Chateau-Thieery, Vaux, and Bouresches were not the only battlegrounds during World War I. A delayed battle was waged in our town in the spring of 1922 – despite the fact that that the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919.

Protests were held in Saugus and the conflict pitted brother against brother, soldier against partygoer; one person’s values against others.

No blood was shed and no prisoners taken but the incident stirred up the passions of all Saugonians on both sides of the conflict.

Before I reveal this, up to now, little known battle in Saugus, I must disclose that one of the main characters, and I use that term loosely, was my great uncle, Henry A. Parker. Uncle Henry was not only the Town Clerk and Tax Collector at the time, but also the President of the then famous and maybe sometimes infamous, Saugus Tennis and Canoe Club - THE club to belong to in town; you were someone in town if you held a membership card.

It was April of 1922. Plans were all set with Mr. Parker and his dance committee. For the past 16 years, the Tennis and Canoe Club held a masquerade dance at the Saugus Town Hall on the Saturday night after Easter. Invitations had been sent out, costumes ordered and refreshments and decorations agreed upon. Actually, it was just like any other yearly dance.

On the other front, Private Winslow Hodgdon, an adopted son of Mrs. Olive M. Batson, 384 Central Street, Saugus, MA, who had been killed in France near the end of the war, was finally being returned to Saugus for burial. Private Hodgdon was the first lad from Saugus to be killed in action in World War I. And, according to military custom, the body must lie in state for at least 24 hours prior to interment, or in this instance, from Saturday, 12 noon to Sunday at 2 PM.

It was Mrs. Batson’s wish that the funeral be held the Sunday after Easter and decided that the Town Hall was be the only proper and fitting place to hold the services. The First Parish Universalist Church was not large enough to accommodate the number anxious to pay tribute to the fallen hero.

After Past Commander Benjamin Q. Belonga of the Saugus Post 210, who headed up the committee of funeral arrangements, learned of the Canoe Club masquerade dance, the cooperation of those in charge was sought. Mr. Belonga was confident that, under the circumstances, they would gladly postpone the affair.

Sunday evening, six days before the dance, Belonga called at Henry Parker’s residence and talked with his daughter, Marion Parker, by the way, a member of the dance committee. Mr. Belonga requested that a postponement was in order so that Private Hodgdon’s body might lie in state. Miss Parker’s reply is purported to have been to the effect that costumes had been hired, invitations sent out, orchestra engaged, and decorations contracted for. But, other than that, she would, indeed, speak to her father.

Tuesday evening, April 18, 1922, member s of the Legion Post 210 voted that a committee visit Mr. Parker and the directors of the club to see if it would be possible to postpone the dance. Commander John B. Haley selected George Sprague, Abner McKenzie, Clarence Howard and Raymond Clark and on April 19, 1992, they called on Parker at his home.

Commander Haley opened the conversation by asking if it would be possible to postpone the dance. Mr. Parker asked how that could be done. Mr. Haley suggested a mailing be done announcing the postponement. Mr. Parker went on to state that the Legion Post had over a year and half to plan for the funeral and that it looked to him that those in charge had bungled the whole affair.

Haley spoke of the change in plans because of the small capacity of the church and that they didn’t know that the Town Hall was already occupied. (Evidently, none of the Legion men belonged to the Tennis Club).

Mr. Parker explained to the Legion Committee that the Tennis Club rented the hall on the same night for the past sixteen years. He then asked why they didn’t plan the funeral on the Sunday before, (which would have been Easter) or on the 19^th.

After further conversation, Mr. Haley asked Mr. Parker if he believed that the dance should take precedence of the funeral of the first Saugus boy to be returned from France; a boy who ate bully beef and hardtack in the trenches and gladly gave up his life that the dance might be held.

Parker asked the committee if they would be willing to stand all expenses incurred by a postponement and Mr. Sprague replied that they would. However, Parker still felt that the plans could not be changed and when he stated so, someone in the group threatened him saying that he would be the loser. With that, Mr. Parker asked the committee members to leave his residence, and they did.

Despite the protests of hundreds of citizens, members of the Saugus Post 210, and residents of many other Saugus organizations, the annual masquerade ball of the Saugus Canoe and Tennis Club was conducted with the usual revelry of former years, while the body of Winslow Hodgdon lay in an undertaker’s morgue, distinctly contrary to plans hitherto made.

The dance went forward because so much money was spent by the committee and they could not see fit to cancel the date so that the body of the Saugus hero could like in state in the Hall, according to a statement found in the Lynn Telegram.

All during the evening of the dance, crowds of ex-servicemen picketed the streets. The Post took no part of the picketing, according to its members, but their influence was duly noted. The crowd of picketers was orderly, parading up and down in front of the scene of festivities and its solemn silence displayed the deep sincerity of the protest.

Some of the protesters carried banners deploring the attitude of Tennis Club members. "Enjoy yourselves, Canoe Club people while a hero lies in the morgue," and if you dance tonight you slight him," were printed on the banners. Some dancers changed their minds and joined in with the protesters.

Many of those who attended the dance wore their masks when they entered the dancehall/town hall hoping that their costumes would keep them from being recognized by their friends, family and neighbors.

Sunday, the day after the dance, final tribute was paid to Private Hodgdon at a military funeral held at the Saugus Town Hall which had been swept clean of any party remnants. The body of the deceased hero laid in state from 8 a.m. to one half-hour before the services.

The pall bearers, all of whom were World War I veterans were Leo Parley, Harold Smiledge, James H. Rodgers, Alex Jackson, Edward H. Davis, Raymond P. Chesley, Charles Chesley, Welcome W. McCullough, Wilton McKenney, George Parrott Jr, and Edwin Jaquith.

                          Private Hodgdon was buried in Riverside Cemetery.