Evening journal., 1889-12-03
JUDGE WINGS SARCASM.
Coughlin's Attorney Points Out
Several Alleged Absurdities.
EXPLAINING AWAY THE KNIVES.

The Defendants Lawyer Riddles ths
states Testimony with Many sarcaStis
shaf.s-The Prosecution and Mrs. conk-
lin Could Identify Anything, he says
CHICAGO, Dec. 3.-In the Cronin trial an
attempt was made by the defense to provs
tLat the knives found in Coughlin's pocket
wers not DIR. Cronin's Ex-Dotective
boewenstein, Coughin's partner, swore that
he recognized one Of the knives as one
Coughlin had carried for long tiIne The
other one he was pretty sure Of, but not
positive Cross-cxamination failed to shake
his testimony. August Loewenstein brother
of the ex-detoctive and q tailor, swore that
be tad seen the knives In question ia Dan
Coughlin's possession April n, and conse-
qrontly before the murder.
Judge Wing Continues.
Judge Wing then resumed his speech He
again dwelt upon the danger and untrust-
worthiness Of circumstantial evidence. After
dwelling for some time on this point, he for
the first time referred to the testimony
against the suspoots That part Of 10 gi1eu
by Saloon Keeper Nieman was picked up
ana the side favorable to the defense shown
70 the jury. The reluctance Of the witness
to positively Identify Coughlin and Kunza
as the ones who had come into his saloon on
The night Of May was argued upon at
great length. Aud inHsmuch as the witness
had not been certain Of tho men, there was
not in the speakers mind any reason to be
ievo that witness was certain Of the date
Continuing on this line, he argued that
Nieiuan not being certain, and the Hylanda
on tho other hand being most positively
certain, the testimony Of the latter should
receive the credenco Of the jury
o'suliivan Was at Home.
''On the night Of MAY p. O'Sulliynn was
IN his house, exclaimed the attorney in a
solemn tone "lf you do not believe il then
yon must set aside the testimony OF the en-,
tire household with which O'Sullivnn lived.
Attorney Wing then took up Dan Coughlinh
nlihi and declared it was all right lie said
that it had been charged that the witnesses
Ind committed perjury. III such was tha
fact, why don't they ndict and prosecute tha
periurersn Next the speaker proceed to be-
little the evidence OF "Mai Sampson. offer
ing the "maior'sn tough character "a his
weapon. IN this fashion the speaker con-
tinued 10 dispose OF the numerous plasos OF
the trial. The suspects paid strict attention
TO every word They seemed 60 drink each
sentence with tho eagerness Of weary tray
eler IN the desert Dan CoughliA nas the
most attentive Of the FIVE.
The Tascott Case cited.
Regarding the Identification Of Coughliu
and Kunze by Mertes and the Identification
u Dinan's horse Judge Wing had consider.
able to say about the similarity Of Gcscrip-
tion Of different individuals. He maintained
that no reliance was 10 be placed on either
identification He cited tho care of Tascott.
who he said, had been duplicated a hundred
times during the past year on account OF
minute descriptions furnished by tho apthori-
lies. The idea OF a sane man, while saspect-
ed Of murder, carrying for two weeks in ha
| pocket the knives Of the murdered man was,
in Attorney Wings mind, too ridiculous
| proposition 70 be entertained for moment.
Tho Alleged Conspiracy.
The conspiracy and It's relation 20 Camp
70 next claimed the advocates attention.
"A case of conspiracy must be established
| by the state beyond reasonable doubt, he
said. "ilither such a case must be proved,
or this trial must be dropped and the prison.
ers discharged And the only proof that
such conspiracy did exist is clrcunstantial
| evidence, and cncumstantial evidence Of a
/ very AAh'nf hhtlits I ihNt htftlA OF ulilnN
cases Of conspiracy but never have ] heard
Of case so absurd as this one. There is
nothing 10 show that a conspiracy existed
| lt may be true that factions existed in the
society-thut Cronin led one faction and
somebody else anothsr-hut the only thing
that can be made Of it is that some nleu dis
liked Crcniu for his stand on certain points.
The assertion that the murder of DR. Cronin
had been decided upon at a meeting Of forty
persons, many Of them intimate friends Of
the doctor, and for no other reason than
that he had read report Of a trial in another
camp, the speaker characterized as nonsense
and ahsurdity, and asked the jury ii they
could as men believe H.
The White Horse business.
Gas TO the white horse hired from Dinan.
the attorney continued sis it likely that a
man contemplating murder would have
hired a horse from place at which he was
knownl It has been frequently asked,
| If Coughlins connection with the white
horse was innocent, why hasn't the man
been brought back4 Why hasn't the man
come backi 1 wish he had come back But
the state with all its resources has been un-
able 10 bring him back, and neither has the
defense. As for the man himself, there is
little reason why he should come back ID
would have been too risky a thing to do with
a prosecution able to identify anything and
anybody. That man would have been iden-
titled by Mrs. Conklin He knew It and
stayed away At this point court adj
journed