On This Date in Minnesota History: May 14

May 14, 1917 - Frank McCool, alleged bank robber and murderer, now in jail in Minneapolis, has confessed to the April 24 murder of Patrolman George Connery. Today, he gave his confession to J. M. Rees, Hennepin County Attorney, at Minneapolis. A court reporter took down the confession, which McCool signed. He took all responsibility for Connery’s murder, while admitting Eddie Hamilton (aka Joe Redenbaugh), was the driver of the “death car.” This was his third confession to the crime.

Frank McCool¹

His first confession, according to police, came after four hours of grilling Saturday evening, May 12.

Yesterday, McCool reiterated his confession to Minn. Gov. Joseph Burnquist in the presence of St. Paul and Minneapolis police officials and the prosecuting attorneys for Ramsey and Hennepin Counties.

His story was much as the Minneapolis police had expected. Connery was shot while in the car; McCool says his revolver accidently discharged when the car hit a bump at University and E. Hennepin, the bullet entering Connery’s left leg.

Connery insisted he was shot in the stomach, but McCool said he could only find the wound in the leg. That is when he took Connery’s knife and ripped back the trouser leg and bandaged the wound with his own handkerchief.

According to McCool, the plan was to tie Connery to a tree, get his address and phone number, and after leaving him in the woods near Fridley, where the patrolman’s body was found, to notify his wife where he was. But they did not expect what happened next−Connery began to fight his two kidnappers.

Minneapolis Patrolman George Connery²

McCool said he had searched Connery in the car for his pistol, but didn’t find it. When the patrolman began to fight in the woods, McCool said that Connery started to reach for his gun in his inside overcoat pocket. It was then, McCool says, he hit Connery on the head and face with the butt of his revolver, knocking him down.

Connery still tried to fight and McCool beat him up according to his confession, until the officer was unconscious. McCool insists that he thought Connery would regain consciousness and would be able to help himself.

While he admits to the murder of Patrolman Connery, McCool continues to deny any connection with the Dunn murder. However, his denial does not change St. Paul Police Chief John O’Connor’s belief that Frank McCool and Joe Redenbaugh are implicated in the April 26 murder of Mrs. Alice McQuillan Dunn at her parents’ home on Selby Ave. in St. Paul.

 

McQuillan home on Selby Ave. in St. Paul, Minn. at the time of the murder³

McQuillan home today: multi-family Housing⁴

Detective Peter Lavalle, St. Paul, who arrived Saturday night in San Francisco, has telegraphed Chief O’Connor that Redenbaugh is the man wanted in St. Paul. He and San Francisco detectives are working on Redenbaugh, hoping to get a confession.

When told that McCool had confessed to the Connery murder, Redenbaugh denied knowing anything about the crime, claiming he was in Farmington, 40 miles away, when Connery was killed. He says he returned to St. Paul that evening, and met McCool at the home of Mike Moore, a bartender at Chickett’s Saloon, who is now held in the Ramsey County jail as a witness in the Dunn case. He is alleged to be the go-between for Redenbaugh and Dunn.

Joe Redenbaugh⁵

Chief O’Connor said today that he has relinquished claims on Redenbaugh regarding bringing him to St. Paul from San Francisco, where he and his wife were arrested Thursday. He will let the Minneapolis authorities take Redenbaugh. 


St. Paul Daily News; “McCool Admits More of Murder. Confessed Slayer of Patrolman Connery Signs Detailed Statement. Says he Alone Did Killing. Admits Redenbaugh, Held in San Francisco, Was ‘Death Car’ Driver.”; May 14, 1917; pp. 1 and 2.

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

²http://www.mpdfederation.com/george-connery/

³St. Paul Daily News; April 26, 1917; p. 1.

⁴Photo taken by Pamela J. Erickson. Released into the public domain May 14, 2015, as long as acknowledgement included.

⁵https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1955&dat=19640524&id=bSArAAAAIBAJ&sjid=cZ0FAAAAIBAJ&pg=3914,4610516&hl=en



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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