Kansas City Evening Star Article on Martin Hynes
POLICE OFFICER MARTIN HYNES KILLED
IN THE LINE OF DUTY
December 30, 1881
In
the December 31, 1881, edition of the
then Kansas City Evening Star, the headline
read: "A Brave Policeman, While
Discharging His Duties, Shot and Killed
by a Drunken Desperado. The Murderer
Dangerously Wounded - The Affair in
Detail.
Kansas
City Metropolitan Police Officer Martin
Hynes holds the unfortunate dual distinction
of being not only the first Irish policeman
killed in the line of duty in Kansas
City, MO, but also the first policeman
killed in the line of duty in Kansas
City, MO.
Hynes
was born in Ireland in 1842. While the
date and location of his birth are not
known, he was most likely born in County
Galway, the ancestral home of the Hynes
family, probably emigrating with his
family during the famine. Officer Hynes
joined the old "City Police"
in 1871 and on April 15, 1874, became
part of the Metropolitan force when
it was organized. Officer Hynes was
described as "brave, efficient
and careful, esteemed by all who knew
him and loved by his associates on the
force." At the time of his death,
Officer Hynes was 39 years old.
About
5 PM on December 30, 1881 the police
were called to the White House Saloon
by loud cries of "Police",
"Murder," etc. Officer Reilly,
who was on the beat, accompanied by
Detective O’Hare and a Times reporter,
were quickly on the spot. A large crowd
collected as the affair promised to
be a serious one. The cries were found
to have been occasioned by the fears
of Mrs. Clay Crenshaw, who claimed that
her husband was beating and abusing
her and that she was in fear of her
life. On the representation of Mr Crenshaw,
proprietor of the White House the officers
forebore to make any arrest. He said
that his wife was undoubtedly crazy
and that she was going away on the evening
train to visit her friends and family
at Hot Springs, Arkansas.
Officer
Reilly impressed by the iron rule of
the police commissioner, which provides
that no officer shall drink or visit
saloons, unless called in business,
while on duty soon left the saloon but
Detective O’Hare and the Times reporter
remained to see things seeming to quiet
down.
However
At about 8:30 p.m. on December 30, 1881,
Officer Hynes was standing on the corner
of 10th and Main Streets, when Maggie
Crenshaw, wife of H. Clay Crenshaw,
came running out of the saloon pursued
by her husband. It was reported by Mrs.
Crenshaw that her husband had been drinking
for two days and was very drunk. Apparently,
Mr. Crenshaw had struck and pushed his
wife while inside the saloon and Mrs.
Crenshaw, fearing for her safety, rushed
into the street, pleading with bystanders
to protect her from her husband. Officer
Hynes, standing on the northeast corner,
hurried across Main Street to assist
Mrs. Crenshaw. He confronted Mr. Crenshaw
on the sidewalk, took hold of Crenshaw's
sleeve and said, "Crenshaw, I shall
have to arrest you if you don't keep
quiet." Crenshaw became angry with
Officer Hynes telling him "it's
my own domestic matter" and saying
that he could "whip any man on
the force." Crenshaw jerked his
arm away from Officer Hynes' grasp and
rushed back inside the saloon. While
inside, Crenshaw retrieved a .45 caliber
derringer from behind the bar and started
toward the door flourishing the revolver.
Mrs. Crenshaw, who had returned inside,
screamed, "don't shoot me."
When Mrs. Crenshaw realized her husband
was headed for the door, she shouted,
"don't shoot that man," referring
to Officer Hynes. Crenshaw proceeded
into the saloon's vestibule as Officer
Hynes was on the front step. Crenshaw
was heard saying, "No son of a
bitch of a policeman arrests me in my
own house. I'll run my house."
Crenshaw took deliberate aim and fired
one shot at Officer Hynes, striking
him in the right side of his chest.
Officer Hynes then staggered slightly
and returned one shot. As Officer Hynes
advanced into the vestibule, four more
shots were fired, three by Crenshaw
and one by Officer Hynes. Officer Hynes
then reeled and gasped three or four
times before falling dead against the
inner wall of the vestibule. One witness
recalled that the first shot from Crenshaw
appeared to be the fatal one, for the
officer "changed color and action."
Dr. W.H. Louis, who was among the first
to arrive at the scene, pronounced Officer
Hynes dead. Hynes wounds consisted of
a gaping bullet hole through the right
breast the second finger of his left
hand was broken at the knuckle and his
little finger shattered by a bullet.
The flying bullets splintered the door
and one entered the side of the wall
near the stairway to the north of the
saloon.
Following
the exchange of gunfire, Crenshaw looked
down at the prostrate form of Officer
Hynes and either dropped the derringer
or was disarmed. Crenshaw retreated
into the saloon saying to the barkeeper
"I’m shot." Crenshaw then
ran through the saloon and exited through
the rear door onto 9th Street where
he entered another saloon at No. 13,
crying, "For God's sake, gentlemen,
send for a doctor! I'm a dead man!"
Apparently
Officer Hynes had wounded Crenshaw in
the exchange, shooting him in the neck
and abdomen. While Crenshaw's wounds
would prove to be serious, they were
not fatal.
On
January 1, 1882, the funeral for Officer
Hynes was held. At 1:30 the procession,
consisting of a band, Metropolitan and
special Police Officers and Patrolmen,
a platoon of firemen and the mayor and
police commissioners, formed at the
police station and marched to the late
officer's residence. A large concourse
of people on the sidewalks and in the
streets followed throughout the line
of march to escorted the remains to
St. Patrick's Church at 8th and Cherry
where a mass for the dead was pronounced.
The body was neatly enveloped in a shroud
and bore on the breast the badge of
the order of St. Joseph. The procession
left the church and proceeded with the
remains to St. Mary's Cemetery where
they were interred.
Crenshaw
recovered from his wounds and after
more than a year he was tried for the
murder of Officer Hynes. The highly
publicized and emotional trial convened
on January 15, 1883, and after eight
days of testimony and two hours of deliberation,
the jury returned with a verdict of
not guilty. Following the trial, one
of the jurors, while at the White House
Saloon, stated the reason for the verdict
was because" .... the witnesses
for the State didn't tell straight stories."
