Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-11-28
THE CASE NEARING AN END
The Defense Have Nearly All Their
Testimony In.
The RebutaI VIII Knock AlibiS Into
Cooked Hat.
Those Who Lent Themselves to the
Alibis in a Bad Way.

CHICAGO, NOV. E0.-lne Qe1enSe Is con-
pleted and the following Is a summary of
what it has attempted to prove in favor of
the prisoners. Coughlin's defense is that
he was at the police station on the night
of May 4, about the time the milkman
Mertes saw him enter the Carlson cottage.
Mertes saw him at $50 and Policeman
Mcdonald claims he was at the station at
8:45 or o'clock. Budenbender' testi
mony was that the horse which carried
Cronin away was gray, with dark legs, but
both Mrs. Conklin and Frank Scanlon,
fully and unhesitatingly identified the
Oman white horse If the jury believe
the latter Coughlin' 5 case is settled by it,
as no attempt is made to explain away
his hiring the horse, and his friend Smith
has not turned up as a witness for him as
promised Neither Coughlin's hatred of
Cronin or his intimacy with O'Sullivan
last spring has been explained.
O'Sulllyan 5 defense rests on an attempt
to show that he was at home on the night
Of the murder. This may or may not be
true, but the state does not claim that he
was actually present at the time and place
where Cronin was killed. A man who
bad but up such job would naturally be
able to prove an ilibi at the time
the murderous act was committed. If the
others are found guilty of the murder
O'SuIlivan has not helped his case in the
least.
Martin Burke has practically made no
defense whatever His renting the cottage
has not been denied. nor the fact that he
removed the furniture thither from the
Clark-street fat. Three Gamma Gael
members have sworn that he was at
Danany' saloon on the fatal evening, but
admitting their testimony as true, he still
had time to reach the Carlson cottage be-
fore Cronin got there The state has not
accused Burke of helping to kill Cronin.
The defence paid no attention to the tin
box story Of Klahre the tin-smith.
There has also been an utter failure to
prove an alibi for Kunze, or to explain
away the strong evidence against him.
AS to Beggs, the only testimony against
him was that he said he belonged to the
thinner circle, and that it was known
there that Cronin was alive. The only
contradiction to this was that there is no
such thing as an inner circle, but the
witnesses themselves such as are generally
reputed to be inner circle men. The case
against Beggs is far the weakest, and this
may be because the state was not allowed
to introduce the evidence it claimed to
have Few people doubt that the murder
was decreed In the camp of which Beggs
was senior guardian.
CHICAGO Nov. %. = The somewhat
sensational occurrences of yesterday had
the effect of crowding Judge Neon
nel's courtroom this morning. When
court opened Mr. Forrest stated that he
had been informed that Mr.. Lynch was
unable to appear in court, owing to a re-
L l 1 l. i
would rest so far as that part of the de
Tense was concerned, ON the testi-
mony Of Koch Koch is the man who
testified that April Coughlin and Lynch
came to the house looking for Kunze, who
boarded there After a wait of several
minutes and nowitnesses appearing for
the defense, the court announced that the
trial would be postponed until 10 o'clock
Monday and then if the witnesses were on
hand the state would proceed with its re-
buttal testimony.
Mr. Mills this morning said that it has
not vet been decided whether they would
call Badenbender to the witness stand for
further examination.
Among other things that will be proved
in the rebuttal will be the fact that all of
Pat 0'Sullivan S ice wagons and all of his
men, with the single exception of Null
cahey, were engaged until after l O. clock
on the morning Of May owing to the de
mand for ice.
Testimony will be given to the effect
that Menehan. Knight ana Brennan
could not possibly have played cards in
the Ashland avenue saloon, as they
claimed to have done. The testimony
that will be used to squash the remarka-
bile statements made by the Hylands as to
their visit to Niemann' saloon on the
night of May has already been outlined.
The two cousins swore that when they
reached the saloon there was nobody there
but Nieman The latter has furnished the
names of at least dozen who were there
at the hour the cousins mentioned and
they will all take the stand. So far as
Burke s alibi Is concerned, 1T will not stand
long, when witnesses are introduced to
show that Matt Danahay, the saloon
keeper, was out buggy-r1ding on the night
of May 4. instead of serving drinks over
his bar, as he claimed to have done.
1t was on account of his absence that
night that suspicion was originally directed
against him and caused his temporary ar
rest one day about month ago. to give
Hatchfeld. Revell's salesman, and Throck-
morten. Knight Marshall's bookkeeper,
chance to identify him as ]. B. Simond's 5.
Coughlin's alibi has gone down under its
own weight
There was a good deal of gossip around
the criminal court building about insti
tuting criminal proceedings against every
man who has lent himself to the aihi
business. but Judge Longenecker said
nothing would be done in this direction
until the trial was over.
Curc,ca Nov * Whom Iudcrn
McCmnell's court was called to order this
morning. William Mertes, the milkman
who had testified for the prosecution in
the case, was recalled by Mr.. Forrest for
the defense, and went over his testimony
again, and also testified as to a converse
ton he had with two policemen about
body had been discovered. The
witness told the officers that he saw a
bay horse with white face coming north
as he was going south; that the buggy
stopped in front of the Carlson cottage,
and that he saw tall man get out and
go into the cottage. The witness was then
examined at length as to his conversation
with the policeman. and admitted that he
had told the officers that he did not know
when it was that he saw the horse and
buggy drive up.
]. w. Eralick was the next witness and
testified that Kunze had been employed by
him from April 26 until June %, the day
of his arrest kunze went to work on the
morning of May at o'clock and stopped
work at about half past ). On the Mon
day after he went to work and quit at the
usual time.
Dyer Thompson was next called on be
half of @ Sullivan. Witness was foreman