St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-11-08
They We're at Carlson'S Cot
tage the Night Cronin
Was Murdered.
This Evidence Troubles the
Ex-Detective, and His
Face Shows 1t.
Slowly But Surely the Con-
Spirato rs Chances Of Ac-
quittal Grow Less.

morning, Coroner Henry Hertz was
called to the witness stand. After re-
lating how the inquest camet to be called
to investigate the death of DIR. Cronin,
and how the different articles of evil
dence came into his possession, ne iden-
titled the trunk in court as the same
which was turned over by him to the
chief of police. He also identified the
key with which the lock Of the trunk
was opened. Mr.. Forrest'sicross-exam-
inati0D was cOnfined&tO few ques-
tions about how the coroner first
got the trunk. Mr.. Forests point
was to show that there were
times when the trunk was not properly
guarded from possible tampering with
by persons inamicable to the defense.
He first saw the trunk in the court
room where the inquest was held. 1t
was brought thither by policemen and
a deputy coroner. William Mertes, the
milkman, was then called. After in
quiring tie name and occupation of the
witness, Judge LOngenecker asked
Mertes if he knew where the Carlson
cottage is, and if he was near it May 4.
Witness replied that he knew where
the cottage is and that he was near
there the time mentioned. He was
asked to tell in his own way<what he
sawand heard. Judge Wing, for the
defense, objected, but Judge Mcconnell
permitted the witness to proceed.
Mertes told his story in clear tone of
voice and faced the jury. He said:
l was on the east side of Ashland avenue
near the Carlson cottage about 30 O'Clock.
saw two men drive up to the cottage in
h11os ha horse that pnl1aA the was
dark brown with white face. big fell
low got out of the buggy went up the steps,
and it looked to me as if ne had keys and let
himself in. As soon as he entered the other
man drove rapidly away. When he turned l
saw his face very plain. He was little man
with big forehead. He had no beard. He
looked To be about twenty years old. The
man who went into the cottage was big,
high shouldered man. went to the grocery
store and stayed there about an hour. The
store is a block and hall south of Ashland
, avenue. When l came back by the Carlson
cottage heard noises like there was mailing.
There was small light in the house. went
home and stayed all night.
When asked if he had seen those men
since, witness said EYES," and identi-
fed Kunze and Dan Coughlin as the
men. The Identification by the witness
was dramatic in the extreme.
1.-The fellow that staid in the buggy" he
said, lis that fellow there, John KunZe, on
the pillow there, and the fellow who went
into the cottage was that fellow sitting there
next to MIR. O'Sulliyan," pointing at Dan
Coughlin,
At this damning statement every eye
was turned on the two prisoners. Even
Luther Latin Mills swung himself
around in his chair and regarded them
intently. But to all appearances thev
were more cool and collected than any
body else in the court room. A faint
smile played over the eX-detective's
face, while KunZe flushed trifie. The
witness was crOSS-eXamined by Judge
Wing, and said that he picked KunZe
out of long line of men in the station.
He had stood looking at the man in the
buggy for fully five minutes and the
man looked at him sharp, too. 81 never
saw man look like he did at me-"
said the witness. MerteS went on to
say that
HE FULLY RECOGNIZED COUGHLIN
when he saw him in the county Jail.
This evidence troubled the eX-detective.
His face and neck became suffused with
blood and his eyes grew moist. The
cross-examination developed the fact
that Judge Wing had called upon the
witness at his house and put him
through a course of sprouts in the way
of an examination. Mertes, however,
had been warned by Capt. Schuettler
to tell nobody the evidence he was
going to give, and finding himself I'M \
able to shake off the attorney for the de-
Tense, he had told him fairy story.
1t was upon this that the cross-examina-
ton was based, and as result the law
yer found himself treading on danger
Gus ground. The witness frankly adj
mitted that he had lied to the lawyer,
because he had been told to say nothing
to anybody, adding:
'That was in my house, but this is differ
ent In my house I tell whatever please.
When come in court swear by God to tell
the truth. and, by God, tell the truth"
At this there was loud applause,
which caused Judge Mcconnell to say
that if the demonstration was repeated,
he would adjourn long enough to clear
the court and then resume the trial.
The crOSS-eXamination continued for
over an hour. but the witness did not
vary in his story. Officer Lorch, who
was one OF the first to enter the Carlson
cottage, described its condition and told
of finding the paint-spotted key under
the carpet in the front room. The key
was placed in evidence and the court
took recess. EX-Capt. Sclaack. of the
Chicago avenue station, was the first
testified to his conversation with O'Sul-
liyan on May and May 2S. The ice
man denied that he belonged to the
Clan-na-Gael and gave the witness
very unsatisfactory account of his re-
latiOns with DR.. CrOnin. O'Sullivan re-
luctantly admitted that he had talked
with Coughlin by telephone shortly be-
fore the murder, and while the latter
was detective under Setback, and that
he made inquiry about Kunze. Chief of
Police Hubbard was the next witness,
and his appearance OH the stand caused
a ripple of excitement, it having been
understood that he would have
SOMETHING SENSATIONAL TO REVEAL.
He was first asked about the custody
of the trunk since it was given to the
coroner. He said it had been in his sole
care until delivered to the states attor-
ney. This was also true regarding the
lock and key. The chief identified sus-
pect Bourke as the Bourke he had first
seen in the Winnipeg Jail, and the
direct examination ended much to the
of the spectators. At
tOrney Wing tried - bring out what the
chief knew about his client, Coughlin,
but the Judge refused to permit him. as
Coughlin had not been mentioned in
the direct examination. Police Captain
Schuettler next told of his connection
with the case on which he had been
working since the beginning. He first
heard of the Carlson cottage on the
night of May %, the day the body was
discovered, and went into it the next
day. Among the things he found there
Ii -No +<~.x