Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-12-17
TIE END REACHED At LAST.
The Jury in The Cronin Case Reaches
Its Conclusions.
BEGGS Is FOUND NOT GUILTY.
Kupze Gets Three Years and the
Others Life Imprisonment
Comments on the Verdict.
ESPECIAL DISPATCHES TO THE REcoED-uN1oN. !

| CHICAGO December 1eth.-One of the most
memo able trials in the criminal history Of
America closed this afternoon when the jury
| impanelei three months ago rendered its YER
dict in the Cronin case.
| That the return of this jury with verdict
| and not disagreement is the source of much
eongratulation in the public mind, and although
| there is naturally much division of sentiment
| on the question of approval of the verdict, the
sense of relief which is experienced at the final
| elimination of the case is unanimous. How.
| ever bitter may have been the feelings engen.
dered by the two factions into which The Irish
| factions have been divided in the case, it can
not fail to be source of congratulation to Judge
| Mcconnell that his impartial conduct as presid
| ing Judge has been such as to win for him moi
| only the applause of both these opposing fac
tions, but the approval alike of the leading
jurisis of the land upon the validity of his rul
| ings.
| As the Court convened at p N to receive
| the verdict of the jury, there was momeutary
silence as the vast audience breathlessly awaited
| the first words of Judge Mcconnell as he
mounted the bench.
1.-THE jury is prepared to make return in this
| case,'' said his Honor, but observe that Mr.
Donahoe, counsel for OSullivan and Kunze, is
| absent"
81 have been requested to represent Mr.. Don
| ahoe," said Mr.. Forrest.
| The Court announced his satisfaction at the
/ arrangement, and moment la er the door lead
ing from the jail opened and the Eve defend
| ants marched in to receive the announcement
| of their fate.
Hardly a sound was heard, as every eve in
| the audience turned toward John +. Beggs who
| led the procession. The face of the Senior
| Guardian of Camp . was pae and anxious
| looking but he faced the stare of the audience
| boldly.
Daniel Coughlin affected his usual indiffer
ence but his restless, furtiye eye betokened the
| terrible mental suspense the eX-detective ex.
| perienced as he awaited the dread announce
| ment.
| Hardly person in the Courtroom succeeded
| in catching the eye of Patrick O'Sullivan. His
| looks were directed ard the floor and what.
| ever emotion he may have felt at this critical
| moment wss not shown.
| Martin Bufke's face flushed for moment as he
| approached his seat, but Immediately afterward
/ his features regained their natural expression
/ and with an affected nonchalance he resumed
| the chewing of gum, as has been his wont dur.
/ ing the course of the trial.
For the first time since his arrest the little
| German. John kunze, seemed to appreciate the
| gravity of his situation, and his usual air OF
| jauntineSS was absent.
| AS the audience were contemplating the pris-
| oners and commenting upon their demeanor,
| the noise OF many footsteps was again suddenly
| heard without, and moment later the twelve
| men in whose Judgment repoSed the lives of the
| defendants entered the room, headed by Fore
| man Clarke.
| Every prisoner simultaneously turned his
| eyes ufon the jurors as if TO read III their i'm
passive features the secret of the verdict, but
| there was no sisn to give them hope or fear.
| The Clerk will call the roll of jurors"
| Every person i'll the audience started as the
| sound of the Judges voice broke the silence,
only to add deepar awe to the solemnity of the
occasion.
| Slowly the jurors answered to their names,
and the twelve men were announced to be
| present
Gentlemen" said the Court. IT understand
| you have reached a conclusion in this case?"
| With bow Foreman Clarke took from his
pocket large envelope and handed it to the
| Judge, who in turn handed it to the Clerk.
| will tha arlf pt h.,
| Court. =
| Instantly there was hush so profound, that
| as the Clerk tore open the envelope the sound
| fell distinctly upon the anxious ears. mo-
ment later this anxiety became painful in its
intensity, as the sonorous Clerk began reading
| the verdict:
| 1--WE, the jury, find defendant John F. Beggs
not guilty. We, the jury, find defendant John
| Kunze guilty of manslaughter. as charged in
| the Indictment, and fix the punishmcnt at i'm
| prisonment in the Penitentiary for the term of
| three years. We, the jury, find defendants
Daniel Coughlin, Patrick o Sullivan and Martin
| Burke guilty of murder in the manner and form
as charged in the Indictment. and fix the pen
| atty at imprisonment in the Penitentiary for the
term of their natural lives.
