Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-10-04
"Red" Murphy Shot
by Night Watchnadn


Continued from Page Ono
he ran out NIontrose street. 7le after
him.
MEN like him are better off dead.
know his record from top to bottom.
He turned and fired. The bullet went
through my shirt. across my stomach.
I fred and missed. He fred. hit my
shoe. He fred again through my hat.
l fred twice more.
Shifts Pistol to Other Hand
Then he shot me through the right
finger Of my right hand, and nicked
the finger next to It. / shifted my gun
10 tho other hand and fred again. Well,
I guess It was me that got him all
right. He went down with bullet
through his head over the right eye.
Guys like that are better off dead
While this was going on, according
to Patrolman Mclaughlin, the fight
continued in front of the chop suey res
taurant, this time between the two pa
trolmen and the men who had come in
the small touring car and who now
sought to escape.
Mclaughlin declares he and Stomato
riddled the back Of the car with bullets,
and probably hit one of the occupants,
although the car got away. The police
lDNuN dit lOOhlLk IVA 'lllblA NpuiAAb
car, with bullet holes in the back.
Ruth was standing over the body Of
Murphy when the patrolmen, return
ing from their futile chase after the
small touring car, went over the field
Of battle.
The watchman called them up to his
side and pointed to the pistol still in
the wounded mans hand. then handed
over his own gun. II just want you
TO notice that l shot in self defense, 1"
the watChman said.
The patrolmen found plenty of marks
of the fight about the place. knock
out AIS" place showed signs of it in
Clipped brickwork. where bullets had
fattened against the wall. At 031
South Fifth street, an unoccupied
store, bullet had crashed through a
plate glass. Other houses nearby bore
scars from flying leaden slugs or the
deeper holes made by the steel jaCketed
bullets of automatics.
RED" Murphy had number OF ad-
dresses. At 5iS North Eleventh street,
the address first given by the police. the
landlady said he had boarded there for
some months, but had left early in the
| summer to go to Atlantic City. His
wife at that time went somewhere on
Mount Vernon street to live, she said.
Murphy had a long and bad police
| record. Two weeks ago was his latest
scrape, when he was held under $1,000
bail for having attacked Police Ser
geant Locsch, of the Eighth and Jcffer-
son streets station, with brass knuckles
during raids being conducted along Co.
| lumbia avenue between Tenth street and
Broad.
Figured In Hold. Up Murder
The affair early this morning is be-
lieved. however, to have resulted from
Red" Murphy's most serious scrape
with the police, in 1919. At that tim"
he was tried for tho murder OF his pal.
Wilfred +. Carpenter, after Harry
| Peterson, chain store collector. had
been held UP on May %, 1919, ut Fifty
first and Arch streets.
Carpenter was believed 10 have been
accompanied by Murphy and three other
men during the hold-up. The bandits
were seated in Il touring car. waiting
for Peterson to come along with the
money. One Of the mon leared from the
car and grapplel with Peterson. Car
penter took n hand, il was alleged, and
man, standing up in the car, took ain,
at Peterson, to kill him and stop the
fight. Just as the trigger was pulled
ISarpentcr GOT III tue way, ana was shot
and killed almost instantly.
Peterson ran and took refuge behint
a hedge. The bandits hauled the body
of their pal into the automobile which
stalled at Thirteenth and Spring Gar.
den streets, and was deserted, Will
the body inside. The police found the
deserted car and the dead man the mex
morning.
Murphy was tried for the shooting
and acquitted.