Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1898-08-13
He Saved the Life of q Fellow
Officer but Lost His Own
In Doing SO.
He Was Regarded as One of the
Most Fearless Men i'm the
Department.
THE nURDERER NOT CAUGHT

Officer Joseph Heffernan, one of the
best officers on the police force, received
death wound yesterday morning, while
endeavoring to save the life of brother
officer, Corporal Louis Whitman, who
would have been killed but for his pres
ence.
Early Yesterday morning Corporal
Whitman was making his rounds in
he neighborhood of Twenty -first and
Main streets, and he noticed two men
stealing down the street Robberies have
been thick in this part of the city lately,
and he determined to follow them. The
men stopped at Twenty first and Rowan
streets, and then crossed the street and
stealthily began preparations to enter the
house.
Whitman blew his whistle for Patrol
man Heffernan, whom he knew to be in
the neighborhood, and ran out of the
shadow and told the men they were un-
der arrest.
The largest of the burglars kept his
hand in his breast, and Whitman sup
posed him to be holding burglars tool.
The officer asked them who they were.
and one said they were newspaper car
riers, and that their names were Adams
and MCGUIRE. The officer asked to see
their bundle of papers, and they could not
produce any.
In the meantime Heffernan came up,
and Whitman turned to tell him to call
the patrol wagon, when the burglar who
had kept his hand in his breast whipped
out a revolver and fired at Whitman at a
distance of six feet. Heffernan had never
taken his eyes from him, and sprang in.
SANITY upon him, striking him to the
ground with his club in time to save
Whitman's life, the ball passing above
the latter's head.
During the second that folloJ
other burglar and Whitman both dpe@
reyolvers and paired off, each firing three
times. One of Whitman's shots took
effect i'll the arm of his adversary, for he
dropped his weapon to his side and ran
down the street.
In the meantime the desperate burglar
on playground, foiled in his attempt to
kill Whitman, held his sl.,e~t;ng revolver
in his right hand. Heffernan advanced
upon him, telling him he was under ar
rest and to submit to the officers of the
law
The big fellows only answer was to
raise himself upon his left arm and quick
as flash presented his pistol. An instant
later he fired from his position, the ball
entering Heffernan's right side, passing
through the liver and penetrating the
right lung.
The Seventeenth-street patron wagon
soon arrived, and Heffernan was taken to
his home, at 230l Bank street. There he
had hemorrhage after hemorrhage, and
the blood came so fast that it was thought
advisable to take him to St. Joseph's
Infrmary.
Heffernan is forty-four years old, and
has wife and four children. He has
been member of the force for four years,
before which he was member of the fire
department.. He is brother of Police
Lieutenant Edward Heffernan. Only
lew days ago he had a narrow escape
rom negro gambler, who fired three
shots at him.
AS soon as the shooting was reported at
he headquarters, men were instantly
'ent out to search for the fugitives.
From the description given by Whit
nan, the detectives are convinced that
,ne of the men was Howard Clark, who
las been arrested before and is regarded
Is very bad character, and the Chief of
Police of New Albany was Immediately
lsked to look for him, and arrest him If
lie could find him there.