Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-06-09
Clan-na-Gas Members Put on
the Rack.
IN THE cRONIN INQUEST.
Some Of Them Were Very Slow 10 Answers
ing Pertinent Questions One
of the Accused, Takes the stand-Hs
Denies All ConueeIiou With the Tragedy.
ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DrsPArca.J

ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DTsPArcH.J
CHICAGO, June 8.-There were only two
witnesses in the Cronin inquiry to-day. One
of them was John Moss, who passed through
a terrible ordeal before he would divulgs
any of the secrets Of the CIan-Ha-an-Gael
society. The other was Patrick McGeehan,
the Philadelphia wonder. who Is suspected
of having had hand In the assassination.
Moss is the man who opposed resolution
that was introduced at a Clan-Ha-nar
Gael camp urging that the camp approprt-
ate money to help find the muFdeFers.
Coroner Hertz was all business when Moss
sat down in the witness chair. He de-
manded the name of the presiding officer at
the meeting on the night the resolution was
introduced. Moss became uneasy and said
it was against his conscience to tell. The
Coroner threatened him with arrest If he
did not give the name of the officer. With
great effort the witness whispered: "His
name is W. II. Joyce"
when you made that speech in favor Of
your amendment that the camp take no ac-
tion, did you think that the Executive had
ordered Cronin's removalo"
ST did not"
PERTINENT QUESTIONS.
"Did you think that it might have been
possible?"
81 did not think, nor do 1 think now, that
the Executive had anything to do with it."
Mr.. Moss testified that he thought the
camp had no right to eritieise the action OF
the Executive. The Coroner then fred .
volley of questions.
Suppose an order came from the Exeeu-
tive to remove man like LIE Caron, would
you obey it?"
ST would not"
"Would you think the camp had right
to eritieise it?''
Moss hesitated and said: 1T don't know"
Suppose there came from the Executive
an order to remove a person, giving as Q
reason that he was British spy. would not
you, knowing the motives of the Executive,
obey or eriticise it?"
ST would not obey it"
"Would your eamp2"
y The camp would have to decide that
it?'
'1 do not know; think not"
"Do members of the brotherhood take an
oath to obey the orders of the Executive,
without eriticising them or without asking
for their reasons?"
Again Mr.. Moss hesitated. A secret So
ciety man of the strietest type, he was be-
ing compelled to expose the inmost work.
ings of the organization and he did not like
it, and 50 he hemmed and hawed, and 30
finally he said:
THE FORM OF OATH.
''We take an oath, but I do not remem-f
Der its words. We promise to assist exiles
from ireland, to elevate the race in every
way we can, and to help to free Ireland"
'You do not swear to obey the orders Of
the Executive implicitly and without ques.
tion? 2" insisted Mr.. Hertz
Mr.. Moss wriggled and finally said ''No."
Peter McGeean was a defiant witness.
AtfEsk,he refused to answer the leading
questions OF the Coroner, but the lashing he
received made him more docile. He said he
left his wife in Philadelphia because Of
some trouble he had with her. This was
about six weeks before the murder. Hsdid
not tell his wife when he left home where
he was going. When in Chicago he met
DR.. Cronin on the street. The latter saidg
You have come here to assassinate me"
81 called him fool, said MeGeechan on
the stand to-day, "and for a moment was
undecided whether to hit him or let the
matter drop. FINALLY went away. A few
days later 1 got q letter from Cronin in
which he warned me that if did not leave
Illinois he would have me arrested"
The Philadelphia vehemently denied the
charge that he had threatened the lives Of
Dr. Cronin and DR.. MeCahey. He adj
mitted that he knew Coughlau and Larry
Buckley, but denied any aequaintaneeship
with Alexander Sullivan. The witness
was very wary about answering questions
relating to the secrets of the Clan and the
Coroner did not get much information from
him. The inquiry will be resumed Monday