The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-12-18
TNDOFTHE CRONIN TRIAL
CULVER ALoNEsAvED THE NECKs
OF The ACCUSED.

He Was Convinced That There Was
conspiracy on the States Part to
Secure Conviction, and He Believed
Mosr of the States Witnesses We're
periurers-The Accused Can Lose
Nothing by Second Trial.
CHICAGO, Dec. 17.-Discussing the ques-
lion of a second trial of the Cronin case a
local paper says: "The supreme court of
Illinois has already held in cases of prison.
srs like those adjudged guilty of Cronin's
murder that no second jury which can be
Impaneled can increase the degree of pun
ishInent inflicted by the first or original
Jury, and that any such provision in the
law would produce a case of prisoners in
rehearing. A second jury may, therefore,
decrease the sentence, but can under no
circumstances increase the penalty; that is
10 sav, in case of new trial being granted,
the three prisoners-Burke, Coughlin, a ID
VSullivan-the second jury cannot extend
the term of life imprisonment to death
punishment, but they may alter the terms
az their discretion to less number of years,
or confirm the original sentence, that Of
life Imprisonment, or entirely acquit the
prisoners.
CULVER AN IMPORTANT FACTOR.
States Attorney Longnecker this evening,
after conference with one of the Cronin
Jury, whose name he withheld, told how the
verdict was reached. AS surmised, Juror
John Culver, who spent much of his spare
time du ing the long evenings reading the
Bible, was an influential factor. The Arst
incident in this connection occurred while
the trial was in progress. At the time when
Mrs. Conklin testified, that evening Culver
notified his fellow jurors that he solemnly
believed she had committed perjury.
DOUBTED ALL THE STATES WITNESSES.
Later he thought Mrs. Hoertel was a liar,
and he was of the opinion that Martin, the
expressman, did not really know Burke,
while the Carlsons were plainly telling
falsehoods. 10 illustrate as to Expressman
Martin, Mr.. Culver told Of mistake by the
wife OF his partner, who one day saw man
riding in buggy whom she was sure was
Culver, when, in point of fact, she was en-
trely mistaken. Culver, as the trial neared
the end, seemed to see in nearly every wit
ness for the state the vindictlveneSs of the
purchased perjurer.
SUSPECTED CONSPIRACY.
He plainly limited that it looked like con-
spiracy on the states part. The matter of
having witnesses under charge of a de-
tective was one of the things that he
thought looked bad. He was not sure DR..
Cronin ever went to the Carlson cottage,
and when asked, ''How do you account for
the bloody trunk?" said, "Why, for all we
know dog may have been taken away in
it,"
CAUSE OF DEATH NOT PROVED.
The cause of DIR. Cronin's death had not
been proved, he contended, aud he was i'm
pressed with the idea that Dan Coughlin
had ''good" face. When the time for the
ballotinp arrived Culver voted for the
acquittai of all the defendants. He stead
fastly declared that Beggs, particularly, he
would not send to Jail even for one day. The
result was long struggle and repeated
ballots, ending in the compromise verdict
announced.
PIERSON WANTED ALL HANGED.
Farmer Pierson had voted steadily for
the execution of all five of the defendants,
and was the last man to yield. 1t was he
who was holding out toward the end, and
not until an hour or so before the verdict
reached the public cid he give in to the ca
treaties of his comrades. The leading
thought of majority of the jurors, other
than Culver and Pierson, seemed to be to
prevent disagreement. They apparently
believed that mistrial was what had been
aimed at by the defense.
DISMISSED FROM THE FORCE.
Detectives John s. Tiff and NJ. j. Grove,
and Patroiman Redmond Mcdonald, who
testified in favor of Dan Coughlin in the
recent Cronin trial, received notice of dis
missal to-day from the force "for conduct
unbecoming an officer, and for neglect of
duty" ''This is only the beginning of re-
movals,n said an official to-day, "and from
this time on, YOU can look out for the re-
moval of tle Cian-na-Gael men and their
SymDathizars daily