The western sentinel., 1889-06-20
THE cRoNrN MURDER.

Now that the verdict of the coro-
ner's jury has fastened the murder
Of DIR. Cronin upon members of the
society to which he belonged, and
prima facie at least established the
fact that it was deliberately planned
and executed in obedience to con,
spiracy formed for the purpose, it is
high time the public and the press
should have something to say about
such an infamy and those who have
had the audacity to engage in OF
countenance it.
That it was brutal and horrible in
its nature is certain, and that it was
/ an outrageous insult to our institu-
tions is equally certain.
If because we happen to sympa-
! thize with people who are strug~
Cling to throw off the yoke Of an
alien and oppressive rule and extend
in every legitimate way our moral
and pecuniary aid, our feeling and
conduct are to he construed into a
sanction of conspiracy and murder,
the quicker we call halt the bet
ter.
1t is true that the mass of our
Irish people, native born and for
eign, condemn this atrocious act, and
even the members, or many of them,
of the "United Brotherhood' or
"Clan na-Gaep are equally pro-
nounced in their views, but the fact
remains that we have these secret
societies established among us seek
ing to accomplish certain ends
abroad-largely recruited from our
foreign population-and not over
particular as to their methods.
1t is really startling that an or
ganization should dare to exist in
this country which assumes to itself
the powers of life and death. What
do such people mean? Are they
ignorant of the fact that here at
least is land of liberty, where all
men are equal before the laws, and
the law they undertake to defy is
strong enough to defy all the cut
throats who masquerade before the
public as patriots 4? What is to be
gained by driving our law-abiding
population from the support of the
Irish cause by such means as were
resorted to to get rid of DR.. Cronin?
1t is idle to disguise the fact that
this brutal murder has thrown
chill over American enthusiasm in
behalf OF Ireland, which it will re-
quire long time to remove. 1t is
beyond all comparison the most
damaging act yet committed. The
Phoenix Park murders were bad
enough, as were the London dyna-
mite exploits, but in both cases the
blow was aimed at their oppressors
On their own soil. But to use and |
abuse our good feeling and hospi-
ality, to violate our laws and out
age the feelings of our people is
piece of folly, to say the least, almost
without a parallel.
To make the crime as bad as Dos
ible and to cut loose from themselves
very touch of sympathy from even
heir own clansmen, it seems, from
he statements of some of the MEM
'ers of the Clan, that the very men
vho concocted this crime have been
quandering the money contributed
the irish cause-indeed, this was
robably one of the chief incentives
the crime, for DIR. Cronin was
regarded as damaging
illness against them.
But whatever the motive. no
reater outrage has ever been COM
lifted among US, and it deserves the
of every man who
ears the proud title of an Ameri-
N citizen. No real Irish patriot
i'll condone for an instant such a 9
ime, but will join with us in hop 8
g that the severest penalties of the {
W will be promptly visited upon
who aided or abetted this cold
CODED murder.