HomeMeetingsSociety OriginsHonor RollSPPD HistoryOral HistoriesMembershipDonateContact Us

Home >> SPPD History >> Benedict G. Fischer – Part VIII

This article was written by Gayle Geber, Benedict G. Fischer’s Granddaughter, October, 2011

Benedict G. Fischer, St. Paul Police Patrolman

Acknowledgements, References & Photo Credits

Note: Text in italics is based on some facts, but the exact actions and individuals’ thoughts are as imagined by the author.

Acknowledgements

Special thanks are due to John DeNoma, Commander, retired; Ed Steenberg, Deputy Chief, retired; and Rich Neuberger from the St. Paul Police Historical Society who offered invaluable assistance about the St. Paul Police Department and Ben Fischer’s police career. John DeNoma critically reviewed several drafts of this article and provided reality checks on police life and customs. <www.spphs.com>

Thanks to Sgt. Chris Hudok of the Minneapolis Police Department for sharing information about Officer John Albrecht.

In-depth information on streetcars in 1917 in St. Paul was generously shared by Jim Vaitkunas, Secretary and Operations Chief of the Minnesota Streetcar Museum. <www.trolleyride.org>

References

Part I – Tina’s Perspective

Most of this information is from family lore told to the author by Florence Fischer and Alberta Fischer Geber.

Part II – Patrolman Benedict G. Fischer’s Background

The time Ben moved to the Rondo Station is from a personal communication with from the St. Paul Police Historical Society. The Central Station was located downtown at 110 W. 3rd Street and the Rondo Station was on the corner of Rondo and Western. The number of officers who had died is from the St. Paul Police Historical Society. Honor Roll. <www.spphs.org/honor_roll/index.php>. Accessed October, 2010.

Part III – The Plot

Unless otherwise noted, glass negatives for photographs and the information about Lee Harris, Henry Heinbaugh, and Robert Cecil Warren are from their Stillwater Prison records which are available at the Minnesota Historical Society Library. State Archives. Stillwater State Prison. Case Files (discharged inmate files.) Call number: 125.E.16.2F; State Archives. Stillwater State Prison, Commitment Papers. Call number: 123.C.5.10F; and State Archives. Stillwater State Prison. Photographs. Call number: 121.I.4.5 Packet 473. These records include:

  • Deputy Warden’s Examination Sheet.
  • Statistical Record – State Prison – Stillwater.
  • Letters written by Frank A. Whittier, parole agent.
  • Other letters written to and from prison officials.
  • Glass negatives for photographs.
  • Receipts.
  • Other assorted documents.

Ramsey County District Court records are available at the Minnesota Historical Society Library. State Archives. Ramsey County. Volume 2. Courts – Criminal Case Files. Call number: 119.H.13.1B Box 61.

Court records typically record Heinbaugh’s first name as “Henry” while prison records call him either “Henry” or “Harry.” Court and almost all prison records spell his last name “Heinbaugh.” Letters from relatives called him “Harry Hinebaugh.” Harry/Henry signed a letter “H Hinebaugh.” Because most official Minnesota records use the spelling “Heinbaugh” this document uses that spelling, although his correct name was probably “Harry Hinebaugh.”

Part IV – Shooting, Arrests, and Hospitalization

The newspaper articles that were used as sources of information on the events on or immediately after 11 August 1917 are:

  • “Patrolman and hold-up are shot in gun battle.” St. Paul Pioneer Press, August 11, 1917, page 1.
  • “Officer is shot in bandit fight.” St. Paul Daily News, August 11, 1917, page 1.
  • “Second man in bandit trio under arrest.” St Paul Dispatch, August 11, 1917, page 1.
  • “Policeman is shot by 3 bandits on car; two suspects held.” Minneapolis Journal, August 11, 1917, page 1 and 2.
  • “St. Paul patrolman shot in gun fight.” Minneapolis Tribune, August 11, 1917, page 1.
  • “Patrolman has chance to live; bandit escapes.” St. Paul Sunday Pioneer Press and St. Paul Sunday Dispatch, Second edition, August 12, 1917, page 1.
  • “Wounded officer likely to live.” St. Paul Daily News, August 12, 1917, page 5.
  • “Patrolman, shot in gun-fight, improves.” Minneapolis Tribune, August 12, 1917, page 2.
  • “Policeman rallies.” St. Paul Daily News, August 13, 1917, page 4.
  • “Patrolman’s alleged assailants in court.” St. Paul Daily News, August 14, 1917, page 10.
  • “Ben Fischer shot making an arrest.” Waconia Patriot, August 16, 1917, page 1.

Other sources of information are Stillwater Prison files and Ramsey County District Court files as noted in Part III.

Information about Patrolman Wylly (William) Smallwood is from: Ancestry.com. World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. Registration Location: Ramsey County, Minnesota; Roll: 1675895; Draft Board: 4.

Information on the streetcar is a personal communication from Jim Vaitkunas, Secretary and Operations Chief of the Minnesota Streetcar Museum. <www.trolleyride.org>.

Information about the speed a police ambulance traveled in 1917 is from S.D. Thielen, The history of organized medical transport in Minneapolis, 1867-1930. Minnesota Medicine, March, 2010.

Information on the size of City Hospital (formally named “City and County Hospital”), the largest hospital west of Chicago is from: <www.regionshospital.com/rh/about/history/index.html?searchTerm=ancker>. Accessed October, 2010.