! simultaneously with the announcement of
| the verdict Coughlin, O'Sullivan and Burke
| turned deathly pale while Kunze started sud-
denly from his seat and a moment later dropped
| his head upon his breast and burst iuto tears.
| Beggs face was luminous with joy and imme-
| diately after the polling of the jury he arose
| from amid the prisoners walked over to the
jury-boX and during the GREATNESS lull that fol-
| lowed shook foreman Cooks hand heartily and
SAID, Gentlemen, thank you. trust the fu-
| ture may confirm your Judgment upon me, and
| that you will never regret that you found me
| not guilty of this terrible charge"
The only sound that broke the stiffness fol-
| lowing this was the deep sobs of little KlnZe,
| he burst out with "God knows l am innocent.
! 1 never was in Lakeview that night. Oh, God
knows am innocent, gentlemen p
O'Sullivan was the only one of the other
llrpp Dri wi M rpf in
a moment they trickled down his cheeks, but a
moment later his black eyes flashed with de-
| fance or revival o: courage, and, dsshiDg his
hand across his brow, he braced up in his seat
and cast longing glance around the Court
room.
The only evidence of terror to be perceived
in Coughlin IVES the iucree sed pallor that over
| spread his face as he fully realized the signih-
canoe of the sentence of life imprisonment and
| his lips twitehed nervouSly dming the colloluy
| that followed between the attorney and the
| Court relative to the motion for a new trial
Martin Burke was unquestionably the least
affected of the prisoners: His unusually ford
| face look on slight pallor as the verdict was
announced, but moment later his Jaws again
began the methodical mastication of gum as
regularly as at any previous time during the
| tIial.
As the verdict was announced and the large
| audience contemplated little Kunze's grief,
Beggs turned to reporter and said 'II's a
shame to sentence Kunze. Poor little fellow
| think he is as innocent as am. It's ID
| years. He had no more idea OF being found
| guilty than you had"
The comments among the audience were va
rious. Both Irish factions were well repre-
sented. and naturally took opposite views
| Cronin's friends were indignant ut the verdict
| IT'S shame" said Hon. P. W, Dunno, "a
shame and travesty upon Justice
His sentiment found echo from dozen Irish
men near him, while only a dozen feet away
members of the other factions were cnngratu
| lating themselves and the prisoners that the
| verdict was no worse, ard the friends of Beggs
were elbowing their way through TO grasp the
hands of the Senior Guardian of Camp 20 in fe
| licitation upon his exoneration.
Forrest, on behalf of the four convicted de-
| PENDANTS, entered the accustomed motion for
new Trial.
After considerable discussion the Judge fixed
January 18Th as the day on which the motion
| for new trial would be argued and the pris
oners were taken back to jail. Kunze was still
cry ing, and went out of the door with tears run
ming down his face and still multering and SOB
bling to himself.
| Burke followed Kunze, and as he passed
whispered to Forrest and smiled. BE seemed
entirely uuconoerned OSullivan followed.
| looking pale aud sallow, but not different from
\ his usual appearance Coughlin was the last of
| the prisoners to leave, and as he stalked out he
| half turned and looked back in the Courtroom
| as If expecting to find some friend. The door
Changed behind the baihff who brought up the
rear, and the Cronin trial was over.
1t was not until after noon to day that the
| jury finally came to a verdict, and then it was
| tIat Juror culver, VINO Deen voting &C
quitsl for all the defendants since the jury went
| out cons nted to q compromise. The other
| jurors were for hanging Burke, Coughlin and
O'Sulliyan, while he was for letting them all
OF. Culver finally agreed TO Ii c sentence for
| three. The jury was practically unanimous on
the subject of Beggs' acquital. and but little
time was needed to fix Kunze's term.
INTERVIEW WITH THE JUDGE.
'what do you think of the verdict Judge?'
asked the Associated Press representative of
Judge Mcconnell after the adjournment of
| Court for the day.
"Judicially of course / can pass no opinion
| upon their verdict. AS an individual. however,
| and without being cognizant of all the pro-
ceedings in the jury. room, might say think
the verdict is the result OF the probable objec-
| ton of some OF the jurors to the death penalty
| on circumstantial evidence"
"Mr. Culver probably ~
mo, not kr. Culver, necessarily. l under
stand he was in favor of acquittal from the
| start. 1t was only after long and harassing
tdeliberation that he finally agreed with the
| rest upon this verdict. You viii probably find
Mr.. Culver was not the only man upon the Jury
who was opposed to the hanging of the three
| principal defendants"
but the jurors all sworn in, when being ex-
amined as to their competence. said they had no
conscientious sc uples against capital punish
ment on eircumstantiGl evidence
That is all true, but behind all this each man
probably had menta, reservation that The evil
dence must be convincing beyond a reasonable
| doubt Now, if some of these men should think
there was even the fsintest shadow Of doubt as
to the guilt of these three men do you no. see
/.