1910

April 1, 1910
Gunfire – 904 Preston Ave

DOB – 03/10/1862, Age 48
Badge –
Final Resting Place – Evergreen Cemetery
City – Houston, TX

On April 1, 1910 sometime before 9:00 p.m., Deputy Chief of Police William E. Murphy walked from the police station to the Acme Restaurant at 904 Preston Avenue. This was his custom as he was night chief and enjoyed the break every weekend. He was almost there sometime between 8:00 and 10:00 in the evening. The events after 9:00 are clouded with much speculation, but as can be determined they went as follows.

Shortly after 9:00 p.m., a newspaper boy had come into the Acme Restaurant for a cup of coffee. Chief Murphy was seated at the table, finished lunch and was rolling a cigarette as Earl McFarland came in holding a gun. A shot rang out and Chief Murphy exclaimed "Oh God" and slumped to the floor. Earl McFarland ran out the door and was apprehended a couple blocks down the street.
Deputy Chief Murphy became the highest ranking officer ever to be killed in the line of duty. Chief Murphy was a Galveston Police Officer before being hired in Houston in 1902. He served as a detective until 1907 when he was promoted to Deputy Chief. He was then assigned to the night shift as night chief.

On Sunday, April 3, 1910, funeral services were held and Chief William E. Murphy was laid to rest at Evergreen Cemetery. W.H. Perrett, Chief of Police, Galveston; George Ellis, Chief of Police, Houston, Texas; Frank Connelly; N.C. Jones; W.F. Kessler; and Pat Doughtery were the pallbearers. Mayor H. Baldwin Rice was also in attendance at the funeral. Earl McFarland's trail was to go on into 1911 and on February 9, 1911, Earl McFarland was found not guilty. Much testimony was entered into and as Earl McFarland was a former police officer, much was made as to a motive of self-defense. As was the case, then as now, the dead man was put on trial.

Deputy Chief of Police William E. Murphy was survived by his wife; his daughter, Margaret; his sons, Willie and George.

Note: In 1983 Margaret "Fannie" Murphy Dewey contacted the Houston Police Museum and asked that her father be included in the 'Last Roll Call" of the fallen officers listed as being killed in the line of duty. Through an investigation Officer Hair, Director of the Houston Police was able to verify that Deputy Chief Murphy was in deed killed in the line of Duty and his name was preeminently added to the Last Roll Call list. This provided a closure to Fannie who at the young age of 8 lost her father. On her death bed she requested that a large framed photograph of her father be donated to the Police Museum were it now resides in a place of honor in memory of Chief Murphy.

Source – Houston Police Department Museum Files