‘Writing historic wrongs'

Monroe man finally receives recognition 142 years after he died in the line of duty in New York City. By James A. Nelson, Historian, Town of Monroe Monroe — For five days in 1863 during the Civil War, New York City was under siege — not by the Confederate States of America, but by the angry rioters who looted, destroyed property, and then turned to murdering police, soldiers, and citizens of the city. The mobs were vicious, particularly against the black community, as they moved through the city. They even burned an orphanage for black children. After the police and National Guard put down the riot, more than 100 people had died. One of the dead was Edward Dippel, a patrolman with the Metropolitan Police Department who left behind a wife and daughter in Monroe. Dippel was attached to the 25th Precinct (Broadway Squad). On Tuesday evening, July 14, 1863, he was shot while trying to quell a riot outside the home of abolitionists James Sloane Gibbons and Abby Hopper Gibbons on 29th Street. His wounds were so severe that the surgeons decided the only way to save his life was to amputate his leg. But Dippel died before the operation could be performed. The night before his death, the patrolman was visited by Metropolitan Police Superintendent John A. Kennedy, who did so even though he, too, had been injured by the rioters and had been told by his doctors not to leave his house. When Dippel died on July 19, Kennedy issued the following special order to the precinct captain: “Our comrade fell while he was bravely discharging his duty, with his face to the rioters. “The funeral will take place to-morrow, 23d inst., at 9 o’clock A.M. “As a tribute of respect to our deceased brother officer, you will detail a Sergeant and twelve men, in full uniform, batons, belts, to attend the funeral, which will take place from these headquarters. You will direct the Sergeant in command to report to Drill Instructor Sgt. Copeland, in Washington-Square, south side at 7 ½ o’clock A.M. The Twenty-fifth Precinct (Broadway Squad) will be the Guard of Honor.” Edward Dippel was a member of the police force for about two years when he was killed protecting the citizens of New York City. After his funeral, he was buried in Monroe Community Cemetery. Dippel was married to Mary Elizabeth Haring of Monroe and they had one daughter, Henrietta E. Dippel. Mary Elizabeth died three years after her husband, on June 30, 1866. The Haring home was located near the ridge of Rye Hill Road in Monroe. Mary E. Dippel’s father, Demarest Haring, would become the guardian of their four-year-old daughter. Henrietta would never marry. She would live and work in Newburgh after she became an adult. She died at the Newburgh City Infirmary on June 6, 1945, at the age of 83. Though we knew Patrolman Dippel died in the line of duty, he and many other policemen were not recognized for this by the New York City Police Department. And since he was not on the New York City Police Honor Roll, his name would not appear on the New York State or United States Police Monument. But now that has changed. Dippel and 99 other officers will be added to those monuments. Former Monroe Supervisor Mike Frerichs found the grave of Patrolman Dippel while waiting for a funeral. He lost track of the grave and in 1992 he and Althea Guant located his grave after a long afternoon search. Frerichs brought Edward Dippel’s name to the forefront after researching and writing an article on the Draft Riots and his death as a result of the riot. During the Town of Monroe Bicentennial in 1999, Frerichs would portray Patrolman Dippel when we recreated some of the prominent people buried in Monroe Community Cemetery. When I started researching Patrolman Dippel, I, too, was very surprised that his name was not listed on the Police Memorial and decided this oversight should be corrected. I talked to a number of police officers both active and retired about this problem. I wrote letters and delivered a number of documents and old newspapers directly to the police commissioner’s office at 1 Police Plaza. At the time I did not realize that another person, New York Police Sgt. Tom Carton, also was trying to get Dippel’s name added to the New York City Police Honor Roll. Carton originally came across a picture of Patrolman Dippel’s tombstone at a display put up by the Monroe Historical Society at the Monroe Cheese Festival. He organized a memorial service to honor at his gravesite in the Monroe Community Cemetery on July 18, 2003. This impressive ceremony was well attended by a number of police departments, including a large contingent from the New York City Police Department. After the ceremony Monroe resident Pat Lynch, president of the New York City Police Benevolent Association, said the belated service sent an important message to the families of police officers serving today: “It’s comforting to know that they’ll never be forgotten.” Slightly more than two years later, on Nov. 15, the Ceremonial Unit of the New York City Police Department, in an impressive and moving ceremony, added Dippel’s name and 99 others to the Memorial Wall at One Police Plaza. The dates of those who died in the line of duty spanned more than a century from 1849 to 1997. “With this ceremony, we are righting historic wrongs,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in his remarks. “It is an honor to add the names of these officers whose sacrifices until now have been overlooked.”