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Captain

Ralph Malcolm Mullen

Pennsylvania Railroad Police Department — Philadelphpia, PA

Felonious

End of Watch September 10, 1917

Age 43

Tour of Duty 15 yrs

The Vigil Panel 76 · Column 2 · Line 4 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 35

Incident

Location: Pennsylvania Weapon: Edged weapon; Knife Offender: Executed in 1919

Captain Ralph Mullen was stabbed to death while attempting to arrest a murder suspect in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The suspect, who had been a laborer for the railroad, had murdered a railroad track superintendent several weeks earlier in Buffalo, New York. Captain Mullen and a Buffalo Police Department detective had trailed the suspect to Philadelphia and learned that he had frequented a saloon near the intersection of Eight Street and Thompson Street. With the assistance of Philadelphia detectives, they waited for the man at the time he usually came to the saloon.

When the suspect entered they immediately questioned him. As Captain Mullen began to frisk him the man suddenly ran from the saloon and jumped a fence onto the grounds of the adjacent Children's Homeopathic Hospital at the intersection of Franklin Street and Thompson Street and hid behind a large tree. As Captain Mullen pursued him and ran past the tree the man suddenly appeared and stabbed him in the chest with a knife. He then proceeded to slash at Captain Mullen's neck as he fired at the man in self defense.

The subject was taken into custody by other detectives. He was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for Captain Mullen's murder before being extradited back to New York state to face trial for the murder of the track superintendent. He was convicted of the New York murder, sentenced to death, and subsequently executed on March 20, 1919.

Captain Mullen had served with the Pennsylvania Railroad Police Department for 15 years.

Survivors

He was survived by his mother and sister.

In Our Keeping

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Added to badge.nw: August 2, 2026
Last updated: August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Captain Mullen gave the Pennsylvania Railroad Police Department 15 years.
Thank you for your service to the Philadelphpia community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Captain Mullen.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Department Pennsylvania Railroad Police Department

Type Police Department

Location Philadelphpia, PA

Platform Identity pennpd.rr.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch September 10, 1917

Tour of Duty 15 yrs

Age 43

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Cause Detail Stabbed

Weapon Edged weapon; Knife

The Sacrifice · Felonious

Ralph is one of 15,743 officers killed feloniously in the United States, 57.1% of the 27,552 remembered there.

34,103 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.

Compare against

Time

In 1917, 165 officers in the United States were killed feloniously, the 19th heaviest of 213 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 248.

Every year on record · United States

Who

Ralph was 43. Of the 14,219 killed feloniously in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 31 and 47; the middle age was 38. Ralph had served 15 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.

Age at death

Where he stood among them

Age by years of service

III

When

September holds 9.1% of these deaths in the United States; December holds the most, 9.4%. Mondays: 13.8%.

By month

By day of the week

How

Felonious deaths account for 57.1% of all 27,552 deaths in the United States, the most common cause. The weapon recorded was edged weapon; knife, in 0.8% of these deaths.

Every cause

Weapons recorded