Wednesday, 2 July 1947: Riders expected
from California, Arizona, Nevada and
Oregon will arrive Friday for the annual
Gypsy Tour. There will be three days of
motorcycle contests, with hill climbs,
track racing, and field meets. Alto-
gether $1200 in prize money and trophies
will be awarded. Friday is for the hill
climb at Lavagnino Rock, south of Holl-
ister on Birdcreek Road. On Saturday,
practice and amateur races on the
1/2-mile track at Veteran's Memorial
Park and a field meet will take place.
Sunday is reserved for the expert races
on the 1/2-mile. On Saturday, the 5th,
the Motor Maids of America, 200 women
riders, will arrive in Hollister.
Thursday, 3 July 1947: The hill
climb event will start at 1:00 pm Fri-
day. Riders should take Birdcreek Road
3 miles south of Hollister to Lavagnino
Rock, where 150 riders will vie for $600
in prize money.
Sunday's race on the 1/2-mile at
Veteran's Memorial Park will start at
1:00 pm with timed trials slated for
10:30 am, Herb Schumaker, General Chair-
man. "Officers Added for Motorcycle
Meet" -- Hollister Police Chief Fred
Earle announced he was adding two men to
his staff. Sgt. Jack Wright and one
other (unnamed) Salinas police officer
will supplement the force. Cpt. L.T.
"Ben" Torres of the California Highway
Patrol said there would be a "slight
strengthening of his ranks".
Saturday, 5 July 1947 (no paper on
Friday holiday): Field meet at Vet-
eran's Park. Events include a "dig-out"
race, "plank" race (20 feet on a 6-inch
plank) and other tests.
Street rider accidents are reported.
Cuts and bruises -- Harold Munson of
Berkeley, Clifford Ollinger of Campbell,
Norma Harmon of Salinas, Margaret Man-
ning and Eugene Bonillas of Hollister.
J.W. Corder and his son Eugene of Earli-
mart suffer facial abrasions.
More seriously injured were Merton
Krantzman of Tulare who broke his leg
stunting on San Benito Street, Ted
Boyd of Oakland who received a fractured
skull and collar bone, and Frank McGov-
ern of Chico who suffered a severed
foot. The hospital emergency room was
put in "readiness".
Monday, 7 July 1947 (no paper
printed on Sunday): The results of the
Sunday races: Paul Albrecht of Sacra-
mento won first place in the 20-lap Sun-
day main event, Jack Cottrell was sec-
ond, and Bud Jorgenson of Fresno was
third and the crowd's favorite. The AMA
referee was "Shorty" Calhoun, and the
races were sponsored by the Park Asso-
ciation and the Salinas Ramblers Motor-
cycle Club, Ted Holthouse, Park Direc-
tor.
Saturday night: "Battle of Hollis-
ter Ends as Wild Celebrating Motorcycl-
ists Leave City". "Thirty CHP officers
with tear gas guns called in, clamped
'informal' martial law on downtown Holl-
ister." "Wild gangs dispersed after
virtually taking over the town for
almost two days." "Disregarding the
orders of city police, an angry delega-
tion marched on the police station
indignantly jeering, calling the arrest
of fellow riders 'persecution' and
demanding 'more lenient treatment', pro-
testing the 'curb' police put on their
activities." Local police termed the
Tour as "one hell of a mess." Cyclists
were arrested for counts varying from
drunkenness to reckless driving and
indecent exposure.
Threats were heard like "we are
going to bust open your jail if our pals
aren't turned loose". At approximately
10:00 pm companions of three locked-up
riders applied a crow-bar to the door of
the jail behind City Hall and freed
their friends. Three cyclists who had
collapsed in a drunken stupor and were
unable to walk, remained in jail.
Late Friday afternoon Lt. Roy
McPhail called E. Raymond Cato, the
Chief of the California Highway Patrol,
for help. Thirty officers responded
under the command of Cpt. L.T. "Ben"
Torres and were assisted by four Monte-
rey County Sheriff's Deputies and their
Cpt. Harry Kessler.
As a distraction, an orchestra that
had been playing for a private party,
was loaded on a truck bed and played for
the crowd. "As the riders momentarily
forgot their grievances, several of them
began dancing and soon much of the crowd
was shuffling through the broken glass
that littered the street -- debris from
broken bottles thrown by the riders ear-
lier." "As the riders stopped their
'play' to dance, police officers
remained, standing nearly shoulder to
shoulder, keeping an eye on the dancers
-- nearly every cyclist had brought his
'moll' along."
Miscellaneous notes: "As the hordes
poured into Hollister late Thursday
night, police made predictions that
trouble would develop .... By late Fri-
day night the riders, police reported,
were virtually out of control."
Judge Frank C. Butcher held special
court sessions on Friday and Sunday to
accommodate offenders that threatened to
load the county jail beyond capacity.
The average loss in broken beer
bottles was six cases per bar. A half-
ton of broken glass and trash was swept
up in the two downtown blocks of San
Benito Street.
About 40 riders, 20 recorded at the
hospital, were injured. "None of the
injured was financially responsible,"
said a hospital spokesman, describing
the attitude of most as "high-handed".
Riders came from as far east as
Michigan.
"Police were unable to name any
'ring leaders' responsible for the dem-
onstration and classified some of the
hearty celebrants as 'hoodlums' and
'rowdies'. A physician called them
'constitutional psychopaths"'.
And so was born the mystique of the
"Motorcycle Gang".
Postscript -- Letters to the Editor
(column) Monday, 7 July 1947:
Dear Sir:
It has always been a pleasure to
come to Hollister to shop until I came
over Saturday. The town was overrun
with lawless, drunken, filthy bands of
motorcycle fiends and it was impossible
for law-abiding citizens to drive on
your streets.
I am told that police officers were
loaned to Hollister by neighboring
cities, but in spite of that, noisy rac-
ing continued and drunks slept in the
gutters, streets, alongside business
buildings, and in vacant lots. What has
come over Hollister to tolerate such
things? Other towns seem to get along
nicely without nuisances like this.
There was no regard for traffic laws or
any other laws.
What is the matter with your city
trustees that they allow such disgrace-
ful happenings? I do not live in Holl-
ister, but I like Hollister. This
motorcycle convention is a real dis-
grace. What do the home folks think?
R.E. Stevenson
Salinas, Calif.
Epilogue, Tuesday, 8 July 1947:
"Earle Resigns as Chief of Police After
31 Years" -- Replacing Police Chief Fred
Earle will be Roy K. McPhail, Lt. of
Police and former FBI agent.
City Council will meet to determine
whether or not to continue the annual
July 4th motorcycle event.