The reference to Dr. Charles H. Pelton is from the St. Paul Dispatch, 11 August 1917, page 1. Information on the police ambulance and Ben’s surgeries while in City Hospital is from State Archives. Ramsey County. Volume 1. County Offices. St. Paul Ramsey Hospital – Patient Registers for Surgical Operations which is available at the Minnesota Historical Society Library, call number: 108.G.16.4F Box, and Surgical Registers, call number: 108.E.6.3 Box 14.

The reference to J.J. O’Connor sending the all-points bulletin and Harris arrest is from St. Paul Daily News, August 24 1917, page 3.

Background information on Officer John Albrecht is from a December 28, 2010 personal communication from Sgt. Chris Hudok, Minneapolis Police Department.

Part V – Court Proceedings

Unless otherwise noted, the information in this section comes from Ramsey County District Court records of the final hearing. Court records are available at the Minnesota Historical Society Library. State Archives. Ramsey County. Volume 2. Courts – Criminal Case Files. Call number: 119.H.13.1B Box 61.

Information on Judge Charles C. Haupt is from: <www.rchs.com/oppenheimer/oppenheimer.htm>. Accessed January 13, 2011. Also Minnesota Historical Society Death Certificate ID: 1922-MN-023927.

Information on Christopher D. O’Brien Jr.’s father and uncle is from: <http://collections.mnhs.org/mnhistorymagazine/articles/19/v19i04p427-476.pdf>. Accessed February 9, 2011. Christopher D. O’Brien Jr.’s death record, which identifies his parents’ names, is from the Minnesota Historical Society Death Certificate ID: 1951-MN-007728.

Information on Thomas W. McMeekin is available from the Minnesota Historical Society Library. Paul Maccabee. St. Paul Gangster History Research Collection. Manuscripts Notebooks. Call number: 143.J.9.8F Box 4. Also the Minnesota Historical Society Death Certificate ID: 1948-MN-026776.

Information on William J. Quinn is from the Minnesota Legal History Project: <www.minnesotalegalhistoryproject.org/assets/William%20Quinn%20(1889-1932).pdf>. Accessed February 7, 2011.

Part VI – Prison

Information on Harris, Heinbaugh, and Warren is from their Stillwater Prison records which are available at the Minnesota Historical Society Library. State Archives. Stillwater State Prison. Case Files (discharged inmate files.) Call number: 125.E.16.2F; and State Archives. Stillwater State Prison, Commitment Papers. Call number: 123.C.5.10F.

Information on the penitentiary at Stillwater Prison is from: <www.corr.state.mn.us/aboutdoc/history/1907-1920.htm>. Accessed January 3, 2011. The new Stillwater Prison is located in Bayport and was opened in 1914.

Part VII – The Aftermath

Henry Heinbaugh’s contact with the Des Moines police is from the Minnesota Historical Society Library State Archives. Stillwater State Prison. Case Files (discharged inmate files.) Call number: 125.E.16.2F. The 1930 U.S. Census information is from: Ancestry.com, Roll: 1063; Page: 5B; Enumeration District: 791; Image: 488.0; Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan.

Lee Harris’s contact with Chicago and Detroit police is from the Minnesota Historical Society Library State Archives. Stillwater State Prison (discharged inmate files.) Case Files. Call number: 125.E.16.2F.

R. C. Warren’s parole information is from the Minnesota Historical Society Library. State Archives. Stillwater State Prison. Case Files (discharged inmate files.) Call number: 125.E.16.2F. The 1930 U.S. Census is from: Ancestry.com, Roll: 1107; Page: 7A; Enumeration District: 22; Image: 339.0; Pleasant Prairie, Martin County, Minnesota.

Ben’s draft registration information is from Ancestry.com. World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. Registration Location: Ramsey County, Minnesota; Roll: 1682639; Draft Board: 9.

Information on Ben’s paralysis, its impact on the family, and Ben’s antics are personal communications from Florence Fischer and Alberta Fischer Geber.

Information on the Fischer family radio ownership from the 1930 U.S. Census is from: Ancestry.com, Roll: 1121; Page: 7B; Enumeration District: 135; Image: 198.0; St. Paul, Ramsey County, Minnesota.

Information on Ben’s police pension is a personal communication. John DeNoma and Jeff Neuberger, St. Paul Police Historical Society, December 20, 2010.

Information on radio ownership in 1930 is from Radio’s America: The Great Depression and the Rise of Modern Mass Culture. Bruce Lenthall. 2007. University of Chicago Press. <www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/471921.html>. Accessed February 7, 2011.

The St. Paul constable at large election results are from the Minnesota Historical Society Library. State Archives. Ramsey County. Volume 4. St. Paul City Offices. Abstract of Votes. Call numbers: 126.G.2.5 Box 1, 126.G.2.6 Box 2, and 126.G.2.7 Box 3. The 1972 election results are reported in St. Paul Dispatch, April 26, 1972, page 10.

Photo Credits

Photos of the police call box, police ambulance and emergency car, J. J. O’Connor, Peter Lavalle, William Lancette, and James Holland are used with permission of the St. Paul Police Historical Society.

Photos of the Rondo Police Station, Henry Heinbaugh, Lee Harris, R.C. Warren, City Hospital surgery, Charles Haupt, Thomas McMeekin, Stillwater Prison, Stillwater Prison band, and Ben Fischer as constable are used with permission of the Minnesota Historical Society.

The photo of the streetcar is used with permission of the Minnesota Streetcar Museum.

The photo of John Albrecht is from Minneapolis Sunday Tribune; November 19, 1916, page 6.

All other photos are from the personal collection of the author.