Evening journal., 1889-12-10
LAW AIYTEEER' ! EEE' FORREST TALKS
He Vigorously Attacks the
States Witnesses.
THEY WERE PERJuRERs, HE SAYS,


And Not Very Wen Trained rerjurers.
Either clan-na-Gaci Men Were divided
Into Opposite Factions and Were hit
teriy Fighting over Cronin's Murder.
CHICAGO Dec l0-Attorney Forrest in
bis address in the Cronin trial discussed the
different methods Of treating circumstantial
evidence, as used by the defense and the
state. "Those who are opposed to us on this
question have very pretty axiom which
reads thus: Witnesses may lie but facts
never. This sounds very nicely, but it is
not true. There is nothing in the world that
tells 50 many lies as what are called facts
and circumstances. Facts can be made Go
prove anything"
The speaker then referred to the tariff
question, and said that Republicans and
Democrats agreed upon the same facts and
drew Numerically opposite conclusions
Mr.. Forrest read from law book number
Of instances Of circumstantial evidence in
which the circumstances pointed almost
without possibility Of contradiction to Ger
tain conclusion, and yet tnis conclusion was
false
The Prisoners Must BE Acquitted.
The evidence tending to prove that a con
spiracy existed in Camp 20, the attorney
said he had agreed not TO touch. However,
it did not matter. II was not necessary.
Attorney Foster had exhausted that part OF
the case. There was nothing in it. BY II
the jury would be compelled to acquit Beggs,
and the case against the other prisoners,
so far as the Camp 20 conspiracy went,
must be dropped. The credibility Of wit
nesses was then discussed and Mr. Forrest
made very plausible argument Every
witness discovered since the coroner's jury
was a suspicious one, said the attorney; the
states witnesses had an interest in giving
damaging testimony against the defendants.
For instance, it was worth Sl00 week 70
Dinan to haze it generally believed that his
white horse was the one that took Dr. Gro
min away, that being the amount Dinan re-
,ceived from the dime museum.
The Clan Il at War.
AS for the carlsons, they were poor peo-
pie, and we're now using their cottage as a
museum and charging admission TO curios.
ity seekers. The interest had by the Irish
witnesses was very plain TO Attorney For.
rest. There was q split in the Clan-na-Gael
society. One side charged the other with
sending innocent men to England on dan.
gerous business and delivering them over to
the English government
The side making the accusation was on
the witness stand for the state, the side ac.
cused was in the prisoners chair Revenge
was wanted by the former Opportunity 10
wreak it was IN their grasp and they used il
L.. /. "a
cussed the other witnesses All either had
interest in testifying as they did or else thsir
feats Of memory We're so remarkable to At
torney Forrest--as to be simply ridiculous.
They We're All PerJurers.
Running through his argument was ap-
parently a desire TO show that all the Wit
nesses for the state were perjurers The
urging which the state had 20 use in court
on Nieman 20 induce him 70 identify Cough
lin and Kunze was handled very skilfuily
The expert testimony he comhatcd with
the expert testimony Of the defense, his de-
duction being in effect that the expert wit
aesses for the state should 60 through college
again
The Cause Of Cronin's Death.
Mr. Forrest then went into the cause Of
death, arguing that from the testimony
gwen AA NHo t3A hhNMn AhN tNAAthtN VI
Mrs Hoertei, he declared, was hideous in
us absurdity. Take for instance the wounds
found ON the head OF the dead man. Not
one Of the wounds caused scratch on the
skull, and yet Mrs Hoertel swore that when
she passed the cottage that night she heard
the sound Of blows
Not Murdered In Cnrison's Cottage.
''Blows she heard through the door from
her place ON the sidewalk, and yet no scratch
on the skull, shouted the attorney.
Mr.. Forrest next took up the trunk and
the course taken by the wagon on the night
Of May 4. and supposed 70 have carried th,
trunk With the aid Of a map he traced th,
course alleged TO have been taken by tn,
men, and argued that the wagon did mo-
contain the trunk having the body inside
OF, having it, the doctor was not murdere,
in the Carlson cottage His reason for thi
theory was the roundabout route taken b,
the wagon, supposing the cottage 20 be Tia
starting point. a route that went through
thickly settled part OF the city--a very un
likely one for murderers. Mr.. Forrest dc
voted some time 70 an attack on the identit
OF the trunk, after which court adjourne
for the day.