H and H Coffee

Dedicated to the history of the Hoffmann-Hayman Coffee Co. founded 1899 in San Antonio, Texas.

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The News, 2 October 1936 — assault on night watchman A. Osterloh, 613 Delaware St.

Front-page crime brief from The News (San Antonio), 2 October 1936, page 1. A. Osterloh, night watchman for the San Antonio Machine & Supply Co., was knocked down and beaten by a drunken Fort Sam Houston soldier near North Center street. The article places Osterloh’s residence at 613 Delaware street — the same address that wartime real-estate listings of 1943–1944 would identify as immediately adjoining the H & H Coffee Co. plant.

Transcription

WATCHMAN KNOCKED DOWN, BEATEN BY DRUNK; RESCUED BY OFFICERS

A. OSTERLOH, night watchman for the San Antonio Machine & Supply Co., was knocked down and beaten by a drunken Fort Sam Houston soldier as he walked along North Center street near the company’s shop early this morning.

The watchman was rescued by Radio Patrolmen Lopez and Moore who happened to pass the scene, looking for the soldier against whom a complaint had previously been made to police headquarters. When the officers reached the scene, the soldier was attempting to disarm the watchman, they said. The watchman said he fired five shots in trying to dislodge the soldier.

Osterloh said he was walking along the street when he was attacked by the man who struck him with a rock, knocking him down. He said that as he fell stunned to the ground, the soldier jumped on top of him and started beating him. He said the man then attempted to disarm him.

The two officers had been called to the 300 block of North Cherry street to arrest the soldier who was reported to have created a disturbance in a place there. The 25-year-old man was placed in city jail, booked for being drunk and for assault on the watchman.

Osterloh lives at 613 Delaware street. Officers said he was not seriously hurt in the attack.

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