On February 7, 1919, police detectives James A. Weare and J.J. McGuire were involved in the efforts of the police department to round up persons suspected of the series of robberies occurring within the last two months in Minneapolis.

The two detectives were sent to a home at 52 Twenty-second Avenue NE to find a suspect named Albert Gentz, and question him concerning a robbery of which he was suspected of having knowledge.

Police had learned that Gentz was hiding out at his sister's home and planned to leave that night for Fort Dodge, Iowa. Both detectives were disguised as laborers.

When the detectives reached the house, they were met at the door by the suspect's sister. They entered the home and explained that they were looking for Albert Gentz. "He is not here," the woman replied. Detective McGuire continued to question the woman while Detective Weare began to look around the house. A closed bedroom door attracted his attention and he opened it and pressed into the darkened interior. Then a shot was fired from somewhere back in the room. A pistol bullet pierced Detective Weare heart and he fell dead. The bullet had struck Weare's pocket watch, had been deflected upwards and apparently passed through his heart.

Hearing the shot, Detective McGuire ran to the rear of the house and found Weare stretched dead upon the floor, just outside the bedroom. Albert Gentz ran out the bedroom, hatless and coatless, past the detectives and out the rear door with Detective McGuire in pursuit.

When McGuire reached the back yard, he saw Gentz running across it toward the alley, seemingly bent on escape. McGuire's order to halt was unheeded and the detective fired at the fugitive as he was trying to climb over a backyard fence. The bullet caught the bandit, striking him in the side, passing through his body and killing him instantly.

Positive identification of the dead bandit Gentz, as the robber who had held up numerous stores in the city, was made at the city morgue by the victims of the holdups, who viewed the body. One of the victims shot at the robber and believed that he had wounded him, and on Gentz's left shoulder there was found a freshly healed bullet wound concealed by a piece of adhesive tape.

With the identification of Albert Gentz, as the bandit who held up numerous groceries and meat markets, the police department began a bandit cleanup. "Shoot to kill," was the order of Chief of Police John F. Walker. "If any bandit suspect tries to escape after once ordered to halt, shoot to kill."

Gentz's record, as shown in the Bertillion records, was as follows:

October 13, 1903 - Sent to Anoka County jail for attempting to wreck a train.

October, 1910 - Sent to Minneapolis workhouse for 90 days for vagrancy.

October 31, 1911 - Sent to Minnesota state reformatory at St. Cloud for grand larceny. Later paroled.

May 9, 1915 - Parole violated. Police asked to place him under arrest.

Detective James A. Weare first worked as a patrolman under the J.C. Haynes administration when Frank Corriston was chief of police. His work in rounding up robbers in the river district caused the chief to put him on the detective force.

When Wallace G. Nye became mayor, Detective Weare was made night captain in charge of police headquarters. He resigned late in the Nye administration after charges of receiving graft were made against him. He was tried and acquitted in the district court and returned to the police department as a detective. For two years prior to January 1, 1919, he was assigned mostly to automobile theft cases. Several times while he was night captain, he was in pistol battles with robber suspects but was never injured.

Mayor J.E. Meyers and Police Chief Walker issued a call to the public to subscribe to a fund for the family of Weare. Mrs. Weare, it was explained, was in the hospital threatened with the loss of her sight. The family home at 2749 Polk Street NE is mortgaged for $500.00.

Mrs. Weare will receive $500.00 from the Police Relief Association and $300.00 from the Police Mutual Benefit Association. It is the aim of Mayor Meyer and Police Chief Walker to raise contributions to assure her against want, they said.

"I'm sure the public will be appreciative of the service of Detective Weare in helping to safeguard the city," said Chief Walker. "I know they will not let the widow and his little girl suffer."

The Midland National Bank was appointed by Mayor Meyers as treasurer of the fund. The mayor and chief already had received contributions amounting to $127.00. The first money turned in at the office of the chief came from the jail elevator man who brought in $1 for the widow.

Funeral services for the 40 year old Detective Weare were conducted on February 10, 1919 at his home, followed by the Masonic ritual at the Scottish Rite cathedral, Franklin and Dupont Avenues SE. Burial was in Lakewood cemetery.

Chief Walker detailed a large detachment of policemen and detectives as an escort of honor at the funeral. The police ban played, and members of the Minneapolis fire department and a delegation of the switchmen's union also marched from the home.

High praise of the courage and ability of Detective Weare was given by Detective Frank Brunskill, who had been his partner on the city detective force since October 1, 1915. Since they were assigned to work together by former Mayor Nye, the pair had seldom been separated for a day of the more than three years.

"We were assigned to burglaries and holdups," said Detective Brunskill. "We got into some tight places, but 'Bert' never showed any fear. He had a peculiar personality and held many a dangerous man at bay with his eye. I have seen him laugh at gunmen when they could have shot him, but instead peaceably handed over their guns to him."

Detective Weare was survived by his wife and a daughter, also two sisters and two brothers. It is said that he assisted his sister to attend the University of Minnesota.

Only a few days before his death, Detective Weare had learned his brother, in overseas service with a regiment of engineers, had been wounded. He expressed great anxiety to see his brother landed safely home.

Detective Brunskill said that on February 7th, when Weare sent with Detective McGuire to the home of Albert Gentz's sister, leaving Brunskill at the Est Side police station, he had a premonition that something out of the ordinary was going to happen. "I called up his sister a short time after he went up northeast Minneapolis," said Detective Brunskill. "She said 'Bert' had passed the house and she wanted to know what he was doing in the neighborhood." "The errand he originally started on was to recover an overcoat that had been stolen. Ten minutes after my tale with his sister the report came in that he had been killed."