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Thursday, July 26, 2012

1941: SALVATORE SCARDONE SCARES TRENTONIANS

I received the email below from Betsy (Salvatore) Cole. She included a few news clippings detailing a scare which Salvatore Scardone caused when he set off professional fireworks in the back yard of a Franklin area tavern. The article above is a reformatted copy of Betsy's email to me. Further research in my files found the article where Salvatore Scardone faced a judge, along with very prominent friends, including Richard Hughes. Thanks for the email Betsy and the article which I had to reformat due to the length of the original you sent in color. Betsy wrote:

Dear Mr Glover

My father Arthur A " Sarky" Salvatore was best man in his friend Anthony "Gigi" Chianese's wedding at St Joachim's church on January 15 1941. He would later become a Superior Court Judge but then was just a young lawyer. As a surprise gift for "Gigi", Salvatore Scardone ( yes the one who did most of Trenton's fireworks) set off a fireworks display in the yard of the at cafe on Franklin Street where the reception was being held. The explosions scared people all over the city. After the police took Mr Scardone away my Dad , morning coat and all, had to go to the jail to bail him out. Where else but in the " Burg" would there be a reception like that?

Betsy Salvatore Cole
RALPH LUCARELLA said...

HI TOM.....AS A KID I WAS SCARED TO DEATH WHEN SCARDONE SHOT OFF HIS FIREWORKS ON BUTLER STREET DURING THE FEAST OF LIGHTS IN THE 20'S. LATER I WAS TOLD ST. FRANCIS HOSPITAL COMPLAINED THE NOISE WAS EFFECTING THE PATIENTS. BEST REGARDS.

Anonymous said...

Tom:

I went to Jr.4 with the professor's son, Salvatore Jr. and Daughter Thresa. Back than we call the Professor "Boom Boom Scardone"

Sarky Salvatore noted as the best man at the wedding, and bail bonder for the "culprit" was without a doubt one of the all time nice guys I ever met, and lunched with. In addition, Sarky was a fabulus story teller.

It ir is interesting to note that hia long time friend and ultimate law partner Governor Dick Hughes accompanied Sarky to defend Boom Boom for his failure to get a permit. That was a time, when a friend was a real friend, and not in name only.

The Scardone Company never failed to electrify the skis over Trenton on the fourt of July.

Warm and happy regards to all of my old Trenton friends.

Mike Kuzma
Late of Ringoes, now of Virginia, but still a Trentonian!!!

Anonymous said...

Mike,do you remember the place in Ringoes, "The Carousel", they made a decent pie 20 years ago and I finally asked the owner who commented that he hired an old Trenton pie maker when he started the business. The "pies" have changed with ownership sadly.

I was originally going to comment on another "boom" that had Hamilton residents out by the old Thermoid company all upset some 15 years ago. It seems one of the "lads" over at the J. Seward Johnson Atelier cast a full size cannon and after a few celebratory nips fired it off. Aside from the noise, it went through the roof and into the kitchen of a little old lady.

Ed Millerick

Lee Belardino said...

Tommy
Mr Scardone lived 2 ndoors down from my grandfathers house on Mott street. One of his sons,Joey (tarp)
Scardone was my boyhood pal and together with Mike Ricetlli,JOHNNY Chiaccio,and James Chianese comprised the Mott Street gang.8-9 year olds hanging around the railyards off of broad street and getting chashed out by the railroad cops. Tarp got that nickname by falling into asphalt. Mr Scardone limped from an accident with fireworks. 4th of July fireworks at Cawalder park and Scardone. Memories of Trenton and the burg in the late 30's and 40's.Lee

Anonymous said...

Ed Millerick:

Re: Rinoges

I restored my first 250 year old farm house in Ringoes (East Amwell Twp) in 1978.
At that time the Carousel was known as "Stoop's Country Store"
Mrs. Stoop got too friendly with one of the male customers, and Mr. Stoop quickly sold the store to a working railroader, John and his wife, and it became the Carousel. They hired two twin brothers who did all the cooking and baking. After ten years, John sold out to an Itialian fellow from Unon County, who kept the boys on to run the place. Didn't know that they were from Trenton, had they been, I surely would have been told about it.
This past year, I called the Carousel, to buy the Cookies I used for clients, the guy anwering the phone's dialect made me realize that another immigrent family has moved into the convienence store business.

