Nelson Henry Dessler

Other Events:

• FindAGrave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/68636461
• Interesting: crime, life story
• Interesting: crime, murder, life story
• Name: H. C. McFadden
• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-109413
• Residence: 1891, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Evangelical
• Misfortune: 21 Feb 1909, Olean, Cattaraugus, New York, United States; murdered Capt. Timothy Hassett and later being shot himself died 48 hours later.

Notes:

Olean City Police Captain Hassett was shot and killed by a burglar, Nelson H. Dessler, of Canada, that he was attempting to arrest. A civilian heard someone inside the Droney Lumber Company offices, located in the Masonic Temple building, which she knew was closed. She notified the police, and Captain Hassett responded. As Hassett opened the door to the inner office, Dessler stepped from behind the door and attacked. They struggled for several minutes.

Dessler was able to reach his revolver and fired one shot, missing Hassett. Captain Hassett drew his revolver and fired rapidly. The three shots hit Dessler, who was still able to fire again. This time Dessler's shot hit Captain Hassett in the head, killing him.

Although wounded, Dessler managed to flee out of the building, where he was met by two more patrolmen. Officer Fred Vollmer fired his revolver, striking Dessler in the leg. Dessler fired several shots was still able to flee both patrolmen.

Dessler was apprehended a short time later at his hotel room in the Olean House. He died from his gunshot wounds 48 hours later.

Find A Grave 2014

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CAPT. HASSETT'S MURDERER IN A CRITICAL CONDITION

The Report at the Hour of Going to Press was that His Temperature is Very High, His Pulse Rapid, and He is Very Nervous and Restless. Doctors give Little Hope for Recovery - Capt. Hassett's Funeral will be Held Wednesday Morning at 9: 30 O'clock, From St. Mary's Church - the Story of Dressler's Record of Crime

Police Captain Timothy Hassett, who was murdered yesterday morning by a burglar as told in yesterday's special edition of the Times, was born in Elmira, N.Y., a little over forty-five years ago. When about twelve years of age, he removed with his parents to Olean, and for thirty-three years had been a resident of this city. By trade, he was a bricklayer and stone mason, and for many years followed that line of work in Olean and vicinity, having charge of gangs of men on many important contracts. For the past eleven years he had been a member of the local police force, during nine years of which he was police captain. Towards the close of Mayor Franchot's administration, Captain Hassett did special patrol duty, and when Howard Strong was elected mayor, he appointed Mr. Hassett a regular member of the force. After two years of patrol duty, he was made captain, which office he held to the time of his death, performing his duties in a manner that gave satisfaction to all, and as one mayor succeeded another, there was never a thought of removing Tim Hassett from the force. He often expressed himself as having no desire whatever to be chief, though there is no question but that his executive ability would have made him a valuable head of the police department. He was one of the best known police officers in western New York. Besides his father and mother, Mr. and Mrs. John Hassett of West Green Street he is survived by his wife and seven children, Arthur of Buffalo, Tom, Mrs. Samuel Petty, Mayme, Anna, Celia and Raymond Hassett, all of whom reside in this city. There are also six sisters, Mrs. Charles Denney of Lawrenceville, Ill., Mrs. Peter McGraw of Wesleyville, Pa., Mrs. E. J. Hannon of Oil city, Mrs. J.H. Ryan, Mrs. Henry Baker and Miss Ella Hassett of Olean, and one brother, John Hassett of this city. Deceased was a member of the Tribe of Ben Hur and of the state Degree of Honor. The funeral will be held from St. Mary's Church at 9: 30 o'clock, Wednesday morning, solemn high mass being celebrated by Rev. Dan Hamel. The members of the police department will be present in a body and several officials from nearby cities and towns have signified their intention of coming to Olean. It will doubtless be one of the most largely attended funerals ever held in this city. The dead officer, whose body now lied at his late home on West Green Street, is dressed in his uniform, his police captain's shield being pinned on his breast.

