The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1889-10-31
HEARD IT READ IN CRONINS CAMP
Capt. o'connor Listened to the
Trial Committees Report.
Dan coughIin Quoted as Intimating
that :Cronin Was a Spy.
Patrick o'Cary Tells How O'SulIIyan
TrembIed when Questioned.

said State Attorney Longenecker at the op
ening OF the Cronln trial this morning, 81
would like to have an attachment issued fol
Edward Spellman of Peoria. He promise,
me he would appear whenever / telegraphed
him to come, without being served with
subpoena. / have now telegraphed hin
three times and he docs not even answer th,
kilograms"
The attachment was ordered issued b,
Judge Mcconnell, and the district membe
of the Clan-na-Gael for the Chicago camps
VIII be compelled to testify willy-nilly.
Dennis O'Connor, member of Camp 90
Clan-na-G Gael, was the first witness He hat
been member of the brotherhood for q
years. He remembered the historic meet.
ing at which Capt. I. p. O'Connor had in.
stigated the appointment of committee ia
investigate the report of che trial committee,
and why the verdict in reference to the al.
legged malfeasance in office of Alexander
Sullivan, Feeley and B0land had been re-
ported to but one camp. At this point the
memory of the witness became extremely
decrepit. He did not remember a statement
OF Capt. I. p. OConnor, that the brother.
hood had far better turn its energies to in
committee Sullivan, Feeley and Boland)
than hunt for spies. Capt. O'Connor might
have said so, however; there might also have
been call on the senior guardian on the
night of May 8, the night before DR.. Cron-
ms murder. relative to the reports of the
committee on the Triangle had not made q
report.. He did not remember any answer
the senior guardian may have made.
On cross-examination by Attorney Forrest
for defendant Beggs, witness said he knew
but little of Beggs before he was elected
fnr n ardi lon 10
the Buffalo trial committee was secret one.
He had never heard of such thing as an
inner circle in any camp of the Clan-na- Gael.
The so-called secret committee.appointed by
Senior Warden Beggs was appointed to go
to DR.; Cronin's camp and inquire how 1t
was that the camp knew of the verdict of
the trial committee while Camp 26 was in
ignorance of it. He did not remember Sem
lor Guardian Beggs had said one camp could
not investigate another. He thought
there was some discussion relative to the
senior guardian comforting with District
Cronin's camp, or members of it. There
had been frequent inquiries made in the
camp relative to the delay of the Buffalo
trial committee in finding a verdict for or
against the Triangle for malfeasance in
office. He understood the report read in DR..
Cronin's camp was minority report. The
witness remembered the appointment of the
investigating committee by Senior Guardian
Beggs from the fact that it was a very i'm
portant piece of business. He understood
the investigating committee was ordered to
investigate the charge made in Camp 20 that
Dr.. Cronin's camp was in possession of the
minority. report of the Buffalo committee,
which minority report had been signed by
Dr.. Cronin and DR.. McCahey.
Witness Colleran, whose testimony was
unfinished yesterday afternoon, was called
Burke had told him about the time of the
murder that he (Burke) had been working in
the stock yards for month. He had been
member of Camp 20, Clan-na- Gael, for ten
years. He had gone with Burke to Beggs's
office to secure his influence toward being
eupied in the city's service. Nothing had
been said at that time of the Clan-na-G Gael or
any Irish matter.
Patrick Nolan, financial secretary of Camp
20 produced the record book and from it
testified to the numbers borne by Coughlin,
Cooney, O'Sullivan, Beggs and Burke. Ali
except Cooney are now on trial. The
witness testified that he was present at the
meeting of the camp on May 3rd the day
preceding Cronin's death. Beggs presided.
There was call for the report of the secret
committee appointed February s. Beggs
replied that the committee was to report to
him alone.
The next witness was Capt. Thos.
z. OC0nnor, who was in Camp 20 on
FebruaryS. He said he had heard read in
that tried the Triangle. Capt. O'Connor
said that Foy arose in the camp and
addressed the senior guardian. Foy stated
that after the disclosures of LeCaron in
London the organization, as an organization,
was no more, that If there were four British
organized. Every one who had the slightest
taint or suspicion attached to him should be
expelled 81 stated that l knew, by positive
information" said the witness that the
organization was run by a parcel of rogues,
known as our executive body; that they had
squandered our funds, even to the extent of
one hundred thousand dollars, sent our best
men across to England to have them put
behind the bars and now, l stated positively,
LeCaron was the agent of our executive
body, and received pay from them.
Il was interrupted.with .aldemand to tell
where l got this information. l said if the
senior guardian demanded where l got my
information | would tell him. He did not
say anything. / stated had heard terri
Bile report of the entire trial committee in
Buffalo; and had seen written report about
the trial. was positive, of my statement
Daniel Coughlin, a member of the camp,
said: Mr.. Guardian, move secret COM
mittee of three be appointed to find out the
source of Capt. OC0nnor's information.
The senior guardian said: 4 will hear no
more Of this. subject. but will APPOINT the
committee
Q-Who was the senior guardian?
A.-John f. Beggs.
On cross examination. Capt. O'Connor said
he did not say in his speech of February 9Th
that Cronin read the report of the trial of
the Triangle nor did he say in what camp it
was read. He said he had been at work on
the Cronin case without pay up to Septem-
Der Goth, when he was appointed police
man. On redirect examination, the fact
was brought out that there were five or six
members of Camp 20 present when the wit
ness made his speech February 9th,
who were in the other camp when
the report in regard to the Triangle trial was
given, and We're therefore, cogniZant of the
facts as to the camp in which it was given
and who gave it.
The next witness. Henry Owen O'Connor,
a member Of Camp 20, described the pro-
ceedings at the meetings of February and
%, without bringing out any points. At a
subsequent meeting, he said, Dan COughlin
came to him and said that information had
been received in Chicago that a confederate
Of LeCaron was in the organization, and in
Police Officer JohE M. Collins was called
to the witness chair. He testified that
he had been a member of Camp 20
and said that at the reunion meeting on Feb
reary %, Dick Powers and Pat McGary
made speeches denouncing the Triangle.
Beggs said this TRADE against the Triangle
and Alexander Sullivan must cease or there
would be war; that Sullivan had many
friends there.
Patrick McGary, senior guardian of the
Clan-na-Gael, camp at Lake View, of which
DR.. Cronin was member, was the next wit
ness. He told of the visit made to the house
Of O,Sullivan the Sunday following Cron.
ms death. He questioned O'Sullivan very
closely about his contract with CIonin tC
treat his men in case of accident. He de
scribed the twitching of O'Sullivan's mus
tache.
The court here adjourned until tomorrow
The winnipeg Story Believed.
WINNIPEG, October 3O.-Assistaut State
Attorney Baker, of Chicago, had lonl
conference with ex-convict Heffer last night
with relation to Heffer's story that Burke
confessed all the details of the Cr0nir
murder to him. 1t is stated that Baker il
cnnYinced of the truth of Heffer,s st1ry