The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-10-13
A VILE CONSPIRACY.
An Attempt to Pack the Jury in
The Cronin Case.
THE BAILIFFS OF THE COURT
Offer Money to Yenireman to So Answer
Questions as to Stay in the Box and
Vote for Acquittal

investigate the attempts at jury fixing il
connection with the Cronin trial and the
jurors summoned are now assembling in the
court room. Ex-Mayor Roche is among the
grand iurymen and will be foreman. A
Hanks and Mark Solomon, criminal court
bailiffs, are under arrest charged with al
attempt to pack the jury. The first suspi
cion of the fact was the failure of two mer
to report for duty. Then it was learned
they were in States Attorney Longeneck
er's Office and they have not been seen
since. Their absence is due to the fact that
they were taken to north side hotel by
several detectives and have been kept there
under close surveillance. Two men have
| been discovered IN an attempt to corrapt
| The venlre men summoned to Judge
McCOnnelps court and instruct those ia
gOrable to the prisoners how to answer the
questions of the states attorney in order
to be retained as jurors. The bailiffs in
custody have not been at any time engaged
in summoning jurors for the trial and i
was not known they had anything to do
with the defense. Neither is an Irishman,
but that they have been acting as agents
for the defense is almost certain.
The special grand jury after being in
session short time summoned the seven
| witnesses and among the seven were two
veniremen who might have been possible
Cronin jurors though not yet examined in
court. 1t is reported these two men were
approached, among others, by the two bal
| lifts now under arrest, the latter having
been doing duty as guards to Kunze and
| O'Sullivan, the Cronin suspects, sitting
directly behind the prisoners every day in
court since the beginning of the trial.
Zone of the boldest, most corrupt
and infamous plots ever brought to
the notice of the public was outlined
by States Attorney Lo lgneckel's right
hand man, Mills, this afternoon. The
conspiracy not only includes county offic-
ials, but outsiders of high standing and
several arrests have already been made, but
more will follow before sunset this even
ing. Not content with the bribery of men,
an attempt has been made to drag some
women into the plot and thus to gain an
end which the friends of the defense have
been working for for the last five months.
States Attorney Longnecker desires
me to say" said Mills, whowas commits
stoned by the states attorney to talk to
reporters, " that this plot has not been
disclosed, because it would have defeated
! jnstice had the information disclosed been
made public. We cannot now give any
names or details, but an outline of this
conspiracy can now be given to the public.
''It will be remembered continued At
torney Mills, that on last Wednesday
afternoon an honest young man, who is en-
ployed as foreman in a large establish
ment ia this city, was examined and ex-
cused for cause"
1t is understood, though not stated by
Attorney Mills, that the name of the
venireman attempted to be bribed is
George S. Tacappat. He is foreman for E.
V. Page & Co., merchants, of this city
Thursday afternoon" said Mills, "a
very prominent citizen of Chicago entered
I the court room and privately communicated
to counsel for the state that his foreman,
the venireman in question, before being
called to the jury box had been approached
! by the bailiff of the court with an offer of
| 81 900 to vote for the acquittal of the de-
PENDANTS. He says: This is not cock
and bull story. bring it before you in the
interest of public Justice He then went
away. Next morning one of the counsel
went to the factory where the man who
had been offered a bride worked. The mo-
ment he saw the foreman he recognized
him as the man whose honesty and indepen-
dence had impress ed them 5elJ es on counsel
for the state while he was sitting in the jury
box. The man made full statement and
was requested by counsel for the state
| to come to the states attorneys Office and
repeat his statement in full. The man,
with tears in his eyes, said: 1t involves a
friend, but if it involved myself I would
uphold law and ORDER
1.-THE gist of his statement, which he sub
sequently gave to the states attorney, is
as follows: In obedience to the summons
he came to the court house Tuesday after
noon and sat in the anteroom, but was not
called. He came again Wednesday morn
| ing and stayed in the anteroom, and about
! 10 80 o'clock a man came from the court
room into the apteroom who was the friend
of the yenireman. The fact also appeared
that the wives of the two men were friends
| before they were married
1.-The man who came to- the courtroom to
see the venireman suggested that they go
| out and have cigar. While there the man
from the courtroom said to the venireman ::
! DO you want to make some money! The
venireman innocentiy answered, Certain
| ly l do.'--'Very well, you get on the jury
and stick for acquittal and you will have
$1,000. The contract and arrangements
can be carried out with your wife 1t
can be arranged that she will wear a col
ored dress if the money is to be paid her on
certain day. If the money is not to be
paid her on that day, she is to wear a diff
ferent colored dress and the contract is to
be off,
"The veniremaE turned reproachfully to
his friend and said: I am not that kind of
man, whereupon the bailiff replied: i
pointed to buggy standing outside and
remarked: That is my horse and buggy
"At the noon adjournment the Venire-
man went back to his place of business and
subsequently returned to the court house
at 3 o'clock, after which he was detained
and returned to the jury box where he re
manned till half past four o'clock, then he
was excused He left the court house in
| tending to return to his place of business,
and on leaving the court house met the man
who had attempted to bride him. The man
! turned to him and said: Where was you
this nooni l looked everywhere for you.
They said they will make it s, 000 and d
him make him do it
sit was too late, however The ven1re-
man had been excused for cause, but he at
once returned to his place of business,
having reproached the man for putting
such low estimate upon him and reported
to his employer. The prominent citizen
that had taken the place OF him, who the
following day reported to the prosecution
pursuant to appointment with the venire-
man, attended at the states attorneys
office, and having made full statement Of
everything that took place, was requested
to step into the anteroom and the bailif
was summoned. He proved to be one of
the bailiffs of the criminal court, who,
during the trial, or attempt to produce
Jury, had been in charge of one of the five
prisoners, including ECoughlin. The bal
lift was questioned closely by the states
attorney and his associates, but protested
profound ignorance until the Venireman
was called from the anteroom. The We
nireman was requested to repeat the state
ment he had made, which he did, where
upon the bailiff made acomplete confession,
in which he implicated several prominent
persons, also another bailih.
1.-THE attorneys for the prosecution, to-
gether with Chief Hubbard and others, at
once went to work on the case and have