On This Date in Minnesota History: May 12

May 12, 1917 – Alleged murderer Frank McCool was smuggled into Minneapolis early this morning from Mendota, where he was taken off the train at 6:50 and secretly driven by automobile to the Mill City (Minneapolis) to escape threatened mob violence and a potential lynching.

Frank McCool¹

When the train stopped at Mendota, six miles out of Minneapolis, several heavily armed Minneapolis officers met Detectives Weare and Brunskill, aiding them in guarding McCool who was heavily shackled so he could not repeat his attempt to escape.

  

Mendota, Minn., Depot²

After an intense two-hour grilling by Minneapolis police, McCool’s only response was, “I guess you’ve got the goods on me.” Was it a confession? At this point, only McCool knew.  He was taken back to his cell to contemplate his situation.

In Minneapolis today, 25 buckets hung all day on tripods in the downtown district where contributions totaling $3,000 were made for Mrs. George (Mollie) Connery and her five children. They were overseen by traffic patrol squads. Previous to today, Mrs. Connery had received contributions of $1,000. She is now able to pay a mortgage on her home.

Meanwhile in San Francisco, Edward Hamilton, under arrest and charged with the murder of Alice McQuillan Dunn, today admitted to being Joe Redenbaugh. With Redenbaugh’s confession, the last link is forged, police say, in the chain of evidence in support of St, Paul Police Chief O’Connor’s theory that the same men killed Minneapolis Patrolman George Connery and Mrs. Alice Dunn.

Joe Redenbaugh³

This evening, Redenbaugh also admitted that he is guilty of the bank robbery at University Place, Neb., but denied any connection with the Dunn or Connery murders. How did his fingerprints get on the window at the McQuillan House?

Redenbaugh says he got $1,981 in the bank robbery, and needed the money so he could get married. He then went to Kansas City, where he says he married Pearl Heitenkamp on Feb. 18, 1916. He said he took the name of George E. Loucks, one of his aliases known in St. Paul.

Pearl Heitenkamp Redenbaugh⁴

Minneapolis Police Chief Lewis Harthill, however, continues to assert that Hamilton is not Redenbaugh. For this reason he said he wants the man brought to Minneapolis for the Connery murder charge. Seriously, what is Harthill thinking? Was this the only way he thought Minneapolis could get Redenbaugh in custody before St. Paul did?

Minn. Gov. Joseph Burnquist found himself in a quandary, stuck in the middle between the requisition requests from the two cities. He called a conference for this afternoon of the two county attorneys and C. L. Weeks, assistant attorney general.

Minn. Gov. Joseph Burnquist⁵

 The Ramsey County requisition designates Detective Peter LaValle, St. Paul, as the officer to take the requisition papers to the governor of California, while Detective J. A. Weare, Minneapolis, is named for this purpose in the Hennepin County papers.  


Saint Paul Daily News; “Guess You’ve Got The Goods On Me. Damaging Admission Made by Man Charged With Connery Murder. Smuggled To Mill City Jail. Prisoner Pales When Told of threats to Lynch Him.; Joe Redenbaugh Admits Identity. Chief O’Connor Says Admission Confirms Dunn Murder Evidence.”; May 12, 1917; PP. 1 and 2.

Saint Paul Daily News; “Governor Halts in Murder Case. Will Decide Today Whether St. Paul or Mill City Gets Redenbaugh.”; May 13, 1917; PP. 1 and 2.


¹St. Paul Daily News; May 7, 1917; p. 1.

²http://www.west2k.com/mnpix/mendotaomaha.jpg

³https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1955&dat=19640524&id=bSArAAAAIBAJ&sjid=cZ0FAAAAIBAJ&pg=3914,4610516&hl=en

⁴Tacoma Times; Tacoma, Wash.; May 19, 1917; p. 1.

⁵http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:JosephAABurnquist.jpg

Disappearance of Minneapolis Patrolman George Connery; see April 24, 2015 blog

Car Connery disappeared in found in St. Paul; see April 25, 2015 blog

Murder of Alice McQuillan Dunn; see April 26, 2015 blog

More than 1,000 volunteers join Minneapolis police in the search for missing patrolman; see April 28, 2015 blog

Connery and Dunn murders linked; see May 4, 2015, blog

Anonymous caller tells police where body of Connery is located; see May 5, 2015 blog

Second man in “death car” arrested in Omaha; see May 7, 2015 blog


Patrolman George Connery laid to rest; see May 8, 2015 blog

Frank McCool attacks a jailer when caught trying to escape Omaha jail; see May 10,2015 blog

Eddie Hamilton (aka Joe Redenbaugh) arrested in San Francisco; see May 11, 2015 blog

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