Memories of Sleepy Hollow

Sleepy Hollow began the yearlong celebration of its 50 years in existence as an incorporated village with a birthday party at the village hall on April 29, the anniversary of this momentous event.

During the course of the year, I hope to share with you some reminiscences of both new and longtime residents plus give you little known or perhaps best forgotten facts about the place where my family has made its home for the past 27 years.

Mention "Sleepy Hollow" and people envision a tranquil, bucolic spot perhaps similar to Garrison Keillor's Lake Wobegon. It is a safe haven for its residents and its only enemies are speed limit offenders - but, that was not always the case.

Back in 1967, on a cold February day, Sleepy Hollow families were enjoying the undisturbed pleasures of a Sunday afternoon. Some were reading the paper while their youngsters were outdoors sledding or building forts in the recently fallen snow. Some families had just gotten back from church and were sitting down for a nice home-cooked meal - when all of a sudden, the quiet was broken by the sound of multiple shotgun blasts.

What had happened? This was a sound so alien to our surroundings.

Sleepy Hollow Police Chief Larry Sabatino leapt into action. The village had been invaded by four interlopers, intruders from places with names as ominous as Crystal Lake and Elgin. They had brought carnage to our village.

I will not mention their names as doubtless this is a fact that their families have been trying to live down for the past 40 years. The villains tried to escape by fleeing in their car, but Chief Sabatino was relentless. He pursued them as they sped away in a manner so dangerous that later reckless driving charges were added to the list of their other offenses.

These fiends had tried to hide the evidence of their crime but sharp-eyed officials recovered shotguns and a 22-caliber rifle that the criminals had dumped in a snowdrift. These items were confiscated by the village and later produced at their trial.

The guns were not the most damming evidence. What was found in their car was far worse. It was bagged and frozen and the gory remains were placed in storage until they could be viewed by the court.

At the trial in the spring, State Conservation officer Harold Baker presented what was described as "the ghoulish bags of frozen game as evidence. They included four cock pheasants, 14 hen pheasants, one Hungarian partridge, two squirrels and two rabbits."

The poachers were found guilty of hunting out of season, discharge of firearms within the village limits and were fined $1,200. The verdict was applauded by members of the Audubon Society who were in attendance at the trial and had expressed deep concern for wildlife and strict enforcement of gun laws.

To this day, the very name of Sleepy Hollow strikes fear in the heart of all poachers; and fortunately, or unfortunately, ducks and geese, who have forgotten how to fly south for the winter, can safely meander undisturbed across our lawns and in front of our automobiles. Bunnies and squirrels run free, pheasants are cautious, but Hungarian partridges are still a little nervous about returning; and Chief Sabatino had the park in the heart of our village named in his honor.

If you have information on happenings in and around Sleepy Hollow you would like to share, write Barbara Ferguson c/o Daily Herald, 385 Airport Road, Suite A, Elgin, IL 60123.