A Book of the Saint Paul Police 1838 - 1912 — 9

In 1901 Chief O’Connor established the handsome squad of traffic police which have proven their metal on many occasions. One of the men, Patrick Roche, threw himself at the head of a runaway horse at 5th and Wabasha streets one summer evening when the streets were full of people and there was danger that the runaway would injure some women and children. The wild animal in its flight dragged and kicked the patrolman who held on like grim death until the animal stopped. When the crowd rushed up to save him he was unconscious and they had to pry his finger from the bridle. After months in the hospital Roche finally returned to duty to stay but a few weeks before it was found that his head was permanently injured and he died shortly afterwards a martyr to his duty. Chief O’Connor also added a magnificent police ambulance, the most modem and up-to-date fitted vehicle of its kind that could be purchased. This ambulance will not only respond to emergency calls to accidents but will convey any poor person to and from the hospital when called. The first two ambulance surgeons were Drs. Paul B. Cook and Wm. R. Moore. Dr. Cook is now assistant Health Commissioner and Dr. Moore has passed into the land of the Great Beyond. Both were very efficient men and built up for the police ambulance a reputation second to none. On October 2lst, 1900, soon after Chief O’Connor took charge, the McCormick Harvester Company’s warehouse in the Midway district was destroyed by fire and the falling walls killed six brave firemen, to-wit: Assistant Chief Wm. H. Irvine, Pipeman Bert P. Irish, Pipeman Lewis Wagner, Lieut. Frank Edey and Pipeman Andrew Johnson. The funeral was one of the largest ever held in St. Paul and the police department sent a large representation.

Chief O’Connor unearthed the plot concocted by Secrid Olsen and two companions to destroy the McCormick plant by committing the crime of arson. Olsen was arrested but had to be discharged for lack of prosecution, there being but little practical evidence to hold him, though it was known that he had planned the fire. Joseph Mrozinski was the first man to be murdered under the new regime. E. T. Corbett. deputy state game warden had located the murdered man’s nets near Dayton’s Bluff and as he was rowing up the river with the nets Mrozinski came out of his house and rowed up the river coming dose to the launch with which Corbett and a couple of game wardens were riding. Shots were exchanged and the limp body of the fisherman toppled out of his boat. It was recovered at Newport a couple of days later. Corbett was acquitted after a sensational trial.

Detective Frank Fraser who was murdered while attempting to arrest a man recently made a famous capture of two Wisconsin murderers. They were Arthur Cutts and Olaf Gustavson who had murdered Lula Day, a resort keeper at Neilsville, Wisconsin. The murderers came to St. Paul and two hours after arriving were captured by Detective Fraser. The men were taken from 5th and Wabasha streets to the Central Station and later taken back to Wisconsin, where they were tried and convicted and are now both serving life terms at Waupum. The most brutal and shocking murder ever committed inst. Paul up to this time occurred in May of 1901 when Wm. R. Rosenfield, a Fourth street livery employe after quarreling with his wife took one of his children, went over to Minneapolis where his wife was staying and had her bid goodbye to three more of her children, took all four of them away. The next morning a solitary horse and buggy were found near the woods at the east end of the Marshall Avenue bridge. Rosenfield and his four children were missing. Chief O’Connor evolved the theory that Rosenfield had murdered his children and he and the four little ones were in the river. On the 2nd of May the badly decomposed body of little Joe Rosenfield, a six year old boy, was found by the boom keeper of Pike’s Island. A few days later the bodies of two other children were found and on the fourth day that of Rosenfield was located at the boom. The body of the baby was never found. The writer remembers this case very well having been with Chief O’Connor from its start to the finish and helping identify the bodies as taken from the river. Chief O’Connor’s work on this case is considered by the writer one of the finest pieces of work ever done in local police history up to the time of the Schindeldecker murder.

On May 19th, Henry Mingers, quarreling with his brother-in-law, shot and killed him in the home of the victim Frank Spreigler, 645 Smith Avenue. Mingers escaped to Mendota, wrote a letter confessing his crime, tied a wire around his waist, attached a heavy stone to the wire and wading into the middle of the lake, fired a bullet through his brain and ended his life. On the night of July 12th, Edward Rooney was murdered by Edward Healey as the party were alighting from a steamboat excursion at the foot of Jackson street. Rooney and a man named Louis Tamperovitz had a quarrel with Healey about a woman on the boat and chasing each other up Sibley street near the depot Healey pulled a revolver and brought down both men, Rooney dying instantly, Tamperovitz being seriously injured though he later recovered. Healey was acquitted after a long trial.

On December 28th, 1901, Wm. A. Lindeke, a well known German citizen committed suicide in a sensational manner by walking into the undertaking establishment of the Wm. Dampier Company on Wabasha street and shooting himself in the head, falling dead on the office floor.

The police had a number of important captures of outside murderers to their credit. Charles Harris a colored man who had murdered a Chinaman at West Superior was captured inst. Paul, returned to the head of the lakes for trial and is now in the state penitentiary doing a life sentence. Henry Somers, colored, wanted for murder at Bolivar, Tenn., was captured at the gas house coke ovens by Detective Fraser, returned to Tennessee and is now in the penitentiary there. On the night of February 1st, 1902, Charles Mayer, a patrolman at the Rondo street station gave up his life while guarding the property of St. Paul citizens and became a third victim in the police roll of honor of those who gave up their lives while on duty. The story of his murder as told in the last history of the police department is as follows:

"The honor roll of gallant patrolmen who laid down their lives while doing their duty bears the name of Charles Mayer. who was killed by burglars on the night of February I, 902 and the saddest part of it is that the intricacies of the law have thus far protected the slayers of Charles Mayer instead of protecting him.

With relentless perseverance Chief O’Connor and the brothers of the dead policeman ferreted out the men who took part in the killing of the policeman. But a lack of that scrutinizing and detailed evidence, which it is almost impossible to secure in some cases, has thus far protected Arthur Inman and his pals in the eyes of the law. And until the police are able, which they will certainly some day be, to detail every movement of this man on the fatal night of February 1st. 1902, he will be at large.

Mayer was connected with the Rondo sub-station and his beat was on University Avenue. On the night of the murder he heard a noise in the rear of Jessrang's saloon, at the corner of University and Farrington avenues. Going into the rear of the building he met three men. One of them raise4 a revolver and fired at him. The shot attracted several persons but the burglars had escaped. Officer Mayer died three hours after the shooting at St. Joseph’s Hospital. The police are certain that the murder was committed by one of these three men: Frank Alexander of Kohl’s, Neb.; Hugh Jackson of North Platte, Neb.; Arthur Inman of Minneapolis.

The funeral was one of the most elaborate that was ever held in St. Paul. It was held from the Mayer residence on Sherburne Avenue. Details of police from both Minneapolis and St. Paul attended.

The brave policeman as he lay in the casket in the little parlor of what had been his home was viewed by hundreds of citizens. He was dressed in his police uniform, the buckle of his belt was polished as if he were on dress parade, on his breast glittered the star for the honor of which he gave his life. Stretched in his casket, clad in his uniform, he looked every inch the brave man he was and the thought that occurred to everyone who saw him may be expressed by that proud boast which every army man hopes to have made for him after he is gone: "He like a soldier fell."