The aftermath of the Sechler shooting in New York City in April 1907 included an outpouring of sympathy for George’s widow and baby. According to newspaper accounts, the police department did everything it could to provide for the family, but the system was not very well set up for this (George was only something like the 30th New York City police officer on record to be killed in the line of duty) and everyone agreed that more needed to be done. Three New York theaters stepped-up and dedicated box receipts for several days of shows to raise money for the family. Something like $20,000-$30,000 was raised, depending on which account you read.
The following copy of a ticket for the New Amsterdam Theater on Broadway, a bit sensationalized but well-meaning (there was no gunfight as pictured), turned up in the family’s photo album.
Unfortunately, the money stayed tied up in the court system for another year. Alfred Selleck, the other slain officer, had no immediate family but a number of distant and/or fraudulent relatives popped-up to claim a share of the money, and this took a while to sort out. Eventually most of the money was awarded to Laura and Ruth.
The 1942 movie musical Yankee Doodle Dandy, starring Jimmy Cagney telling the story of George M. Cohan, includes a brief scene depicting the debut of Cohan’s show Forty-Five Minutes from Broadway (about New Rochelle) at the New Amsterdam Theater. This was, in fact, a real production, taking place 16 months and 11 productions prior to one of the Sechler tributes on the same stage. The Sechler tribute featured the Robert B. Mantell Repertory Company.
Bridging the Silences 