06/15/2026
A Waterford Constables unlucky summer.
What symbolizes the month of July? We addressed that question on Google. This was their reply. All in all, the symbolism of July speaks of boldness, regality, and outdoor adventures; joy, contentment, and a great deal of fun in the sun. Is this month going to be one of contentment, fun and/or adventure for you? We believe that Fred Currier of Waterford would have had a different response.
Fred was a man of many interests. His actual name was Alfred, but he was known as Fred. For seventeen years, he was a Waterford Town Constable. In 1921, Governor Nathan Miller appointed him Division Superintendent of Canals. When that commission was up, he returned to law enforcement as a Deputy Sheriff, later becoming a Day Jailer. It was his work in law enforcement that would cause Fred to have a different outlook on July than Google professes.
Our story actually begins in late evening on June 30, 1919. It would be July 1 by the time this story ended. Pietro Caruso, a recent Italian immigrant, had found employment at the Eddy Valve in Waterford, had bought a small lot in the Dial City Section, and by all accounts was doing well. So well that the local Black Hand had taken an interest in his well-being. The Black Hand was reputedly an American branch of the Mafioso extortion group. Pietro, fearing for his family’s safety after they were visited by several Black Handers, roughed up, threatened and scared, contacted local authorities for help. The County Sheriff and Waterford Constables devised a plan for Pietro’s safety. On this night, Deputy Sheriffs Clarence Hovey, Patrick McCarthy, and Howard Dodge, all of Ballston Spa, along with Constables Fred Currier and William Naylor of Waterford, were dispatched to Dial City to protect Pietro and family.
It should be noted that neither Pietro nor his wife were well versed in English; none of the listed people were known to the Carusos, and they didn’t know they were coming. It was reported in the July 1, 1919 Saratogian that Pietro saw five men approaching his property, three from the front, and two from the side. The street was poorly lighted, and it was very dark. Fearing they were the “Blackhanders,” he opened fire with a shotgun and a revolver. As Currier and Naylor approached, they were fired upon. They were both struck. Dodge and McCarthy fell to the pavement as the second shots rang out, filling Hovey’s legs with shot as he was running behind a tree. Pietro then fled the scene; it was many days before he was located. As anticipated, Pietro thought the men were the blackhanders he feared. All the officers wounded recovered. Fred, who was shot in the right eye, did lose the use of that eye.
As far as we know, Fred’s Julys were relatively uneventful until July 28, 1928. He was now with the Sheriff’s Department in the capacity of Day Jailer. Incarcerated that day was Roy Brown, alias George Erwell Fellows, alias George Frank. Brown was jailed as the ringleader of a car-theft group operating out of a barn in Moreau. It was discovered he was wanted in Vermont for car stealing, New Hampshire for assault with attempt to kill, and Tennessee for murder. In the hours that followed, after a visitation by his alleged wife, someone reported they heard the sounds of sawing. Undersheriff George Knight, Night Jailer Benjamin Simon, and Day Jailer Fred Currier entered Brown’s cell; Simon pulled the blanket off Brown, who displayed a pistol. He fired four shots, hitting Fred with each bullet.
In our time, we have to wonder how this could occur for a prisoner to come up firing while in custody. It was discovered, after the fact, that Brown had the practice of carrying a cleverly concealed, small-caliber pistol that hung from an interior worn belt, with a cloth holster between his legs. In those days, jailers didn’t check there. It was further discovered that indeed, two bars on the exterior window of his cell had been sawn through. It was suspected that his alleged wife's visit had been the source of the saw. Brown would later state that he had carried that in as well. Jailing procedures have advanced since 1928.
Although Fred Currier hovered near death for several days, he did make a recovery. He returned to work and eventually ran in a primary election for the office of Saratoga County Sheriff. He failed in the primary; it wasn’t held in July.
