Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1915-01-28
RECORD OF BRAVE
OFFICER PRAISED
BY FORMER CHIEF
Phil Miller Gives Interesting
"reminiscences of Chris
tian Metsch.
AN OFFICER WITHOUT FEAR
Discovers >durder of Joseph Rosen-
field and Captures One of the
Guilty Men.

butte which Phil Miller. former city
marshal today paid TO the memory Of
| Christian Metsch. veteran officer
whose funeral services were held this
f, afternoon.
From 1875 to 1885 he was on the
| force" continued MT Miller. while
/ in his reminiscent mood. land cap
] tured some OF the most noted crimi-
/ mails in the history of the local de-
! partment
Standing about 5 feet II inches in
/ heighth and weighing about 22O
pounds when in his prime. he was an
I ideal officer. He did not know the
meaning OF the word fear. He did
I not depend upon his revolver and
/ like all capable officers, used it only
/ in extreme cases. II was his good
right fist that he often brought into
play in handling the vicious and the
toughs of this section had a whole
some regard for his wallops.
Rosenfield Murder.
Perhaps the most remarkable
work he did was In the capture of
Bernard Heeney. one of the murderers
OF Joseph Rosenfield. a brother
officer. who was killed about
one O'Clock on the morning of
March Il. 1879. at the corner of
Sixth avenue and Eighteenth street
near a vacant lot where DR.. Eli
Bradford's house now stands
About 1870 on that morning Po-
licemen Metsch and German met on
Twentieth street near Major Connel- /
ly's residence. They heard some one ,
approaching along Sixth avenue and /
concealed themselves until the par
ties came up. They saw four men |
and heard one of them say gave /
II to him.
when the two officers came out |
into the street the men started to I.
run, two going south on Twentieth |
street and the other two in opposite
directions. Metsch started after the /
two and succeeded in getting one of
them, bringing him down with his /
cane German caught two of the !
men. only 10 have them get away.
Finds Body.
up to this time. Metsch did not
know for what crime his man was
wanted As he took his prisoner past
the corner at Sixth avenue and Eigh-
body lying in the road He asked Heen-
ey ST it was one of the party. No, that
is a policeman, was the reply. The
officer investigated and found that
Rosen1eld had been terribly beaten
over the head. death ensuing in FIVE
After summoning aid. Metsch
took his man 10 the city jail where
Major G. W. HAYES. then marshal,
was summoned Heeney confessed
and implicated his brother Pat. Dublin
Jack Cavanaugh and Tom Ross, all OF
whom were soon arrested. except
Ross who gave himself up to me
later.
"a burglar by the name OF Paddock
was also caught by Metsch some time
later. for the robbery of the Peter
Fries home. Paddock was picked up
By the officer before the latter even
knew he had committed a crime.
A Clean Catch. d,
'Metsch saw him coming from the .
'ard at the Major Connolly home He {
put him under arrest and at the sta .
ion IL was found that he had broken .
nto both the Fries and the Connolly IL
residences. Major Connolly had been
awakened by the prowler and when +
he showed signs of fight. the yegg n
ired and the bullet went into the
vail. Thoroughly alarmed Paddock
'eat a hasty retreat and ran into
officer Metsch who had that beat
Paddock was given eight years in h
oliet for the Fries job but after he
lad been there six months broke out. I,
lie was later recaptured 1t had been ! =
he plan 10 have him tried for the
'onneliy theft as well but the idea p
vas not carried out.
In 1880 when / was city marshal, a
, i. Gable called me up one night =,
nd told me his home had been bur d,
larized. He said that some one had n
et on the burglar alarm in the base y
lent by lifting a window and offered =,
he suggestion that who ever had at II
empted 20 crawl into the window II
aust have cobwebs and dust on their .,
ats. :,
Cobwebs Evidence.
By the time / arrived at the sta
on. Officer Metsch was there with !
40 men. On his beat. lie had heard =,
NO revolver shots coming from the -
able home. when the daughter Lucy ."
ad heard the men in the basement "
nd Tired out the window to brighten -
lem Metsch made it his habit to +,
-op every man in his district whom VI
Q did not recognize. Acting upon
Is plan. he soon ran into two stran-
ers and he Immediately took them
the station Ia,
The FIRST thing / noticed was that "
Dth prisoners had cobwebs on their di
Fps. suggested when the men were AN
ling put In the cells that they leave y
Ieir coats and hats behind. which sb
icy did. noticed one OF the men Fr
y 10 slip something under the stove vi
I'd after they were locked up | in Fri
'stigaied and found It TO be a chiscl, cx