A few hours after the tragedy of Webster Guerin all the influences
and machinery at the command of Mike McDonald were brought to bear
to save the life of Dora McDonald. A. S. Trude, one of the greatest
criminal attorneys in Chicago, was employed, besides several other
noted lawyers, to defend Dora McDonald. Mike McDonald's political
friends soon became active. Everything was done to gather evidence in
Dora McDonald's case, and everything was done that could be done to
suppress any evidence that was injurious to her.
There was one witness who was greatly feared, and that was Detective
Clifton R. Wooldridge, who made the arrest.
Several days after the shooting A. S. Trude, Mike McDonald's attorney,
met Wooldridge in the Criminal Court and shook hands with him. He said
that he was very glad that Wooldridge was interested in the case for
one reason, for he knew he would get a square deal. He also stated
that there was another reason why he was sorry that Wooldridge was in
the case, because he had too many eyes and too many feet to be on the
opposite side of any case in which he (Trude) was interested. This
view was shared by Mike McDonald and his friends, who became active to
get Wooldridge out of the way.
Mike McDonald first paid a visit to John M. Collins, then General
Superintendent of Police, and one of his warm personal friends, and
Frank Comerford, City Police Attorney. What occurred in that office
will never be known, unless Collins chooses to make a statement, as
McDonald has since died.
Detective Wooldridge was called to the office of John M. Collins,
General Superintendent of Police, and told not to talk to any
newspaper men or anyone else about the McDonald case. He was further
told not to make himself too officious, and not to be too active in
the case.
Several days later he was again called to Chief Collins' office and
told that Frank Comerford, then acting as City Police Attorney, and
a warm friend of Mike McDonald's, was to take charge of the case, so
that he need not bother himself further with the matter.
Mr. Comerford became very active, securing the names of all the
witnesses and all evidence to which they would testify, together with
other facts. All this matter eventually found its way into the hands
of the defense long before the trial.
Mike McDonald and his friends thought that Wooldridge would become
active again in the case. Therefore Mike proceeded to get busy
himself. No one seems to know the ins and outs of the case, but
it is nevertheless a fact that soon after the election of April,
1907, Wooldridge was transferred from the office of the General
Superintendent of Police, where he had served since 1889, to the
Cottage Grove Avenue Station. No reason was assigned for this transfer.