Paul Mendelssohn

Officer

Waterbury

End of Watch: 3/10/1903

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Officer Mendelssohn, age 26, was riding the trolley during the fifty-sixth day of a railway labor strike. Four masked men boarded the train and simultaneously opened fire, shooting Officer Mendelssohn multiple times.

On Sunday March 8, 1903, Officer Paul Mendelssohn, age 26, was riding on the North Main Street trolley, Car #66, during the fifty-sixth day of a railway labor strike. At 9:50 p.m., the trolley car reached the end of its route in the Bucks Hill section of Waterbury and was in the process of turning around for the return trip into the downtown area.

Four masked men boarded the train and simultaneously opened fire, shooting Officer Mendelssohn in the head, neck chest, and arm. The trolley conductor fled the scene on foot as the men fired their handguns. Officer Mendelssohn fell backwards into a seat on the trolley and died within moments.