Kid Hugo, Captain McCauley, and Coney Island

It’s fascinating to get into the names, dates, and places of genealogical research but behind every name, there are countless stories about that person, their family, their time, and the place that are lost forever. So any story, no matter how tangential, can offer an interesting insight into their time and place.

I’ve found a few stories on newspaper.com, thanks to my Ancestry subscription, that are particularly fun. This is my favorite. It’s the story of a young pickpocket, Kid Hugo, who got caught up in a sweep at Coney Island despite having pre-arranged permission from the Acting Captain of the local NYPD precinct, my great-great grandfather, Captain John McCauley, to go to Coney Island that day with his sweetheart and mother. And this was business as usual in 1907 Brooklyn.

Kid Hugo, Pickpocket.

Article from Jun 20, 1907 The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, New York)