Sadly things change.

Best wishes

Mike Kuzma


7 comments:

RALPH LUCARELLA said...

HI TOM.....AS A KID I WAS SCARED TO DEATH WHEN SCARDONE SHOT OFF HIS FIREWORKS ON BUTLER STREET DURING THE FEAST OF LIGHTS IN THE 20'S. LATER I WAS TOLD ST. FRANCIS HOSPITAL COMPLAINED THE NOISE WAS EFFECTING THE PATIENTS. BEST REGARDS.

Anonymous said...

Tom:

I went to Jr.4 with the professor's son, Salvatore Jr. and Daughter Thresa. Back than we call the Professor "Boom Boom Scardone"

Sarky Salvatore noted as the best man at the wedding, and bail bonder for the "culprit" was without a doubt one of the all time nice guys I ever met, and lunched with. In addition, Sarky was a fabulus story teller.

It ir is interesting to note that hia long time friend and ultimate law partner Governor Dick Hughes accompanied Sarky to defend Boom Boom for his failure to get a permit. That was a time, when a friend was a real friend, and not in name only.

The Scardone Company never failed to electrify the skis over Trenton on the fourt of July.

Warm and happy regards to all of my old Trenton friends.

Mike Kuzma
Late of Ringoes, now of Virginia, but still a Trentonian!!!

Anonymous said...

Mike,do you remember the place in Ringoes, "The Carousel", they made a decent pie 20 years ago and I finally asked the owner who commented that he hired an old Trenton pie maker when he started the business. The "pies" have changed with ownership sadly.

I was originally going to comment on another "boom" that had Hamilton residents out by the old Thermoid company all upset some 15 years ago. It seems one of the "lads" over at the J. Seward Johnson Atelier cast a full size cannon and after a few celebratory nips fired it off. Aside from the noise, it went through the roof and into the kitchen of a little old lady.

Ed Millerick

Lee Belardino said...

Tommy
Mr Scardone lived 2 ndoors down from my grandfathers house on Mott street. One of his sons,Joey (tarp)
Scardone was my boyhood pal and together with Mike Ricetlli,JOHNNY Chiaccio,and James Chianese comprised the Mott Street gang.8-9 year olds hanging around the railyards off of broad street and getting chashed out by the railroad cops. Tarp got that nickname by falling into asphalt. Mr Scardone limped from an accident with fireworks. 4th of July fireworks at Cawalder park and Scardone. Memories of Trenton and the burg in the late 30's and 40's.Lee

Anonymous said...

Ed Millerick:

Re: Rinoges

I restored my first 250 year old farm house in Ringoes (East Amwell Twp) in 1978.
At that time the Carousel was known as "Stoop's Country Store"
Mrs. Stoop got too friendly with one of the male customers, and Mr. Stoop quickly sold the store to a working railroader, John and his wife, and it became the Carousel. They hired two twin brothers who did all the cooking and baking. After ten years, John sold out to an Itialian fellow from Unon County, who kept the boys on to run the place. Didn't know that they were from Trenton, had they been, I surely would have been told about it.
This past year, I called the Carousel, to buy the Cookies I used for clients, the guy anwering the phone's dialect made me realize that another immigrent family has moved into the convienence store business.

Sadly things change.

Best wishes

Mike Kuzma

Aprilicity said...

this story is very interesting...what's even more interesting than just the story is that the Professor is listed as living at 26 Mott St. MY family lived at that address at this time. I wonder if they got it wrong or if he was staying with the family for some reason at that time? With history it seems the more I dig, the more questions I have!!

Ron Bound said...

I used to watch the old timers play bocci ball, in the yard next to the place on Roebling and Franklin Sts...in the late 40s.