The Mysterious End of “Uncle Frank”
*This story was originally titled "Uncle Frank's Last Stumble"
On the evening of Saturday, March 24, 1923, a passerby on Riverdale Road in West Springfield came upon a grim sight. An elderly man lay face down in a snowdrift near the tracks of the Holyoke - Springfield trolley line, his face badly cut and bruised and his chest crushed. He wore a brown slouch hat, a short black overcoat, and a brown suit with the initials F. B. on his shirt collar. He had graying hair and sported a gray mustache. His watch had stopped at 7:15. Despite the gathering crowd, he died before medical aid could arrive.
Curiosity seekers quickly clogged Riverdale Road, lining it with automobiles and pressing close for a look. One bystander later told police he had encountered the man around 7:00 p.m., stumbling and struggling to walk. Believing him intoxicated, the passerby helped him a short distance, moving him away from the trolley line and leaving him against a tree before going to phone the police. The old man had muttered something about being “Uncle Frank.”
Another person told authorities that they saw the aged man getting off the trolley and that two youths were following him.
As speculation swirled, one motorist in particular caught the attention of police. Joseph Savoy of Springfield drove recklessly through the crowd that night, endangering onlookers. Though he initially escaped in the commotion, Savoy later turned himself in—only to be arrested again for reckless driving days later.
Savoy’s name was already familiar to law enforcement. Just a month earlier, in February, he had been arrested in New Haven, Connecticut, in connection with the death of a man struck by an automobile in Milford. Savoy claimed he mistook three men waving in the road as potential robbers, swerved, and sped off—unknowingly striking one of them, who later died. Though he was acquitted, Savoy’s reputation as a dangerous driver only grew. In the years that followed, he racked up more arrests, including one in 1924 when his license was revoked, and another in 1930 when he struck a pedestrian.
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| Once known for its beauty, Riverdale Road is the oldest river drive in Hampden County |
Whether Savoy had any connection to the death on Riverdale Road remained uncertain. The medical examiner found at least six broken ribs and a broken shoulder. He noted that the face and knees bore heavy bruising. Although no tire tracks were present, authorities concluded that the mysterious man had been struck by either a trolley car or an automobile.
The body, which carried no identification, was soon found to be Frank Burke who lived in the Longyard section of Southwick, Massachusetts, and was known to authorities for his rough ways and chronic drinking. Identification came from W. H. Hastings of Southwick, with whom Frank boarded.
Rumors immediately circulated that Burke had been carrying a large sum of money—perhaps as much as $2,000, reportedly withdrawn from a Holyoke bank just hours before his death. No cash was found on his person. A friend claimed Burke had told him that very day that he was carrying $30. Among Burke's effects in his boarding room were two old bankbooks, but neither showed activity since 1914. A discreet canvass of local banks revealed one account, with Springfield Five Cents Savings Bank, had long been closed, while another account at a different bank still held funds, though the amount and name of the bank were never disclosed at the bank officer's request. (Records from Springfield Five Cents Savings Bank show that Burke reported his passbook as being lost or destroyed on December 8, 1913, and the bank returned to him the money on deposit then closed the account.)
Burke’s personal history was as troubled as his end. His wife had divorced him for extreme cruelty and intoxication. In 1911, he was part of a rowdy gang of drunks who holed up at the notorious Fowler house on North Longyard Road —a house of ill repute known for brawls, liquor, and lawlessness. Terrified neighbors kept quiet for fear of retaliation - more specifically - they were afraid that the men would burn their homes down - until a local deputy finally hauled the men into court. Earlier, as a young man in Holyoke, Burke had tripped on a city street, sued, and won damages—which he promptly used to pay off his court mandated fines for public intoxication, totaling $7.70.
As the years wore on, his arrests for drunkenness became more frequent. Accounts suggest he may have been divorced more than once for the same destructive habits.
Frank Burke’s life ended violently and mysteriously that cold New England night on Riverdale Road. Whether he truly carried a hidden fortune, whether he was a victim of foul play, or whether he simply stumbled into the path of a trolley or motorcar, remains unresolved. What is certain is that Burke, a once familiar character in Southwick’s Longyard district, left the world as he had lived in it—amid scandal, drink, and unanswered questions.
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Edited Out/Author's Additional Research Notes
Joseph Savoy was arrested in 1919 for violating the 8-foot law. He was charged after he ran into and knocked down a woman about to board a streetcar. In court, he pleaded guilty.
In his youth, Burke may have been charged with bastardy.
Burke's funeral was held at Morrill's undertaking parlor at 7:30 p.m. on March 29.
Joseph Savoy didn’t register his vehicle. Authorities were impressed with the counterfeit plate he made and said they probably wouldn’t have caught him had he not been in another car wreck.
Springfield Five Cents Saving Bank was founded in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1854. It was designed to encourage working-class folks to save by allowing deposits as small as five cents.
Unable to hold a regular job, Uncle Frank did odd jobs around town.
Riverdale Road was originally known as Shad Lane Meetin' Road.
Authorities believe that while walking down the street, Frank got hit by a car or trolley, stumbled several feet, and fell to the ground. On the ground he dragged himself a few feet.