A Book of the Saint Paul Police 1838 - 1912 — 8

One of the principal murder mysteries in the history of the St. Paul department was that of Martin Erickson. He was brutally shot in his meat shop at 540 Decautur Street, on the night of February 1, 1894.

Every attempt was made by the police to apprehend his slayer. Suspicion was directed toward his brother Edward. He was arrested, and after an investigation was released. In 1898, upon the statement of one Wild, Edward Erickson was again arrested and charged with the murder. He was tried and Wild, in his testimony, proved himself to be something of a crazy man. The entire basis of his statement that Edward Erickson had committed the murder was a dream which came to him in the night, and which so vividly impressed him that he felt himself called of God to prefer charges against Edward Erickson. Erickson was acquitted.”

It had been a terrible year in St. Paul police history.

In 1894 Robert A. Smith again became mayor of St. Paul presiding over a city that had approximately 150,000 population. In that year J. C. Hull a prominent west side minister was tried for the attempted murder of his wife. He was charged with having given her repeated doses of arsenic while acting as her constant and apparently kind attendant during her struggles to keep alive, suffering as a chronic invalid for many years. There were some peculiar relations between a young girl in the Hull household and the minister and some sensational letters were found to have been written by Hull to the girl. The trial was the sensation of police and court annals of the year. Hull was found guilty of attempted murder and went to Stillwater for six years.

In 1896 the democrats were defeated at the municipal election and Frank B. Doran a C. A. R. veteran and member of the city council, was made mayor and had the honor of presiding over the city during the annual encampment of the National Organization of the C. A. R. Mayor Dorn had scarcely been sworn in when he made a clean sweep of the entire police department from its head to the lowest officer. Martin N. Goss, a railway conductor was appointed chief. In May, 1897 Charles Zschau, paying teller of the National German American Bank, member of a prominent family of old residents and about to receive a diploma from the State Law School, was found guilty of a theft of $13,650 from the National German American Bank, and was given eight years in the penitentiary. Gambling and stocks caused his downfall. During Mayor Doran s administration the State Legislature abolished the police pension law and it was not revived again until seven or eight years ago. Mayor Andrew R. Kiefer took the chair June 7th, 1898 and he continued the old police force in power. Judge Robert C. Hine and Judge Grier M. Orr were elected to the Municipal bench. Judge Hine coming from general practice to the bench proved himself an earnest conscientious magistrate. He died a few years ago loved by all. Judge Orr had formerly been the court commissioner of Ramsey county and he made such a splendid record on the Municipal bench that at the expiration of his term he was promoted to the district bench where he still presides.

Arthur Middleton, proprietor of a tea store 269 West Seventh street was the first victim of a series of four murders that perplexed the police during this year. He was sleeping in the rear apartment of his store one night and was awakened by noises in his room. When he opened his eyes two men who were standing at the foot of his bed opened fire on him and then ran away. Middleton, too weak to stand finally crawled to the sidewalk in front of his store and his cries were heard by officers Filligen and McCormick who had heard shots and were hurrying to the place from whence they apparently came. Middleton was removed to the hospital in the ambulance and lived just long enough to tell his story. There was a woman in this case and she was arrested, but finally released without trial. The police have always said that Middleton’s loyalty to this woman up to the moment of his death prevented the murderers being captured though he well knew who they were. To have revealed their names would have embarrassed the woman and Middleton died with his lips sealed. The woman’s innocence being established she was released and the case dropped. The second murder was that of Eva Woodward. She was a prostitute who had lured John Steenerson, a young Scandinavian, a mere boy, into her room at 137 E. 9th street. Steenerson had a five dollar bill which the woman got from him ostensibly to go out and buy some beer. She refused to get the beer and refused to give him back the money. A fight ensued and she was shot through the heart. On December 1st, 1898 the boy murderer was sent to the State Reformatory.

The third victim of the murder mania that year was Kittie Marian, 537 Broadway. She was murdered with a revolver by Dan Coughlin, a railroad engineer. The murdered woman had fallen heir to a home and Coughlin’s wife was left out of the will. Miss Marian offered to provide a home for Mrs. Coughlin but wanted Coughlin sent to a state institution as he was going blind. When the young woman called at the Coughlin home one afternoon Coughlin shot her as she entered the door of his house and turning the gun on himself ended his own life. Mrs. Coughlin came home a short time later and found both bodies lying on the parlor floor. The fourth and last murder of the year occurred on November 15th and the apprehension of the murderer was due to the old story of a secret unkept. August Hesse, a mere boy, got into an argument with John Shanley in a Jackson street saloon. Shanley struck Hesse who returned the blow with his fist. Shanley hit the floor very hard and died from the effects of the blow. Hesse made his escape and would never had been captured by the police had he not told the story of the affair to his sweetheart who told it to a girl friend and she told it to a gentleman friend and the gentleman friend told it to a policeman who told it to the chief of detectives. Hesse was found guilty of assault under provocation and received a short sentence. Meanwhile Mayor Kiefer and Chief Goss were at loggerheads until it became necessary for Chief Goss and Chief of Detectives Phillip Schweitzer to resign. Parker L. Getschell in charge of the Ducas Street Station was named as chief of police and Martin L. McIntyre, City License Inspector was made chief of detectives. The regime of these two men was very short for in 1900 the people revolting against police conditions turned out the republican administration and put Mayor Smith back into the chair. Mayor Smith had been in the Mayor’s chair but one hour when he deposed the entire Kiefer police regime. John J. O’Connor became chief of police and he completely reorganized the department Within 24 hours. When the master hand of John J. O’Connor took charge a four year epidemic of burglaries, robberies, holdups, thefts, arson and other crimes came to an abrupt end and since then these epidemics have been unknown in St. Paul, which since 1900 has been the quietest town from a police standpoint of any place of even one half its size in America. A law which had been passed during the previous session of the Legislature provided for the appointment of a police commission. Mayor Smith named on this Commission R. T. O’Connor, L. L. May, William Foelsen, Daniel W. Lawler and Charles L. Haas.

Radical changes throughout the department were made by this commission. The appointment of John O’Connor as chief of police was confirmed; the office of chief of detectives was abolished, and Chief O’Connor was given full charge of detective work; the office of captain of the department was also done away with, and John Clark was appointed senior captain of the police force. The substations were put in charge of a lieutenant, and various details being as follows: Central, Lieut. Meyerding and Lieut. Hanft; Rondo, Lieut. Banner; Ducas, Lieut. Saxton; Margaret, Lieut. Gebhardt; Prior Ave., Lieut. Budy. Lieut. Frank Horn was placed in the police court as a representative of the department.