After Dressler, the man who did the killing, had been arrested, his suit case was searched, and in it was found a birthday card from his mother. The writing is in German, but was translated by Alderman Lang, it reads as follows: "My Dear Son. Today is your birthday, January 22nd. Twenty-seven years have gone, my loving son. Many heavy hours have we passed through this year, but I am glad to know that everything God does is for the best. My loving son, I wish you much luck, and God speed, in which all is trusted, and may He always be with you. Your loving mother." In the suit case were also found several cards of false teeth, plates and other dental supplies, and it is believed that Dressler was concerned in the robbery of several dental offices in Dunkirk and Fredonia, which took place last Friday night. His record, as it develops more fully, is a bad one. He had served two terms in Canadian penitentiaries, and was at one time a leader of one of the worst gangs of crooks that ever infested Detroit and vicinity. About ten years ago he was arrested in this city of Officer Matt Hart, on the charge of robbing the hardware store of Benjamin & Co., now the Miller Hardware Co., at which time he was also charged with shooting. Last evening Detective Captain Seth Conover of buffalo, one of the nerviest officers in the employ of the Pennsylvania railroad company, and a close friend of Captain Hassett, arrived in Olean. Captain Conover says that he arrested Dressler about 2 years ago for robbing two boys, and later he broke jail at Emporium. When Dressler arrived in Olean on Sturdy, he registered at the Olean House, and tried to sell to Clerk W.R. Hodnett, about $4 worth of two cent stamps, which he said had been sent to him in payment for a bill. The stamps were in the regulation sheets of fifty to a sheet, and Mr. Hodnett took a dollar's worth of them, thinking the explanation given as a plausible one. From this fact it is reasonable to suppose that at some time Dressler was mixed up in a post-office robbery. He was evidently open to any proposition, but confessed that his specialty was the robbery of dental offices. It has developed that after shooting Captain Hassett and eluding the police, Dressler returned to the Olean House about 8 o'clock in the morning. He came from the direction of State Street, and on entering the hotel office, inquired if the elevator was running. Being told that it was, he smiled, and said he guessed he would walk up to his room. The day clerk, who had just come on and the bell boys, noticed that he staggered as he walked, but supposed he had been drinking. Then he locked himself in his room, with two bullets through his bowels, one through the hip and one in the leg, knowing full well that he must either die there or be taken prisoner. When stripped at the hospital, it was found that both bullets in the abdomen had gone through him, one of them being found in one of his shoes. His clothing was soaked with blood, and had he been left alone a few hours longer, he must have bled to death. From one of his vest pockets was taken a lady's gold watch, the stem portion of which had been shot away and the crystal broken. This watch he gave to Under Sheriff Wait, and asked him to keep it, as a remembrance of the day Mr. Walt said if he would give him the address of his people he would send the watch to them, but Dressler replied that he did not want his mother to know that he had committed murder. If he died, he did not want her to know what became of him. After his arrest, and when he was landed in the cell, Dressler was apparently the least excited person in Olean. He lighted a cigarette, smiled and asked: "Do they hang a man for murder in this state?" On being told that the death penalty was inflicted in the electric chair, he said: "Well, it will never get me." It was misled last evening by one who has known him for years, that in 1903 he received a five year sentence in the Kingston, Ontario, penitentiary, and after serving about two years was released on parole, a petition to that effect having been largely signed. His parents are in well-to-do circumstances, and reside in Berlin, Canada. A request made to the Olean General Hospital as to Dressler's condition today, was met with the reply that they were not permitted to give out any information. It was learned from Chief of Police Caspman that Dressler passed a fairly comfortable night, but the report from Dr. J.E.K. Morris, at the hour of going to press is that there has been a turn for the worse. The man's temperature is very high, his pulse is rapid, and he is in a very nervous condition. The physicians do not talk at all favorably regarding his probable recovery. Both bullets, they state, pierced the intestines, and tomorrow or the day after will be the most critical ones in the man's condition. The story of the tragedy in detail will be found on pages 3 and 7 of this issue of the times.

Orlean Evening Times - 22 Feb 1909

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Was Dessler Married?

