ARRESTED FOR SELLING BICYCLE OIL (1896)
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The story you are about to read was composed from research conducted in the course of one of those investigations.
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In 1896, bicycling was so enormously popular that Brooklynites were being arrested for it.
So much so that “wheel” shops made it a practice on Bedford Avenue to stay open on Sundays in open violation of the “Sunday law” which prevented businesses from operating on that day.
In April of that year, Detective Brady of the Fourth Precinct was sent on a mission to do something about this infringement upon decent society.
Churchgoers living in the Bedford Avenue section – the primary bicycling route back then – were the most vocal complainers, informing the police that, at 1082 Bedford Avenue in particular, not only “are goods disposed of, but that the repairing department of some of these establishments are in full blast all day Sunday, and workmen are kept busy fixing up disabled wheels.”
Armed with this information, Brady took a Sunday trip down the busy avenue – perhaps on his bicycle, to ensure he played well the part of the wheelman – to investigate. Arriving at the address in question, he “found the store of H.L. Wilkens & Co., at 1082 Bedford avenue, open and business being carried on.”
Approaching a worker at the store, in order to have evidence against the establishment, Brady purchased a bottle of bicycle oil. As soon as he received the bottle of lubricant, Brady immediately placed Albert Drewitz, “a member of the company,” under arrest for selling it to him.
When Drewitz was taken to the station house he “complained at being singled out,” pointing out the other bicycle repair shops operating on the avenue and singling out “William H. Boynton at 1084 Bedford avenue,” who, he claimed, “was also doing business.”
Armed with this clue, Brady made a second trip down Bedford avenue, stepping into Boynton’s store and “after making a similar purchase placed the proprietor under arrest.”
After the story landed in the paper detailing the arrests – and Drewitz’s fingering of Boynton – it is certain that Drewitz became a very popular man in Bedford avenue’s wheelman shops.
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