The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1889-05-25
or. cronIn and nIs Enemies.

CHICAGO, May 24-Dr Cronin's habits
must have been thoroughly well known to
the plotters. People first wondered why he
should 60 away or be taken away while it
was still daylight, at 20 minutes past seven
O'Clock, p. m. Well, it was his invariable
custom to fiRish his office business at half
past seven and leave home for other work.
This the conspirators knew. He was taken
to the house, there slain. stripped naked.
and In the early hours of the morning con-
veyed, probably in the trunk that has been
found and dumped into the sewer where the
body was found. Now everybody is asking
where is the adequate motive for so BASTARD
ly crime?
DIR. Cronin's enemies knew that certain
papers were in his possession and that IL
was his intention to use them for the good,
as he understood it, of the Irish revolution
airy organizations. These documents related
to some of the history of the Clan-na-Gael.
On June Is, 1888, John Dewey in the con-
vention of the United Brotherhood (the 9TH
er name for Clan ma -GaeD made four charges
with specifications against Alexander Sulli-
van, Michael Boland and Dennis @. Feely.
The charges were First violation Of their
f1iths of membership and of Office; second,
misappropriation of the funds Of the orgaHi-
zation; third. betrayal of trusts Of the in
misfeasance in Office
DR.. Cronin was one of committee of six to
examine these charges. Four of the COM
mittee made whitewashing report DIR.
Cronin and p. McCahey dIssented and
showed wherein Sullivan, Boland and Feely
had been, in their opinion, dishonest and
treacher0us. Dishonesty ON a colossal scale,
involving Interpretations of upwards of
100000, was charged. The report was to
have been made at the next convention Of
the Clan-na-G Gael. The question now is,
whether DR.. Cronin was murdered to fend
off these charges against Alexander Sullivan
and his associates.
Alexander Sullivan has long been promi-
nent Irish agitator in this country. and is one
OF the.men most bitterly attacked In the IA
nous articles of the London Times on Par
nellism and crime. Three years ago the
Times gave Sullivan's record, accusing him
OF shooting school superintendent in Chi
cago and then escaping conviction by cor
rupt means The Times hoped to injure the
Irish cause by holding up Sullivan as an as
sociate of Parnell. During the recent pro-
ceeedings of the. ParnelI Commission in
London, the British spy LIE Caron testified
animation by the counsel for Mr.. Parnell:
Q.-You said that Alexander Sullivan was
tried in Chicrgo for murder? A.-Yes.
Q,-You know that he was acquitted? A.
Not upon the first trial.
.Q.-But he was ultimately acquitted. A
He was ultimately acquitted upon the second
trial, and know how. Uaughter).
Q.-l put 1t to you, say how he was acquit-
ted? A.-Frank Agnew, the district mem
Der Of my district at that time, was the sher-
.iff of Cook county, in which Chicago is sit
uated, and the whole charge and entire
choice of the panel of jurors rests with him.
Frank Agnew chose jury in which men be-
longing to our organization were placed.
Q.-You say that the whole jury was
packed? A.-Not the whole jury. 1t was
packed in sense. 1t was packed by Frank
Agnew placing upon it certain persons. do
not say that it was actually packed by pei
sons Of our organization, but by persons ia
vorable to the acquittal of Alexander Sulli-
van.