A letter received in Olean today would indicate that Nelson R. Dessler, who killed Captain Timothy Hassett, was a married man. The letter is written from Cincinnati, Ohio, and is signed "Mrs. H. C. McFadden." I says in part: "I have been informed by wire that my husband, H.C. McFadden, who registered at the Olean House about February 20th, was shot and killed by the chief of police. Would you be so kind as to give me any information bearing on the case? I never received information until yesterday (March 3rd). Would you also send me daily papers of that date, and state what disposition as made of the body. Do you know if he was still employed by the New York Central railroad? Hoping you will please give me any information possible. Mrs. H.C. McFadden." It is known that "McFadden" was one of the names assumed by Dessler, and it is very possible that he was married under that name.

Orlean EveningTimes, 5 Mar 1909

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Was Undoubtly Married

A second letter has been received from Mrs. H.C. McFadden of Cincinnati, Ohio, which seems to confirm beyond a doubt that she was married to Nelson Dessler, under the name of McFadden. She states that the news of his death was a great shock to her as she had no idea that he was leading the life he was, neither was she aware that his name was other than McFadden. The story of his double life was a revelation to her.

Orlean Evening Times,12 Mar 1909

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The Curtain Has Fallen

The Last Act In Olean's Sad Tragedy Has Ended \endash The Funeral of Police Captain Hassett Was Held this Morning, And With All Possible Honor, The Remains Were Laid At Rest.

At The Same Hour, the Body of the Murderer Was Driven Quietly To Mount View, After Brief Private Services

The funeral of Police Captain Timothy Hassett was held this morning at 9:30 o'clock, from St. Mary's Church and no citizen of Olean was ever laid at rest with greater honor paid to his memory. The church could not contain those who were desirous of attending the services, and almost as many had to turn away as gained admittance. The services were those of solemn high mass of requiem, celebrated by Rev Dean Hamel. The casket was literally covered and banked about with beautiful floral offerings from organizations and individuals. Previous to the church service, Mayor Mandeville, the members of the common council and other officials went to the house and accompanied the body to the church. At the conclusion of the services the funeral cortege was formed. First came the conveyance for the bearers, then a back filled to the roof with the floral offerings. This was followed by the mayor and members of the council, Sheriff De Hart Ames, Under Sheriff E. E. Waite, of Little Valley; deputies Oosterhoudt of Olean, W.E. Little of Machias, W.L. Howe of Delevan, Ed Markham of Salamanca; District Attorney George W. Cole of Little Valley, Chief Fellows and Patrolman Ed Zimmerman of Salamanca, Shawmut Detective M.J. Welch of St. Mary's, Erie detectives, Ruff and Lyons of Hornell, and Rodgers of Salamanca, US Deputy Marshal tom Turner of Salamanca, Chief of Police M.D. Murray, Police Captain Foust and Patrolmen Lane, Mooney, Howe and Spreter of the Bradford police department, and Detective Captain Seth Conover, and his associates, detectives Somers and Barnes of Olean, and Weller and Holmes of buffalo, of the Pennsylvania railroad company. Then came the members of the Olean police department, led by Chief Chapman, the patrolmen being in uniform and acting as bearers. These were officers French, Councilman, Smith, Cole, Vollmer and Scheiterle. Following the bearers came the hearse, which was followed by a long line of carriages and three special trolley cars. As the procession wended its way along Union Street and down State, the city clock tolled at intervals, and a large concourse of people watched it pass. All of the business places were closed, and in the offices shades were drawn \endash a whole community paying silent honor to the faithful public servant. At the home, the floral offerings filled two rooms with their beauty and fragrance. In addition to the scores of individual tributes sent, there were offerings from the following: The mayor and members of the common council, a beautiful "Gates Ajar," from the brother officers of the dead man, a piece from Palestine Court Tribe of Ben Rur, the Bricklayers and Masons Union, the Elks, the Modern Woodmen, the Eagles, the Shop-mates of Tom Hasset at the Myrick Machine Co's. works, the members of the sheriff's department, detectives Conover, Weller, Holmes, Somers and Barnes of the P.R.R., the girls of the Union Telephone company and the proprietors and employees of the Herald and Times. The Bradford police department also sent a beautiful remembrance. Thus was Captain Timothy Hassett laid at rest, with all the honors that a community could pay to his memory. A better officer and a truer friend never lived. May he rest in peace.

