The Portland daily press., 1889-10-26
DR.. CRONINS IDENTITY ESTABLISHED.
Men who Saw the Dead Physician
Testify to Recognizing Him.
Conflicting Medical Testimony as
to the Cause of Death.
Kunz, the Comedian of the Defend
ants Laughs in Court.

CHICAGO, October 25.-It took three stall
wart policemen and five special bailiffs to
keep the crowd out of Judge Mcconnell S
court room this morning, but the result was
a gratifying relief to the jam of yesterday.
But outside on the street the crowd grew
constantly. and fully 1000 people stood pa
tiently in the thickly falling mist, waiting
their turn to get intothe room where are be-
ing tried the five men charged with the muir
der of Dr. Cronin. The prosecution began
the session with continuation of the proof
that the mutilated body taken from the Lake
View catch basin was that of DR.. Cronin.
The intimate friends of the murdered man
were the main witnesses. f. f. Conklin,
with whose family DR.. Cronin had lived for
the IL years previous to his death, had seen
the body and identified it perfectly as that
of DR.. Cronin.
John f. Scanlon was the next witness.
The direct examination brought out the fact
that he could identify the body by all the
by slightly deformed wrist. he had known
the doctor Intimately and for some time
previous to his death had had an office with
him.
you've taken good deal of interest in
this case, haven't your asked Attorney
Forrest for the defence.
"Only as much as any good citizen ought, "
the witness began, but was sharply inter
rvpted by Attorney Forrest with the state
ment that no speeches were wanted. Mr..
Scanlan testified he had been a member of
the so-called Clan-na- Gael, but for the last
II years had attended but few of the meet
ings. BE had also been Fenian.
Frank Seaman, brother of the preceding
witness. also perfectly identified the body as
that of DIR. Cronin, as did l.. 2. Ahern. Both
witnesses were members of the Gamma
Gael. Attempts were made to lessen the
completeness of the Identification, but the
attempt had to be given up by the de-
fence.
John Feninger, one of the gang of labor
ers engaged in cleaning the catch basins at
Lake View, in one of which the body of DIR.
Cronin was found, was the next witness.
He testified to the finding of the body, its
position in the catch basin and the method
OF drawing it out by means of a blanket
slipped under the middle. A tedious at
tempt to exactly locate the position Of the
body in the catch basin resulted in the eX-
clamation from the witness: Hold on, let
me talk" The exclamation was greeted
with shout of laughter which Judge Nc
Connell cut short blythe command to the
bailiffs to Immediately eject any person from
the room who INDUCED again in laughter.
Kunz, sthe comedian defendant saw his
chance, and Immediately let out low gurg
ling laugh which drew the attention of the
whole court room. 1t wouldn't work. The
bailiffs were not ejecting the prisoners, even
at the command of the judge
The next witness was DIR. L. III. Lewis,
who testified that he had done a large
amount of dental work for DIR. Cronin.
He was perfectly familiar with the mouth
of the dead doctor, and he was
certain from numerous peculiarities that
the mouth was that Of DR.. Cronin. BE also
identified an oddly made plate he had made
for DR.. Cr0nin, and which had been taken
from the mouth of the dead man. He knew
of no other plate ever having been made of
the same material.
At the afternoon session of the Cronin tri-
al, Dr. Egbert gave the facts revealed by the
autopsy which he made upon the body the
day following its discovery. He gave his
opinion that death resulted from the wounds.
In his judgement the doctor was killed
about three hours after having eaten. Cross
examination developed the fact that none of
the wounds on the corpse would necessarily
cause death. 1t was impossible the doctor
admitted, to say whether the wounds were
inflicted before or after death. This ques-
was put to DR.. Egbert is it not scientif-
cally true that you physicians found no evil
dences In the body certain and conclusive Of
the form of DEATH"
DR.. Egbert replied "That is true
Dr. Egbert was of the opinion that death
occurred through the excessive loss of blood.
There was no certainty of it, he said.
Dr. Charles w. Perkins, who assisted at
the postm0rtem, testified that in his opinion
death had not ensued frsm blood letting,
but from conclusion of the brain. The lat
ter organ was too decomposed to afford any
information.