Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-12-17

start. II was only after long and hsrassing
elaboration that he originally agreed with the
rest upon this verdict You viii probably ind
that Mr.. Culver was not the only man upon the
three principal defendants"
"But the jurors all swore, on being examined
as to their competence, that they had no con-
scientious scrupies about capital punishment
on circumstantial evidence"
That II all true, but behind all that each
man probably had q mental reservation that
the evidence must be convincing beyond rea-
| sonable doubt
STORY OF THE CRIME.
Sketch Of the Removal Of DR.. Cronin
and the Men Accused of IL.
DR.. Patrick n. Cronin disappeared on the
night Of May 4, 1885, He had made an agree
ment with Patrick O'Sullivsn, the iceman, to
attend any Of his employees who were i'll. On
the night of the tragedy a man driving white
horse in buggy came to DIR. Cronin's board
ing place in Chicago. He presented O'Sulli-
vans card as q mark of good faith and told DR..
Cronin that one Of the iceman's employees had
been injured and that he was wanted to attend
! the patient. DR.. Cronin unhesitatingly packed
up his instruments in a leather valise or case,
such as surgeons carry, stepped into the buggy
and was driven off by the messenger.
DIR. Cronin's friends never saw him alive
again. Evidence was produced during the trial
to show that DR.. Cronin was driven to a little
cottage in quiet suburb Of Chicago near where
Iceman OSullivan lived. The cottage was
rented from a family named Carlson On the
night OF May cries Of murder we're heard issu-
ing from the Carlson cottage.
Great excitement was created by DIR. Cronin's
mysterious disappearance. Nobody knew what
had become Of him. Mysterious agencies were
at work limiting in public print and elsewhere
that DR.. Cronin was q spy in the pay Of the
British government and that he had disap-
peared for reasons best known to himself. 1t
was also mysteriously given out that he had
Incorporated funds contributed to the Irish
cause. 1t was said that he had fed to Toronto,
and what purported to be long interview
with him was sent out by an alleged newspaper
correspondent in Toronto and published in
papers IN Chicago and elsewhere.
All this time DIR. Cyonin's murdered body was
lying in the catch basin OF sewer at Argyle
park suburb of Chicago. On May ~ his
naked, bruised corpse was discovered in the
catch basin by gang of laborers sent to clean
Cronin.
THE PRISONERS.
The men arrested for the crime were Martin
Burke, Daniel Coughlin, chicago detectives
the ice man, O'Sullivan; John F. Beggs, q law
yer and John Kunze a nervous little German.
They were all members of camp 20, of the Clan
| na-Gael. Evidence was produced during the
| trial showing that secret committee to try DIR.
Cronin was ordered by the camp on February
8. His offense, SO far has been discovered,
was that he had formulated charges against the
former executive committee OF the Gamma
Gael, known as the Triangle" He had made
the assertion in the camp to which he belonged
| that the Triangle was using the money contrib
uted in the interest of the Irish nationalist to
their own advantage, and, moreover, were
playing their alleged tools into the hands of
the British government. The evidence against
the suspects showed that Patrick O'Sullivan
had contracted for the medical services of DIR.
Cronin. presumably to finally entrap him into
the snare into which he fell ON the night of
May 4. Martin Burke had rented from the
Carlsons the cottage III which Cronin was killed
Daniel Coughlin, the detective, had made ar
rangements for a FRIEND to hire from Livery
man Oman the horse and buggy that carried
Cronin to the house where he was butchered.
John +. Beggs warden Of camp 20, was shown
to be the man who was appointed a committee
of one to report Cronin's murder to the senior
guardian. No evidence was brought out to i'm
plicate Kunze as deeply in the conspiracy as
the other fou. prisoners. However, he was
present at the meeting of camp 20 when Cronin
was sentenced to trial and, presumably, to
death.
Two other individuals were involved in the
plot-Cooney, known as the Fox" owing to
the slyness and skill with which up to this time
h has succeeded in evading arrest. and a man
who gave the name OF Simonds when he bought
the furniture which was sent to the Carlston
cottage. Woodruff, worthless fellow arrested
for horse stealing. was also supposed to be i'm
plicated for time, as he confessed to having
hauled the trunk in which Cronin's mutilated
body was taken to the catch basin for conceal
ignorant Of the conspiracy and the ghastIy con-
tents of the trunk.
The five suspects were indicted in June, and
on August 26 the trial opened. During the
progress OF the trial DR.. Cronin's clothing and
the valise containing his surgical instr UNI nts
and professional cards were found in a sewer at
| Lake View, not three miles from the place
where the murdered mans body WAS recovered
SKETCHES OF THE ACCUSED.
Daniel Coughlin, the big detective, and sup
posed to be the king bee among the prisoners,
was born in Hancock, Mich, not more than
thirty years ago. He is feet inch tall, weighs
SO pounds. and is Of light complexion, with
wart on his right cheek. He went to Chicago
| some years ago and secured employment in the
North Side railway barns. Four years ago,
through the influence OF Alexander Sullivan,
ne obtained a position on the police force,
where he remained until arrested. knowing
the strength of his influence he overstepped
discipline when it interfered with him and did
about as he pleased. At the time OF the an
tIChiSss uiai NC was very OusSpOhtH III MS con-
domination of the prisoners. frequently declar-
ing that all Of them should be hanged He is
of q very brutal nature one of the instances of
this characteristic occurring on March "a, when
he knocked man down in q North Side saloon
and stamped on him. He has been member
of Camp 20 ever since he came to Chicago. He
is married and has one child.
John +. Beggs is thirty-seven years old. He
was born in Lowell, Mass, is feet So inches
tall, weighs l49 pounds and is Of forid COM
plexion. In Cleveland he was sent to the peni-
tertiary for betraying young girl He mar
red her in prison and she obtained pardon
for him. and they lived together for a short
time, when he deserted her and went to Chi
cago. He secured employment in Lake street
drug house at 20 per week, the position being
obtained for him by the prisoners aid society
He was lawyer in Cleveland, and after o short
residence he was admitted to the bar, and was
by Alexander Sullivan put in possession OF con-
siderable practice. His wife in Cleveland in
the meantime secured divorce from him and
he married again in Chicago On February
he was, through Mr.. Sullivan's influence, made
senior guardian of camp 20, and two days later
the famous secret committee was appointed.
Patrick O'Sullivan was born in Galena ILL.,,
thirty-one years ago. He is five feet eleven
inches high, weighs 1879 pounds, and is very
dark complexiOned. He went to Chicago ten
years ago, and for time drove a North Side
street car. He left that occupation to enter the
employment on the Lincoln ice company, with
which he remained until five years ago, when
he started in the ice business for himself, He
haoh s.a anttu in xals anil oIo..