The father of Nelson Dressler arrived in Olean last evening, and by his orders the remains were removed from the undertaking rooms of Quigley & Heath to those of Blighton & Clancy. The dead man's father stated that the mother is in a very critical condition, and that he hardly expected to find her alive upon his return home. She knows that her son is dead, but the details have been kept from her. The father expressed himself as being very anxious to get back to her bed side, so arrangements for Dressler's funeral were hurried forward. It was decided not to take the body back to Berlin, but to have the interment in Mount View Cemetery. Accordingly, services were conducted very quietly at the Blighton & Clancy officers, at 10 o'clock this morning, the officiating clergyman being Rev. Philip Sachs, pastor of the German Evangelical Church. The body was then taken to the cemetery, and the father took the 10:32 train on his return to Berlin. He gave his son's name as Nelson H. Dessler, 27 years of age, and stated that the young man was an American citizen, and had voted at the last presidential election. It thus happened that at the same hour the two funerals were being held, and the contrast between them was a marked one. On the one hand the dead man was borne to his last resting place with all the honors that could be accorded his memory by a sorrowing community, while on the other, the body was conveyed to the grave without a mourner to follow it, and very few people in the city knowing that the interment had taken place. Away from home and kindred, he likes in an uncared for grave, with no one here to mourn, and no hand to place a flower upon the sod beneath which he rests. The story is told. Its moral can be easily deduced.

Orlean Evening Times, 24 Mar 1909

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From the High Constable

In confirmation of the statement that Nelson Dessler had served time in a Canadian penitentiary, Chief of Police Chapman has received a letter from Charles Huber, high constable of Berlin, Ont., in which Mr. Huber requests that copies of the Olean papers containing accounts of Captain Hassett's murder be sent to him. He states that about six years ago he arrested Dessler in Berlin, on the charge of house breaking and theft; that he was sentenced to five years in the penitentiary, but at the end of the two years was released on parole. Chief Chapman has also received letters from many cities, asking as to the articles that were found in Dessler's grips, indicating that they thought he might have been mixed up in robberies throughout the country. Some of the dental supplies have already been identified by out of the town parties.

Orlean Evening Times, 25 Feb 1909

Other Events:

• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-29583
• Occupation: 1881, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; carpenter
• Occupation: 1881, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Carpenter
• Residence: 1881, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Lutheran
• Occupation: 1891, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Carpenter
• Residence: 1891, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Evangelical
• Occupation: 1911, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; ? Furniture Factory
• Residence: 1911, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Evangelical

John married Louisa Klaehn 22 Feb 1881, Preston (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. Louisa (daughter of Carl Friedrich Christian Klaehn and Fredericka Dorothea Sophie Johanne Krugman) was born 23 Jul 1860, Grebenick, Mecklenberg Schwerin; died 6 Sep 1950; was buried , Freeport Pioneer Cemetery, Waterloo Township, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Name: Louisa Dessler
• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-29584
• Immigration: 1873, , Ontario, Canada
• Residence: 1881, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Louisa
• Residence: 1891, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Evangelical
• Residence: 1911, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Evangelical

Other Events:

• Name: John Dessler
• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-29582
• Occupation: 1871, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Laborer
• Residence: 1871, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Lutheran

Johann — Margaret Beidorf. Margaret was born 16 May 1821, , Germany; died 30 Jun 1895, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; was buried , Freeport Pioneer Cemetery, Waterloo Township, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Name: Margaret Dessler
• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-29581
• Residence: 1881, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
• Residence: 1881, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Lutheran
• Residence: 1891, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Lutheran

Other Events:

• Name: Carl Klähn
• Name: Charles Klaehn
• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-227032
• Occupation: 1890, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; laborer

Carl married Fredericka Dorothea Sophie Johanne Krugman 20 Apr 1849, Sietow, , Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. Fredericka was born 1822, , Germany; died Yes, date unknown. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Name: Fredericka Dorothea Sophie Johanne Klaehn
• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-96390
• Residence: 1891, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Lutheran