St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-11-18
MURDER on SUICIDE?
Coroner Byrnes Says Thomas
Muldoon Was Frozen to
Death,
But the Police Are on the
Trail OF a Red-Handsd
Criminal.
Fire Does $4,000 Worth of
Damage in the Wholesale
District.
More Board Of Education Dis
cuSSiOn--DiStpict Court
News.

Thomas MuldOOn. stationary engi-
neer by trade, was found at O'clock
yesterday morning lying in a shed near
| Keegan'S lake unconscious and Sc
badly frozen that he died before he
could be taken to the city hospital, and
now there is considerable difference of
| opinion among the authorities, as to
whether he lay down in the shed in a
drunken StupOr or was aSSailed OH The
road and SO severely beaten that he
was unable to proceed on his journey.
The unfortunate occurrence was first
discovered by Fred Heckrich, proprietor
of the Golden Valley saloon on West
ern avenue, opposite Germania
Park, who, when he opened his place
in the morning, saw loot prints in
| the snow. reading to the carriage shed.
de followed the tracks. which were ir-
regular and circled about as though
| they had been made by aurunken man,
and when he reached the shed found a
man lying, apparently dead, in the feed
box. which is about four feet above the
| floor.
Mr.. Heckrich hastily summoned ]. S.
Sutton, justice of the peace at Golden
Valley, and together they examined the
man and found that he was still alive
but unconscious. Finding that they
could not revive him, they placed him
In wagon and drove to the residence
of Coroner Brynes. OH Western avenue
Coroner Byrnes, finding that the man
was still alive. directed them to
take him to the citv hospitai
but when they arrived there
they fodnd that lie had ui>-u en- route
They then took the remains to Con-
nolly'S morgue, where they now lie. At
the mOrgue the remains were identified
as those of Thomas Muld0On, a station
arV engineer, but recently employed as
teamster by john Z. Gallagher. CT SOB
Emerson avenue north. The deceased
had been working since a week ago
Thursday for Mrs. Kate Madden, a
widow residing at 112S Twelfth avenue
north. who has two teams employed on
city work. Early Monday morning Null
doom and another employee named
Thomas Flynn took one Of the teams
and went to Hopkins station to buy
load of hay.
The hay was purchased, and the story
of the return trip is told bv Flynn as
follows: AS we drove home Tom wanted
to stop at the EighC-Mie house, on SIKH
avenue north, and get a drink. We
stopped and Tom went in, but Was
afraid to leave the colt and remained
outside. l waited for some time, and as
Tom didn't come went 10 the door AMI
looked in. | saw Tom there with an
other Man, whom he said was 4 friend
of his from Wayerly. He said he didn't
want to come home then, and, after
waiting little longer for him, went
without him. He had $500 when he
went into the saloon.
Upon examination it was found that
the body OF Muld0On was frozen stilf
from the feet TO the waist, and that there
were several cuts and bruises on the
face. From the cuts and bruises it was
supposed that there might have been
foul play, and the matter was reported
to Supt. Henderson. who detailed De-
tectives King and Doyle upon the case.
They visited the Golden Valley house
yesterday afternoon and carefully eX-
amined the ground about the place.
The footprints Of Muldoon were first
dlStinguishab,e at a point on
the road near small hitch
ing post. Here the snow was
displaced and the points Of a mans
knees could he seen, while the snow was
Spattered with blood. At another place
the snow showed where man had
fallen or had been thrown down. and
Yard were drops Oh JlOOd upon the snow.
From the footprints it was evident that
MuIdOOn had first tried to enter the
house across the street, and. finding it
closed, had entered the shed and lay
down in the manager.
In the shed near the feed box. where
MuldOOn was found, the detectives dis
covered a buckskin glove, which shaved
marks as though the wearer had pulled
it If with his teeth, and button upon
which were several spots of blood. The
mate to the glove was worn by Null
doom when found, and the button was
similar 10 those on his coat. In the
snow near the road. and at the spot
near the hitching post, where the snow
had been disturbed, were found foot
prints of two different sizes.
The theory upon which the police are
now working is that Muldo0n was either
asSailed while on his way home or that
he Quarreled with some person with
whom he was walking and received the
wounds Oh his face and head in scuf-
fle. The disturbed condition of the
snow and the drops OF blood form the
basis for Sthis superstition. On the con-
trary, Coroner Byrnes, who has also
carefully examined the ground, scouts
the idea of foul play, and states that
tuOIt 1911 Il DdIllClG Vi eNluellcc 10 III
dictate anything of the sort. He is of the
opinion that Muldoon remained at the
EIght-Mile house until a late hour. prob
ably until the bar closed, and becoming
very much intoxicated fell down on his
way home at the places where the snow
is disturbed. He thinks that the de-
ceased lay down in the she'd because he
was so overcome with the effects of
liquor as to be unable to travel further,
and that he fell into drunken stupOr
and frOZe to death. He states positively
that MuldoOn's body shows no wound
OF serious nature. or more than man
would naturally receive in falling down
and that he certainly died from freezing
and from no other cause. The deceased
was twenty-eight years of age and was
brother of Mrs. n. A. Jandros, of this
city. He also had a sister at Waverly,
MINI. Coroner Byrnes states that he
will not hold an inquest or even an