Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-08-12
DAvENPORTCOP
CAUSES ARREST
Of R. MULCAHY
Tip Given Him By Party Living in
Same House With Mrs Esther
johnson Proves Fact
WOMAN MAKES CONFESSION
Tells Of Experiences With Slayer
On Night Libman Was Attacked
and Fatally Injured.

force is the one who IS responsible
for the arrest Of Robert MuIcahy,
alleged slayer Of Patrolman Harry
Libman of the Rock Island police
force
PatroIman Waack Of Davenport
got the first Tip which ended in Null
cahy's arrest The Rock Island pc
lice had said nothing of the affair
TO the Davenport force at 10 O'Clock
on Friday morning. it is claimed
About this time PatrOiman Waack
that he did not realize what he had
found
Another person living in the same
building with Mrs. Esther John
son, who is the third party in the
Mulcahy-L jbman affair, and who is
now serving a Jail sentence IN the
Rock Island county bastile, gave
the tip to PatrOlman Waack
The policeman was told that Null
cahy had come TO the house and
called for Mrs. Johnson. Just as
he came into the downstairs hall
way. Mrs. Johnson came into the
building, the party told Waack.
Mulcahy is said to have shown Mrs.
Johnson a club and fashlight and
at the same time said that they be
longed TO a Rock Island police Of
fcer- The person who told Waack
Of the meeting said it all in a jok
ing way, it is said. WaaCk could
not connect the story and thought
Gothing more of it.
Notify Davenport
Following the death Of Officer
Libman at 1l:30 Friday morning
the Rock Island police called up the
Davenport authorities and told of
the murder. Detectives Frank
Brady and John Kinney of the Dav-
export police force Immediately
started a search OF the city for any
possible clues which might develop
Ia the Iowa city.
They met PatTolman Waack. who
was told OF the murder 1t was then
that Waack realized that he almost
had his finger on the murderer. He
was able to connect the story told
him by the party who lives in the
same building with Mrs. Johnson.
The trio OF officials went at once
10 Mrs JOhnson's home and placed
her under arrest. At the Daveu-
port police station she is said to
have made a written confession in
which she states that MuICahy is
the man who assaulted Libman.
Rock Island officers were noti-
fed that Mulcahy had gone to his
work at Rock Island arsenal as US
UaL Detectives Tom Cox and Her
man Sehnert of the Rock Island
force. arrested MuIcahy at $50 Fri
day afternoon. He was working in
one Of the shops on the island.
Gives Confessions.
The written confession which
Mrs. Johnson made to Lieutenant
Frank J. Lew. Detectives Kinney
and Brady and Patrolman Waack
OF the Davenport police force is ap-
pended:
Ny name is Esther johnson. age
So I room at 324l2 West Second
street. Davenport, Iowa. Last night.
Aug. s l met Robert Mulcahy at
Twenty-fourth' street and Fourth
avenue, by appointment. We both
went TO the Belgium soft drink par
Tor on Fourth avenue between
and Twenty-ffth
streets, and had some near beer.
This was about 1920 p. m. Their
Mulcahy and ! walked to the park
near Fourth avenue and Fourth
street. Rock Island, and sat down
on a bench. Mulcahy had 4 mint
bottle of whisky with him and he
took a couple Of drinks from this
bottle 1 took a few sips from the
same bottle We were not in the
park very long when a policeman
came up and said he had to take us
70 the station. / said. You cant
take US because we are not doing
anything He said, come along
with me- and l said | would not
because ! was not doing anything.
Ihen Mulcahy got up and walked
toward the policeman and said to
him, l VIII show you Then I ran
way and saw no more. I ran to-
= ard the Bridge line car and caught
the car al Fifteenth street and came
70 my room in Davenport.
1t was about u o'clock when
the policeman came into the park.
There was 10 one else in the park
a. the time but Mulcahy and I.
When I came TO my room in
Davenport il was about . O'Clock in
the morning Mulcahy was stand
ing in the hallway and he said.
Here YOU are l came to see if
you got home all right Then he
showed me policeman3s club and
dashl3ght and said. See what got
he told me that the club and fash
-iEht belonged TO the policeman
Hlom we had met in the park. MuI-
7ahy had the club under his coat
Then l told him he had better beat
Z because a policeman had followed
ne down the street, so he left and
took the club and fashlght with
aim. He was a little bit iutoxicat-
ID ] Lun't know what he did with
ne bottle and I don't know II it
vas empty or not. When the pO-
5cemau first spoke to us he stood
next TO me. ! was on the end OF
he bench and Nulcahy sat next 10
ne. | did not see the policeman
ay hands on Nulcahy. When Null
1ahy was in the hallway at nv
7lace ia Davenport, after he had
,ome from Rock Island, he said he
Ill the policeman because he was
lot going 10 let him take US TO the
Iati0H.
He told me he came to Dayen-
sort in an automobile and when f
old him 10 beat it because a po- .
iceuan followed me, he went out .
lie back way. He did not say how
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