The leader., 1889-12-21
Story of the Crime.

The night of May 4, DR.. Cronin, Chicago
physician and prominent in Irish affairs
made an agreement with OSullivan, an ice
man, to attend any of his employees who
were i'll. That night man driving white
horse in buggy came to the doctors resi-
DR.. Cronin unhesitatingly packed up his in
stl'uments and went with the man.
His friends never saw him alive again. 1t
was weeks after that naked, bruised corpse
was discovered in one of the city sewers. 1t
was identified as that of DR.. Cronin. Around
the prisoners who were arrested on suspicion
of being concerned in the murder, the prose
cution wove a web of damnatory circum-
stances.
They traced the famous white horse and
the man who hired it. Carlson's cottage was
identified as the scene of the murder.
The enemies of DR.. Cronin, who had
looked upon him as a British spy and
threatened his life, were involved in the crime.
Burke was captured in Winnipeg. Coughlin,
police officer, was lodged in Jail.
Kunze, the little German who was supposed
to be one of the chief conspirators, was un-
earthed in low south side lodging house.
Beggs-a prominent man in local Illinois
affairs-gave himself up.
The trial which followed was watched by
many thousands of people. For seven weeks
the jury listened to testimony and addresses
of counsel. The case was set for hearing
August 26 and the selection of the jury began
August 80. While the last four jurors were
being chosen conspiracy to pack the jury
was discovered. Seven men were indicted
for the offense, and now await trial. Seven
waeks were required to secure the twelve
men who have heard the lawyers examine
225 witnesses and speak for two weeks.
The State began its case with the testi-
mony touching the identity of the body of
Dr. Cronin, followed it up with the
finding of the bloody trunk and oody,
and continued with the testimony of
the members of Clan-na-Gael Camp 90.
Following this, the State showed the hiring
of the white horse by Daniel Coughlin for his
friend Smith, the call of a stranger for DR..
Cronin at the Conklin residence, the hiring of
the Clark street fat and the purchase of fur
niture by ~ B. Simonds," !" the renting of the
Carlson cottage and the transfer of the
Simonds furniture from the fiat to the cot
tage by Burke, the contract of P. OSullivan
with Dr. Cronin for medical service, and the
presentation of OSullivan's card to DR..
Cronin by Daniel Coughlin's friend Smith,
the stranger who called at the Conklin resi-
dence
These were the principal acts of the con-
spirators. Mrs. Hoertel testified that she
saw a man answering to the description of
DR.. Cronin enter the Carlson cottage the
night of May and heard a struggle and
blows Immediately afterward. Milkman
Mertze saw Kunze drive up to the Carlson
cottage later that night and a man answer
ing the description of Coughlin get out OF the
buggy and go into the house. Niemann saw
O'Sullivan with men he identified as Cough
lin and Kunze in his saloon still later that
same night
Other witnesses testified touching Coughlin's
hatred of Dr. Cronin; Burke's flight to Win
nipeg, and O'Sulllvan's inconsistent stories.
The experts explained the cause of death and
analyzed blood spots. As the State was clos
ing its case Dr. Cronin's clothes were found
in Lake View sewer, and while in rebuttal
the pocket-knives taken from Daniel
Coughlin were identified as the property of
DIR. Cronin.
The defense consisted of alibis. Burkes
fight was not disputed nor his renting of the
cottage or his hauling of the furniture.
OSullivan did not explain the contract with
Cronin but denied everything else. Coughlin
tried to show that the horse was not white and
that he was not at the Carlson cottage or in its
vicinity May 4. Kunze put in general denial
and Beggs denied the inner circle" charges.
This general outline of the principal lines
of the prosecution and defense was filled in
with multitude of less important details,
but they had only an indirect bearing on the
main issues of guilt or innocence of the de-
PENDANTS.