April Fool's Prank gone Wrong

Walter Stewart, a young Irishman, worked in his older brother's grocery store for a few years before emigrating to America in 1903. He took the skills he had learned from that experience and opened his first store, in New Canaan, in 1907.  Over the next few decades, he had branched out to nine stores in the area, most managed by family members: His brothers-in-law William and Walter Deverill ran the Stamford and Darien stores.  His brother Robert Stewart also went into the grocery business; his store was in Sound Beach. 

Another brother, thirty-year-old James Stewart, came to work for Robert in Sound Beach.  On April 1, 1912, James and another clerk, Roland Hedges, hitched up the horses before making the morning delivery rounds through Riverside. Hedges decided to play an April Fool's prank on his co-worker. He informed James that another clerk had requested a monkey wrench. James went inside to deliver the tool, and became enraged when he learned that he'd been tricked. He struck Hedges with the wrench on the hand and head. Hedges grabbed a coal shovel and tried to hit James with it. James dodged the shovel and escaped inside the store, leaving Hedges muttering about retaliation.

Robert Stewart, manager of the store, told both men to get back to work, advising Hedges to return to his team of horses and get on with rounds. James Stewart worked on filling a customer's order, and while leaning over a flour barrel, Hedges darted across the store, wielding a hammer, and struck James on the head.

Robert Stewart again interfered, separating the fighting men, pushing Hedges out to the wagon and team to start his rounds. He sent his brother to see a nearby doctor, who dressed the scalp wound. Worried about a fracture, the doctor sent for an ambulance. By the time it arrived, James had died. 

The sheriff located Hedges and arrested him. He had no idea that James had died, and inquired about his condition. When he learned of James' demise, Hedges fainted. Later that afternoon, he was found in his Greenwich jail cell in a pool of blood - he had broken a light bulb and cut his own throat. It was not a fatal wound.  The 24-year-old father of one pled guilty in court, and was sentenced to one to five years in state prison.

Ten days after James' death, the New Canaan Messenger ran "Forgiven By Stewart" described a powerful display of love and forgiveness by Robert Stewart for his brother's killer:  "There is one ray of sunshine in this dismal Stewart-Hedges affair - one redeeming feature. And that is the attitude of Robert Stewart, brother of the dead man. He loved his brother who was brought to such an untimely end, yet he is acting toward the man accused of the murder, in what seems to us to be a truly Christian manner.
      Usually, when one man is killed by another, the relatives of the victim call for blood...  They say they want justice, though what they really want of course, is revenge. They demand an eye for an eye, a life for a life...  Perhaps that attitude is human, if not Christian, but we are glad that here is one case where a man departs from the usual.
       Mr. Stewart knew Hedges from boyhood almost as well as he did his own brother. For years he had been fond of him and though he did not approve of his quick temper he had a feeling of interest in, and responsibility for him that does both great credit.
      Mr. Stewart does not want Hedges hanged. He feels that there has been bloodshed enough. As he is reported to have said immediately after the hearing on Wednesday:  I think that there has been enough of horror and anguish. One life has been lost and two families have been crushed.  I cannot believe that the ends of justice will be gained by the making of another corpse, the depriving of a mother her son, a wife of her husband, and a baby of its father.
      It is said that after that hearing Robert Stewart in sorrow for the agony of Hedges went to him, put his hand on his shoulder and offered him advice.  And it is said that Hedges put his head on the shoulder of  Mr. Stewart (who through years as his employer had been an adviser and, to a certain extent, a father to him) and sobbed out his grief and anguish of his heart. 
      Some people will say that this attitude of Mr. Stewart's is not stern enough; that such an attitude encourages crime. But we do not agree with such people. We feel assured that Hedges had received a lesson which will prevent him, even if he lives many years in perfect freedom among his fellows, from ever rising his hand in anger to another. 
      And we are thankful that there is a man of the character of Robert Stewart, one who ought to serve as an example to hundreds of others...
      All witnesses and a host of friends agree that neither Stewart or Hedges were bad men. Neighter of them would have been accounted dangerous in any sense. There was only one chance in a thousand  for such a tragedy to occur. Each might have lived his life, or a thousand lives, without such a thing happening. If  Hedges had not happened to be reminded when he first woke up that morning that it was April Fool's Day; if after the playing of the seemingly harmless joke, some customer had arrived in the Stewart store and taken up Stewart's attention for even five minutes until he had forgotten the sting of the fancied insult; if Hedges had been called away for a couple of hours until the pain of Stewart's blow had died away; if any of a hundred of the things that might easily occurred in the ordinary course of a day's work had occurred, Stewart would still be alive and both Stewart and Hedges happy - probably good friends..."

Walter Stewart's two stores were closed April 3 until noon, for the funeral service of James Stewart. (Stamford Advocate, 4 April 1912, p. 9, col. 2.

Notes: Story taken from various articles in the New Canaan Messenger and Stamford Advocate  between April 1 and May 28, 1912. quoted passage is from New Canaan Messenger, 11 April 1912, p. 1, col. 6-7.