Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-12-17
THE CRONIN VERDICT.
The Jury Compromises Con-
clusiOns.
BEGGs DECLARED NOT GUILTY.
C0ughlin, Burke and 0'Sullivan In
for Life ImprisOnment-Kunze
Gets Three Years.
Associated Press Dispatches to the HERALD.

Associated Press DISPATCHES to the HERALD.
CmcAao, December 16.-At 10: &c
O'Clock this morning Judge Mcdonnell
announced from the bench that no YER.
dict had been reached by the Cronin
Jury, and that he would not be in attend.
ance again before 2 p. m.
WILD AND wooLY NEWSPAPER YARNS.
The morning papers had published all
sorts Of wild and woody yarns in regard
to the case. One in an extra declared
that a verdict had been reached. and
pretended to give the penalty in each
mans case. Another gave long circum.
stantial account Of how Juror Culver was
assaulted by an infuriatsd member of the
jury because he refused to agree with the
other eleven that Culver had sent a note
toJudge Mcconnell demanding protec-
ton. and that Mcdonnell replied he
would have to look out for himself. The
absurdity of this was self-evident. from
the fact that Judge Mcconnell said to an
Associated Press reporter yesterday that
anything like coercion would justify the
discharge OF the jury.
When Judge Mcconnell sent mes
senger to the bRiliff in charge Of the jury
to inquire whether the jury had any
communication to make to the Court,
the answer came back promptly and
tersely that the jury was prepared to
make no return and had no communica-
tion whatever to make to the Court.
Thus all the reports of the jury having
agreed on verdict proved to be as ut
terly grouudless as the hundreds that
had preceded them.
Judge McC Connell, in an interview with
an Associated Press reporter this morn
ing, deprecated the publication Of wild
-speculations by papers, and declared
that if any assault on Juror Culver had
taken place, as published, the matter
would have been reported to him and
would have met with prompt punish
,ment. The statement that Culver had
appealed to him for protection was alb.
solutely false. He added that it was going
too far to suppose that the jury was un-
able to agree, as 1t had not intimated any
such thing to the Court.
THE IMPORTANT HOUR ARRIVED.
AT p. m. Judge Mcconnell appeared
in court and announced that return
would be made by the jury in few
minutes. He had been informed that q
verdict had been reached.
The attorneys for both sides were
notified by the Judge that verdict had
been reached and that their attendance
at court was desired. Sheriff Matson dis
patched bsiliffs to conduct the defendants
to the courtroom. Some trouble was ex-
,perienced in finding all the attorneys for
the defense, but at 2 :25 p. m. the attor-
neys arrived, the prisoners were brought
in and the court was called to order.
At 2:30p m. the jury entered and
took their seats.
THE VERDICT READ.
At 1882 the verdict of the jury was
read, as follows: "We, the jury, find
defendant John F. Beggs not guilty. We,
the jury, find defendant John Kunze
guilty of manslaughter, as charged in the
indictment, and fix his punishment at
imprisonment in the penitentiary for a
term of three years. We, the jury, find
defendants Daniel Coughlin, Patrick
O'Sullivan and Martin Burke guilty OF
murder in the manner and form as
charged in the indictment, and fix the
penalty at imprisonment in the peniten-
tiary for the term OF their natural lives. :"
at the request of the defense the jury
was then polled and re-affirmed the
verdict.
HOW IT AFFECTED THE PRISONERS.
Simultaneous with the announcement
of the verdict Coughlin, O'Sullivan and
Burke turned deathly pale, while Kunze
started suddenly from his seat and q
moment later dropped his head upon his
breast and burst into tears. Beggs' face
was luminous with joy, and Immediately
after the polling of the jury, he arose from
amid the prisoners and walked over to
the jury box and during the breathless
lull that followed, shook Foreman
Clarke's hand heartily and said: "Gen-
tlemen, I thank you. trust the future
may confirm your Judgment upon me
and that you will never regret that you
found me not guilty of this terrible
charge"
The only thing that broke the stiffness
following this was the deep sobs of little
Kunze. He burst out with: "God
knows am innocent. never was in
Lake View that night. Oh! God knows
I am innocent. gentlemen"
O'Sullivan was the only one of the
other three prisoners who found refuge
in tears. For moment they trickled down
his cheeks, but minute later his black
eyes flashed with defiance on the re-
vival of courage, and, dashing his hand
across his brow, he braced up in hit
seat and cast longing glance arounc
the court room.
The only evidence of terror to be
perceived in Coughlin was the increased
pallor that overspread his face as he
fully realized the Significance of hi
sentence to life imprisonment, and hi
lips twitched nervously.
During the colloquy that followed
between the attorneys and Court rela
tive to motion for a new trial, Martir
Burke was unquestionably the leas
affected of all the prisoners. Hi
usually florid face took on slight pallo
as the verdict was announced, but 9
moment later his jaws again began thei
methodical mastication OF gum, a
regularly as at any previous time during
the trial.
As the verdict was announced and th'
large audience contemplated littl
Kunze's grief, Beggs turned to re
porter and said: SIT is shame to sen
tence Kunze. Poor little fellow thinl
he is as innocent as / am. It is q DAM
shame to send him to the penitentiar
for three years. He had no more ide
of being found guilty than you had"
COMMENTS AMONG THE AUDIENCE.