River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1889-07-04
NAMED AS AssAssINs.


Beggs, O'suIlivan, CoughIrn. Woodruff,
Cooney, Burke and Kunze Indicted for
the Murder OF Dr. Cronin- { ounection OF
the Last-Named Man IN the Case.
CHICAGO, July AFTER sixteen days of in
dustrious inquiry the special grand jury ON
Saturday found indictments against seven
men, four OF whom are now locked up in
the county jail to await trial for the muir
der of DIR. P. IL. Cronin The men indicted
are:
John F. Beggs, senior guardian of tho
famous Camp 20 OF the Clan Gael, who
is believed to have known something of
the organizing of the mock tribunal which
condemned Cronin TO death
Dan Coughlin the ex-city detective, who
is supposed to have found the active men
for the work and to have been general
director of the conspiracy.
Martin Burke the Winnipeg prisoner,
who is believed to be one of the men in the
cottage at the time of the murder.
Patrick Cooney, the Fox" who was
Burkes pal" He is now fugitive,
p oSullivan, the Lake View ice-man,
whose contract with Cronin made ii easy
for the other conspirators to lure the doc
tor TO death.
Frank Woodruff, alias Black, who con-
fessed that he had carried the butchered
body TO its catch basin tomb
John Kunze. young German His name
had not been mentioned in connection with
the case until the indictment against him
was returned before Judge Shepard.
Kunze was a henchman of Dan Coughlin's
and accompanied the detective to Peoria
when the visit was made to Ed SpeIlman.
He is brought into criminal connection
with the murder through his rela-
ton with Coughlin, against whom some
new and startling evidence was adduced
Just previous to the adjournment
of the grand jury, when it was CLEANED
that Coughln had entered the Carlson
cottage on the night OF May at Just about
the time the murder was done. He was
driven to the place by KunZe, whose
picture has been identified fully by
Ailkman Mertes The same picture
was also identified as that OF a man
who had been seen around the rooms at liz
Clark stsset when the fiat at that number
had been occupied by the furniture after
ward found in the Carlson cottage Kunze
had been ia trouble before he became ac-
quainted with COughlin, and the detective
protected him and made him a ready tool
in his murderous schemes
the charges were rendered against the
seven men was a lengthy document in nine
counts, each eclipsing the other in redund-
ant abundance of 'wherefores," ''afore-
sads" and other similar terms with
which the drawers of indictments
are SO prodigaL The first count
charges that the seven men conspired,
fraudulently, deceitfully, lnaliciously,
feloniously to murder Patrick Henry
Cronin; the second, that they did assault
and kill, with weapons unknown, the said
Cronin, and inflicted bruises, wounds,
decorations and COMMISSIONS, of which
Cronin died; the third, that they did in such
above described manner kill Cronin. In
the other counts the weapons are described
as both blunt and sharp instruments; the
wounds are infinitely described, and with
much legal verbiage the charge is reiter-
ated against the seven men named in the
Indictment and loopholes of every kind
are carefully closed with adiectives and adj
verbs in great number. The form of the
indictment is such that the States Attorney
claims all the men mentioned in 1T will
have to stand trial together, as in the cases
against the Anarchists and the ''boodlers"
The most startling evidence against Dan
Coughlin was reserved for the last He
was shown to be the head of the active
work done in the murder For him was
LETT the arrangement of the details, and
by him, it is believed the muir
derous blows were struck 1t was
shown before the jury that he
was at the Carlson cottage the night CrOnin
was murdered, and the man who drove him
there was the mysterious Kunze, who was
indicted with him Kunze has since disap-
peared, but before he left be was unguarded
in his conversation, ano from his own
lips was obtained the most important
evidence so far adduced fraInst the leader
in Dr. Cronin's murder 1t is the belief OF
the grand jury, after the hearing of the ev-
idence that Cronin was killed by Coughlin,
Cooney and Burke, and that 2. 0'Sullivau
was present in the cottage when the blows
were dealt, if not actually engaged in the
bloody work.
There was considerable surprise expressed
over the failure of the grand Jury to in
clude the name of Alexander Sullivan in
the list of indictments, but despite the
most earnest efforts the jurors were unable
to secure any evidence of Il nature that
would Justify the return OF a true bill
What was heard was damninS implication
and some of the jurors were anxious
to base an indictment on it. States
Attorney Longenecker claimed not &c
feel Disconnected over the escape of Sulli-
van There was time to take up his case
vet, he sail At the same tinir he admit
ted that it would hardly be possible tC
show that the lawyer was d party to the
conspiracy unless there should come
healthy ''squeal" Sullivan's case viii be
taken up by the next grand jury.
A few hours after the indictments were
returned into court Lawyer John +. Beggs
was seen Il am surprised over my in
dictment," he said, and there must have
been wholesale perjury practiced to bring
it about. l have told all I know in the
case and have nothing to repeat now, save
that there was never trial in Camp 20, SO
far as ! know, and l believe such trial
would have been impossible" Beggs is
now in the county jail
The indicted men will be called to trial
some time during the July term, and it Is
not likely that there viii be any postpone
ment unless the police fail TO get Burke
back from Manitoba There is possibility
of the prisoner making such a fight as viii
secure several months delay in his extra
dition, but Chief Hubbard feels certain that
he will eventually have the man back
In the meantime search is being made
high and low for Cooney, but SO far the
Fox" has not even allowed the police tC
get a clew as to his whereabouts. He il
wanted badly, and aid has been asked
from the police all over America anc
Europe If the Fox succeeds in escaping
in spite of the present hue and cry he viii
certainly deserve the appellation he hat
been given.
Heavy Loss by Fire.