WE NEVER FORGET: Officer Richard D. Reemts Who Lost His Life September 11, 1919, During the Boston Police Strike

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WE NEVER FORGET
Officer Richard D. Reemts
Who Lost His Life in Freedom’s Cause
September 11, 1919, in the Boston Police Strike

From The Boston Daily Globe
-of September 12, 1919:

Reemts, Striking Policeman
Shot at South End, Dies
—–

[…..]

Striking Policeman Killed

The first shooting affair of yesterday [Thursday September 11th] was very unfortunate for the cause of the striking policemen. The victim was former patrolman Richard Reemts, who was attached to the Roxbury Crossing station.

He was 36 years old, married, and lived at 14 Akron st, Roxbury….

From The Boston Daily Globe of September 13, 1919:

Notice of Death

Reemts-In this city, Sept. 11. Richard D., beloved husband of Catherine Reemts (nee Bresnahan). Funeral on Monday at 8:30 a. m. from his late home, 14 Akron st., Roxbury. Funeral high mass at St. Joseph’s Church, Circuit st., at 9 o’clock. Late member of Division 10, Boston Police Department. Presence of relatives and friends requested. Auto cortege.

From Boston Evening Globe of September 13, 1919:

FUNERAL OF PATROLMAN REEMTS ON MONDAY

The funeral of Richard D. Reemts, of Roxbury District, a patrolman on strike from the Roxbury Crossing Division, who died at the City Hospital of a bullet wound received early Thursday morning near the Back Bay railroad station, arising out of the police strike, will be held on Monday morning. Soon after 8 o’clock the body will be removed from his late home at 14 Akron st, to St Josephs Church on Circuit st, where at 9 oclock a high mass of requiem will be celebrated.

Patrolman Reemts had been a member of the Police Department since 1910, serving in South Boston until about three years ago when he was transferred bo Roxbury Crossing. He was born In 1883. Before becoming a policeman, he was a marketman.

From Boston Evening Globe of September 15, 1919:

RICHARD D. REEMTS BODY IS BURIED
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Striking Policemen Helped Do Him Honor
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The funeral of Richard D. Reemts, the patrolman on strike from the Roxbury Crossing Division, who died at the City Hospital of a bullet wound received in an incident arising out of the strike situation, near the Back Bay railroad station, was held this morning. About 8:30 the body was removed from the family home at 14 Akron st to St Josephs Church. Circuit st, where at 9 a m a solemn high mass of requiem was celebrated.

The church was well filled, nearly 100 of his former comrades in the Police Department attending the services. Rev Charles J. Ring was celebrant of the mass and he was assisted by Rev Fr D. J. Sullivan and Rev Fr John J. Phalen. As the remains were being borne from the church about 75 striking policemen, all in civilian suits, stood in single file at either side of the entrance. When the casket was placed in the hearse others acted as escort for the funeral procession along Circuit st from the church to Washington st, parting there to permit the cortege to pass through two lines.

The interment was at New Calvary Cemetery.

The pallbearers were all striking policemen, including John Whitten, one of the officers of the Policemen’s Union, Augustine J. Miner, Arthur J. Creighton, Arthur Bostwick, Fred C. Lee, Angus Dakin, William J. Mulvey and James H. McKernan.

Reemts was converted to the Catholic faith on his deathbed.

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Note: Emphasis added throughout.

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SOURCES

Quote Mother Jones, Pray for dead, Ab Chp 6, 1925
https://www.iww.org/history/library/MotherJones/autobiography/6

The Boston Daily Globe
(Boston, Massachusetts)
-Sept 12, 1919
https://www.newspapers.com/image/428544633/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/428544638/
-Sept 13, 1919
https://www.newspapers.com/image/428544677/

Boston Evening Globe
(Boston, Massachusetts)
-Sept 13, 1919
https://www.newspapers.com/image/428544683
-Sept 15, 1919
https://www.newspapers.com/image/428544796

Postwar Struggles, 1918-1920 (pages 92-101)
-by Philip S. Foner
International Publishers, 1988
(search: “boston police strike”)
https://books.google.com/books?id=UMBWNCXcR8wC

IMAGE
Boston Police after Strike Vote Sept 8, Strike Began Sept 9, 1919
Note: That this photo is of Boston police, leaving meeting where strike vote was taken, is from source linked below. I have not been able to verify from contemporary sources. Date of strike vote and start of strike is from Foner and many contemporary sources.
https://patrickmurfin.blogspot.com/2012/09/crushing-copsthe-1919-boston-police.html

See also:

For short concise summary of Boston Police Strike
The WPA Guide to Massachusetts: The Bay State
Federal Writers’ Project
Trinity University Press, Oct 31, 2013
(search: “boston social club”)
https://books.google.com/books?id=Il_pCAAAQBAJ

The Encyclopedia of Police Science, Volume 1
-ed by Jack R. Greene
Taylor & Francis, 2007
https://books.google.com/books?id=HIE_zF1Rv7MC

Crushing the Cops—The 1919 Boston Police Strike
by Patrick Murfin
https://patrickmurfin.blogspot.com/2012/09/crushing-copsthe-1919-boston-police.html
https://www.blogger.com/profile/05191688376908660270
Note: this article strangely assumes that Democrats are the grand protecters of union workers while only Republicans persecute them, perhaps forgetting workers massacred under Democrats as well as under Republicans (for example the Ludlow Massacre under Democratic Governor Ammons). Nevertheless, this summary of the strike is a good one.

Governor Calvin Coolidge, Republican
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvin_Coolidge

Mayor Andrew J. Peters, Democrat
(search: “Democrat Mayor Andrew J. Peters)
https://books.google.com/books?id=Uia4A04q8dMC

Boston Police Strike
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Police_Strike

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9/11 Tribute – Bagpipes