directed at railroad equipment, authorities booked the individual on a charge of intoxication. This seemingly minor episode provides a documented example of local policing during a period when Yonkers was developing as an industrial and residential center along the Hudson River.
By 1915, Yonkers had established itself as an important municipality in southern Westchester County. Its proximity to New York City, extensive industrial operations, and railroad connections contributed to its economic development. The New York Central Railroad provided essential transportation between communities along the Hudson River and Manhattan. Railroad stations functioned as important points of movement for commuters, commercial travelers, and other passengers. Consequently, maintaining order around railroad facilities was an established concern for transportation companies and municipal authorities.
The Yonkers railroad station where the incident occurred was a relatively new structure. Completed in 1911 for the New York Central Railroad, the station was designed by the architectural firm Warren and Wetmore, which also contributed to the design of Grand Central Terminal. Its Beaux-Arts architecture included arched windows, ornamental stonework, and a vaulted Guastavino tile ceiling. The station represented a substantial investment in passenger transportation and reflected the importance of railroad infrastructure to the city's development.
The involvement of William Daxon is particularly significant because he served as a special agent for the New York Central Railroad rather than as an ordinary municipal patrolman. Railroad companies employed security personnel to protect passengers, employees, equipment, and property. New York's railroad legislation established a framework for appointing company-associated police officers and defining their responsibilities. Daxon's report to Yonkers authorities demonstrates direct communication between railroad security personnel and municipal law enforcement.
The police response also deserves examination. According to Hoar's account, Daxon reported that the man was throwing potatoes at train windows as trains entered the station. Nevertheless, the recorded charge was intoxication. The available account does not establish whether officers independently observed signs of intoxication, whether railroad property sustained damage, or whether anyone suffered injuries. It likewise provides no evidence explaining why authorities selected that particular charge. These distinctions are essential when interpreting a historical arrest without access to the complete investigative record.
The institutional history of the Yonkers Police Department provides additional context. Following the Civil War, local officials expressed concern about increasing numbers of unemployed and transient individuals within the community. In August 1866, fourteen officers from New York City's Metropolitan Police Force began serving Yonkers. Municipal authorities subsequently established an independent police force in April 1871, initially consisting of a captain, two sergeants, two roundsmen, eighteen patrolmen, and supporting personnel. This development formalized local policing during a period of municipal growth.
By 1915, the department had operated for more than four decades. Its earlier records, preserved within the New-York Historical Society's collections, document arrests, complaints, police activities, and the treatment of individuals described as lodgers. These materials establish that police responsibilities extended beyond investigating serious crimes. Officers also addressed everyday disturbances and encounters involving people without established residences.
The unidentified man's homelessness constitutes another documented feature of the incident. However, the surviving published account supplies no information concerning his name, age, employment history, circumstances, or subsequent treatment. It would therefore be inappropriate to assign motives to his actions or draw conclusions about his physical condition. Similarly, the available evidence does not establish whether the arrest resulted in prosecution, conviction, or punishment.
The historical significance of the October 25 incident rests primarily in its documentation of everyday municipal authority. Unlike major political developments, industrial disasters, or celebrated public achievements, ordinary arrests rarely occupy prominent positions in conventional historical narratives. Nevertheless, such records reveal how local institutions operated and how individual encounters entered the documentary record. In Yonkers, the interaction between a railroad special agent, municipal police, and an unidentified homeless man illustrates the practical connections between private transportation security and public law enforcement. Its preservation through local historical research demonstrates the value of examining minor incidents within the broader institutional history of an American industrial city.
References / More Knowledge:
1. Hoar, Mary. “On This Day in Yonkers History.” Yonkers Times, October 23, 2021. Includes the account of the October 25, 1915, arrest involving New York Central Railroad Special Agent William Daxon.
https://yonkerstimes.com/on-this-day-in-yonkers-history-67/
2. City of Yonkers Police Department. “Police History.” City of Yonkers, New York. Historical account of the department's establishment, early organization, and development.
https://www.yonkersny.gov/587/Police-History
3. Great American Stations. “Yonkers, NY (YNY).” Great American Stations, an Amtrak-supported station history resource. Documents the construction, architectural significance, and history of Yonkers Station.
https://www.greatamericanstations.org/stations/yonkers-ny-yny/
4. New-York Historical Society. “Guide to the Yonkers Police Department Records, 1867–1907.” Collection MS 296. New York University Special Collections Finding Aids. Describes surviving police blotters, arrest records, administrative records, and early departmental history.
https://findingaids.library.nyu.edu/nyhs/ms296_yonkers_police_department/
5. New York State. “Railroad Law, Article 3, Section 88: When Railroads May Designate Policemen.” 2010 New York Code, reproduced by Justia. Provides later statutory context for railroad police appointments and authority; it does not independently establish the law's precise provisions in 1915.
https://law.justia.com/codes/new-york/2010/rrd/article-3/88/
6. Yonkers Public Library. “Local History & Genealogy.” Yonkers Public Library. Describes local newspaper collections, historical documents, city directories, and archival research resources concerning Yonkers and Westchester County.
https://www.ypl.org/research-learn/local-history-genealogy