
Patrolman Andrew James Walsh | Star #5063
Patrolman Andrew James Walsh | Star #5063

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Patrolman Andrew James Walsh, Star #5063, aged 38 years, was a 10 year, 2 month, 10 day veteran of the Chicago Police Department, assigned to the 1st District – Central Detail.
On January 26, 1938, at 4:45 p.m., Patrolman Walsh and his partner, Patrolman Matthew J. O’Rourke #4540, were working the patrol wagon. The officer were transporting a demented man as reported by the man’s father to the Central Detention Lock-up located in Police Headquarters at 1121 South State Street. Upon arrival to the station they removed the man from the wagon in the alley behind the building. As the man stepped out of the wagon, he jerked, and attempted to make a run for it towards the alley. Officer O’Rourke was able to grab the man and maintain control of him. The officers then made it about four feet from the wagon to the door of the building. As they entered through the swinging door, the man began to struggle and Officer Walsh fell to the ground. The man then fell on top of Officer Walsh and Officer O’Rourke fell on top of the man. The man then continued to struggle and got his leg around Officer Walsh and began to punch and kick him as Officer O’Rourke attempted to gain control. The father of the man, present during the encounter, told Officer O’Rourke; “”Officer, get some help, my son has awful strentgh when he gets those fits.”” Additional officers were summond and they were able to gain control of the man and bring him upstairs to the 11th floor. The father then related that he wanted him locked up over night and in the morning he would arrange with a doctor to have his son put in a sanitarium. That being said, the officer again moved the man from upstairs back down to the wagon and transported the man to the Psycopathic Hospital. The man continued to stuggle during the entire time. Once the man was inside the wagon agian, Officer Walsh complained to his partner that his back hurt and he was having chest pains. Upon returning to the station from the hospital, Officer Walsh saw the Police Surgeon. The Surgeon taped him up and sent him home for the day at 8:00 pm with orders to return to work in three to four days.
Upon returning to work, Officer Walsh continually complained about having back and chest pain issues, of which he hadn’t had prior to the incident, to his partner and wife. Officer Walsh was admitted on May 28, 1938 to St. Elizabeth Hospital in room 364. After being examed it was determined that he had a collapsed left lung with blood in his plural cavity. He would later succumb to his injuries from complications on May 29, 1938.
A later examination of records requested by the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation and conducted by Dr. Andrew Dennis, an attending Physician / Division Chief at Cook County Hospital, and the Medical Director for the Illinois State Police found the following. Officer Walsh had sustained broken ribs and internal bleeding during the altercation. This injury was never treated, and the bleeding partially filled the Officer’s chest cavity in the days immediately following the incident. The blood was not drained which led to fibrosis and scarring to the chest cavity and lung. This resulted in the lung not being able to expand properly. This coupled with diminished activity by the Officer due to the compromised lung led to pneumonia which he expects the Officer died from.
Officer Walsh was laid to rest on June 1, 1938 in Mount Carmel Cemetery, 1400 South Wolf Road, Hillside, Illinois. His grave is located in Grave –, Lot 345, Block 4, Section 31.
Patrolman Andrew James Walsh, born May 18, 1900, received his Probationary Appointment to the Chicago Police Department on March 19, 1928 and was issued Star #5063.
Officer Walsh was survived by his wife, Anna Eliz (nee Sheridan), age 39 and children: John Edward, age 12, Michael A., age 17 and Patricia Katherine, age 14; mother, Nora Coyne (nee McGinn), age 76 and brother, Bartholomew Martin ‘Bartley’. He was preceded in death by his father, John, age 63 and siblings: John and Thomas.
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