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Having received reports
of illegal hunting in Idlewild Woods near present day JFK International Airport,
Bill Cramer teamed up with Game Protector Joseph Allen to investigate. Interestingly,
Joe Allen's father, Thomas Allen, was a Game Protector in Nassau County from
March 16, 1911 to January 3, 1929. Bill Cramer had evidently worked closely
with the senior Allen over the years.
Patrolling Idlewild Woods
near Baisley Park, Bill Cramer and Joe Allen discovered Joseph Lentine of
Boerum Street in Brooklyn at around 10:00 a.m. in possession of illegal songbirds.that
he had apparently shot. While arresting Lentine for this, another shot rang
out close by. With Lentine in custody, the two Game Protectors headed off
toward the sound of the shot to investigate. Lentine shouted out a warning
in Italian, resulting in a series of shots being fired. In the resulting struggle,
Bill Cramer was killed instantly by a shotgun blast to the face. The second
illegal hunter, later identified as Frank Aldino, was shot in the wrist. Game
Protector Joe Allen was severely beaten.
Although severely injured,
Joe Allen managed to make his way out of the woods onto the road where he
was assisted by a passing motorist. New York City Police Officers from three
precincts searched the woods that day, attempting to locate the assailants.
On October 8, 1929, Frank
Aldino was arrested in Newark, New Jersey for the murder of Game Protector
William T. Cramer. His defense was that because Cramer and Allen were not
in uniform he thought that he was being robbed. He also stated that the shotgun
had discharged accidentally. On the following day, October 9, he was indicted.
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The trial commenced on
November 26, 1929. It lasted two days, with Joe Allen testifying the first
day and Frank Aldino on the second. On November 28th, Frank Aldino was convicted
of second degree murder and sentenced to 20 years to life in prison by County
Judge Frank Adel of Long Island City. Aldino was remanded to Sing Sing in
Ossining, New York.
Bill Cramer was 38 years
old at the time he was killed. He was not married, and resided in Ridgewood,
Queens. Surely his devotion to duty, having once before been seriously assaulted,
has to be recognized as the highest level of valor in the history of natural
resource protection.
The story of Bill Cramer
reflects the stubborn determination with which the Game Protectors approached
their job. Remember that this was a time when laws protecting fish and wildlife
were not widely accepted. Game Protectors were resented, and in many instances
despised. These early protectors set the tone for what was to become a highly
respected law enforcement profession and, despite its small numbers of men,
a force to be reckoned with. |
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