Mary Elizabeth MADDEN
2011 - President Teddy Roosevelt's accident in 1902

Anonymous. The Berkshire Eagle [Pittsfield, Mass] 31 Mar 2011.

Thursday March 31, 2011

I would like to commend Brian Sullivan on his daily articles regarding the city of Pittsfield's history (Pittsfield 250). I find them truly interesting and informative. However, I would like to dispute some aspects of his March 22 article on President Teddy Roosevelt's accident in 1902.

While Euclid Madden was indeed the motorman on that fateful day, several eyewitness accounts recall a different version of what happened. Sullivan states that "heated" words were exchanged between the president and the motorman following the accident. Eyewitness accounts by Ann Dunbar (Eagle, Sept. 8, 1902) stated that the motorman was respectful and polite when confronted by the president and did not "sass the president."

In an Eagle article in 1975, Gladys Peirson Dodd recalled her mother testifying at trial that Madden was urged by politicians/ company officials from the Berkshire Street Railway on board the coach to speed up. Initially, Madden pleaded innocent but did plead guilty at trial.

Sullivan's article also stated that Madden had to pay a "hefty fine and was a little lighter in the wallet." According to the National Railway Historical Society (Transportation Bulletin 1972), Madden's "fine ($300) was paid for by the railway company, which also sent his family his regular weekly salary during his imprisonment. Released on July 14, he was reemployed by the Pittsfield Electric as a motorman."
Many wonder why the company would pay such a huge fine, continue to pay his wages, and return the motorman to his position if Madden indeed was guilty or just taking the fall for some high politicians/ company officials as many believe was the case.

Lastly, Sullivan states the "trolley driver did have some stories for his grandchildren." According to Donna Decker Reck (Eagle, Feb. 21, 1994), Madden "was a quiet man who spent his summers in the garden, winters in the basement fiddling with broken radios and headphones." His family never spoke of the incident. "Respect for privacy was big back then."

As Secret Service agent died, the president of the United States was injured, and a man and his family's lives were turned upside down. According to Euclid Madden's daughter, Mary (Madden) Fraley, Madden never spoke of the tragedy again.

ANTHONY J. SIMONELLI
Pittsfield
The writer is a great grandson of Euclid Madden.



Learn more about the life of     Mary Elizabeth MADDEN.

Visit Pittsfield, Massachusetts, USA (Coltsville)
Discover the people who lived there, the places they visited and the stories they shared.