Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-12-11
ACCUSED OF PERJURY
Attorney Forrest Makes a Serious
Charge Against a Leading
WITNESS FOR TIE PROSECUTION.
Trying to Break the Force of the Finding
Of Cronin's Knives.
NEARING THE CLOSE OF THE TRIAL.
The illness Of One of tn. Counsel May Delay Matters
Little

Mr.. Forrest again occupied the entire day
in the Cronin case with his closing plea for
the prisoners. He charged Conkliu with
perjury in swearing that the knives found
in Coughlin's pocket had belonged to the
murdered doctor. But one more attorney
will speak after Mr.. Forrest concludes his
address.
CHICAGO, December 10.-Mr. Forrest re-
sumed his argument to the jury at the OPEN
ing of the Cronin trial this morning, con-
tinuing his analysis of the evidence for the
defense. To show how easily one might be
mistaken, he cited the evidence OF Policeman
LOrch. Lorch was positive that the stains
in the Carlson cottage were blood stains, yet
the Court corrected him by saying that it had
the appearance OF blood, for the actual ques-
tion could not be decided without micro
scopic examination.
Lorch was also positive that the stains in
the cotton batting found in the basement
were not blood stains, yet the reporter who
put that cotton batting there testified that
they were blood stains, which he himself
had put upon it, squeezing the blood from
piece of liver.
BOGUS BLOOD STAINS.
Mr.. Forrest continued by saying that this
bloody cotton batting was put into the cot
tage for the purpose of furnishing the basis
for newspaper sensation, and the stains in
the parlor and the paint must have had a
similar origin. In fact, when the cottage
was entered on May IL the paint on the floor
was found to be quite fresh. 1t would not,
he said, take eight days for paint to dry.
Mr.. Forrest then recurred to the expert tes-
timony and the danger of putting faith in it.
Mr.. Forrest next went into an exhaustive
analysis of the testimony of Milkman
Mertes, Mrs. Hoertel and other witnesses
for the prosecution to show that it was man.
ufactured. The conclusion that he reached
was that the Cronin faction of the Gamma
Gael had been drilling witnesses to give
false testimony, and that all of the new evil
dence brought out since the sitting of the
COroner's jury had been so manufactured as
to strengthen weak spots in the case of the
State as they were developed during the
course of the trial.
The speaker then reviewed Kunze's &C.
tions subsequently, to the murder, and argued
that they were only explainabIe on the
theory OF his innocence. Following this he
took up the alibi evidence for O'SulIivan,
Burke and CoughIin, and asserted that it
was sufficiently strong to maintain the pre-
sumption of innocence in their favor.
A CHARGE OF Perjury.
Mr.. Forrest again went over the matter of
the knives found IN Coughlin's pocket and
declared that Conkiin had committed per-
jury in swearing that they belonged to DR..
Cronin. The court then adjourned till to-
morrow. 1t is understood that Mr.. Forrest
will complete his address tomorrow, and
the probabilities are that the court will then
adjourn till Friday, as Thursday is election
day.
Mr.. Mills, who is to make the closing sId-
dress on behalf of the prosecution, has been
quite i'll, and it is not altogether certain
that he will be able to deliver his argument
on Friday. In that case a further adjourn
ment may be necessary. Should he be able
to proceed, it is hoped that the trial may be
concluded this week.