Friday, May 8, 2015

On This Date in Minnesota History: May 8

May 8, 1917 – More than 100 members of the St. Paul police force went to Minneapolis this morning to attend Patrolman George Connery’s funeral at St. Clements’s Catholic Church. Brief services were conducted at the home at 9 a.m. by Rev. R. J. Fitzgerald, following which the main mass was said at the church.

A police escort was provided to take the body from the home to the church and then acted as a bodyguard to St. Mary’s Cemetery. The funeral was attended by one of the largest crowds that have ever been present at a similar event in Minneapolis.




George Connery’s Gravesite in St. Mary’s Cemetery1

Photos of notes written to his wife and found in Connery’s police notebook were printed in today’s newspaper.

Left by his murderers in an isolated wood near Fridley, Anoka County, Connery struggled to write in his notebook his last words to “Mollie,” his anguished wife and mother of his five children. The upper note is believed to say: “Mollie, goodbye children,” or “Mollie, goodbye darling.” The lower note reads with fair plainness, “Get my” and the supposition is the last word is intended to be “insurance.”




Notes Connery wrote to his wife Mollie2

The finding of the notes proves that Connery did not die instantly, but was left alive by his slayers. There was rain shortly after Connery, mortally wounded, was thrown into the woods, and it is believed the rain revived him so that he was able, though dying, to write a last tragic farewell to his family.

Meanwhile in Omaha, suspect Frank McCool admitted to Detective Bert Weare that he was in the “death car” after the automobile in which Connery was slain was stolen at La Crosse, Wis., the morning of April 24, the day of Connery’s kidnapping.




Frank McCool3

Minn. Gov. Burnquist has issued requisition papers for McCool’s return to Minn. from Omaha. Frank Burnskill, Minneapolis Detective, has gone to Omaha with the papers after the prisoner. A copy of the indictment by the Hennepin County grand jury went with the requisition, which shows that McCool was indicted on a charge of first degree murder.

Chauffeur Jack Gallagher positively identified photos of Joe Redenbaugh and McCool as the two men he drove out of St. Paul to Chaska the night following Mrs. Dunn’s murder. The connection of McCool and Redenbaugh is established by this story, which shows that the men were together after the murder of Mrs. Dunn and that they were together in their desire to get out of St. Paul in some other way than the more common mode of long-distance transportation: the train.





Joe Redenbaugh4

According to Gallagher, the two men wanted to go to Shakopee, but the taxi was only able to get as far as Chaska, arriving there around midnight, because the roads were impassable across the Minnesota bottoms to Shakopee. Redenbaugh, McCool and Gallagher slept at the National Hotel, Chaska, the rest of the night. Redenbaugh and McCool made themselves more memorable because when they arrived, they wanted something to eat, so the cook was woken up and cooked them some lunch.




Chaska5


The suspected murderers left for Shakopee over the St. Paul Road at 7:23 a.m., arriving at 7:34 a.m. They are supposed to have boarded an Omaha train at 10:30 a.m., for Mankato, where they would catch a train that would bring them to Omaha at 11 p.m. Friday night, where they would meet two women said to be their wives.  


St. Paul Daily News; “Was In Death Car, F. McCool Admits. Police Find Blood-Stained Clothes Left by Alleged Slayer of Connery. Requisition Papers Issued. More Than 100 St. Paul Police Attend Funeral of Slain Patrolman.”; “Trace Murderers’ Flight in Taxicab. Driver Tells of Taking Men He Says Were Redenbaugh and McCool to Chaska.”; May 8, 1917; pp. 1, 2, & 12.

1http://findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=pv&GRid=88948023&PIpi=106281811

2St. Paul Daily News; May 8, 1917; p. 2.

3St. Paul Daily News; May 7, 1917; p. 1.

4https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1955&dat=19640524&id=bSArAAAAIBAJ&sjid=cZ0FAAAAIBAJ&pg=3914,4610516&hl=en

5
Photo taken by Pamela J. Erickson. Released into the public domain May 8, 2015, as long as acknowledgement included.  



Disappearance of Minneapolis Patrolman George Connery; see April 24, 2015 blog
Car Connery disappeared in found in St. Paul; see April 25, 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 blogSecond man in “death car” arrested in Omaha; see May 7, 2015 blog


               __________________________________________________________

If you are interested in finding out more about your family history in Minnesota, I specialize in researching  genealogical and historical records in Minn. and western Wis., including:
census records,  birth records,  death certificates, obits, grave site photos, ship passenger lists, marriage records and declarations of intent/naturalization records.  I will visit locations to research local history and county records, as well as take photos. Quick turnaround on MHS records.  Both short searches and family history reports.

Website: 
TheMemoryQuilt.com ®  click on Family History

Contact me at:
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