Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-12-04

CHICAGO, December 3.-This was an ora
torical field day in the Cronin trial, anG
strong pleas were advanced BY both the
counsel for the prosecution and defense
For the latter, Judge Wing continued his
argument After touching upon a number
of minor points he took up the question Of
the cause of death, stating the law to be
that the cause must be proved in accordance
with the terms Of the Indictment, else con-
viction couldn't follow. In this case it was
charged that Dr. Cronin's died from the ef-
fects OF the inficti0n of wounds and contus-
ions on the head. The speaker went on to
argue that this allegation was not proved
and that the experts in their testimony
could not saw that the wounds on DR..
Cronin's head and face were such as to
necessarily cause death.
Judge Wing next took up the question as
to whether or not the blood found in the
cottage was human blood. The prosecution
talked as if the floor and the walls of the
cottage had been deluged in blood; but none
of this blood had been shown. Experts had
testified to having microscopically exam
ined Sc eorpuscles, an amount invisible to
the naked eye, for a single drop of blood
contained many millions of corpuscles. The
prosecution had brought in large sections of
flooring covered with footmarks made by
paint, but no blood stains.
JUDGE WINGS ASSUMPTION.
1t was safe to assume that there were no
such things, or they would have been shown.
There was not cottage in the city in which
it would be impossible to find fully as much
blood as was examined by the experts, and
Tba hoe avid uIU in
case was that it was the blood of some man.
NAL. The speaker then proceeded to attack
the testimony of Microscopic Talman on the
subject of the lanugo, or microscopic hairy
fuzz and scaly epitheleum which he found
in the blood specimens examined by him
and which he thought peculiar to human
entities.
The speaker denounced Talman as a man
of small experience and little learning, who
posed as a professional witness. Talman,
he said, had examined some OF the hair
found in the trunk and in the cottage and
on DR.. CroDin's head and he confessed that
he could not tell they were the same hair.
Judge Wing then told how the microscopists
for the defense, men of great learning, had
stated that it was impossible to predicate
humanity on any OF the tests.
This closed his address and Mr. Ingham
took up the argument in behalf of the pros
ecution. After a brilliant exordium in
which he described the killing of DR.. Cronin
and the disposal of the body Mr.. Ingham
defined and illustrated the application of
the law of conspiracy. He added:
CONSPIRACY TO MURDER.
So under the law, if these defendants con-
spIre together, either alone, by themselves or
with others who are at present unknown and if
some one of those conspirators in that cottage
on the night Of May did the deed, then all are
guilty No matter whether he was in his home
asleep, whether he was IN the station on North
Chicago avenue, or in the saloon of Matt
Danahy or no matter if they aided, if they as
sisted. if they advised, if they encouraged. they
are equally guilty with the man who was
actually present and who actually struck the
fatal blow.
The speaker then proceeded to reply to
Judge Wings argument, addressing him.
self first to the question OF the value of cir
cumstantial evidence, and quoting legal
opinions to the effect that it may be stronger
than any direct evidence. Judge Wing,
said Mr. Ingham, had taken up the evidence
bit by bit and had argued its weakness.
This was simply an illustration of the old
story about the iffragibility OF the bundle of
sticks, each of which could easily be broken
singly. So it was he said in this case; each
discriminating circumstance was explana-
bic upon the theory of innocence; but, COM
bined, the conclusion to which they pointed
was irresistible
As an illustration the speaker cited the
case of man who, walking along the street,
sees piles of lumber and stone gathered
together. He would not conclude that it
was mere "foTtuitous concourse of atoms %
but that their assemblage there was in the
furtherance of some design, and a close ex-
animation would reveal the fact that all of
these timbers and stones were designed to fit
into certain places, and that when put
together they would form great building
towering toward heaven.