Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1889-06-10
SECRETS OF THE CLAN.
EARNEST INQUIRY INTO THR DR.. CRONIN
MURDER MYSTERY.
John Moss Passed Through Terrible Ordeal Before
de- Would Divulgs Anyihing-Form Of
Oath-What Peter Gsschan Told
on the Stand.

CHICAGO, June 9.-There we're only
two witnesses in the Oronin inquiry to-
day. One of them was John Moss, who
passed through a terrible ordeal before he
would divulge any Of the secrets of the
Clan-na-Gael society. The other was Pat
rick McGeehan, the Philadelphia wonder,
who is suspected of having hand in the
assassination.
Moss Is the man who opposed resOlu-
tion that was introduced at a Clan-na-
Gael camp, urging that the camp appropri-
ate money to help fod the muTderers.
Coroner Hertz was sll business when Moss
sat down in the witness chair. He demand
ed the name of the presiding officer at
the meeting on the night the resolution
w introduced. Moss became uneasy and
said it was against his conscience 10 tell.
The Coroner threatened him with arrest if
he did not give the name of the officer.
With great effort the witness whispered
His name is W. II. Joyce"
''When you made that speech in favor
of your amendment that the camp take no
action, did you think that the Executive
had ordered Cronin's removal ?"
II did not.n
PERTINENT QUESTIONS.
Ibid you think that it might have been
pOssibleP
"I did not think, nor do I think now,
thai the Executive had anything to do
with it."
Mr.. Moss testified that he thought the
camD had no right to criticise the action Of
the Executive. The Coroner then fred a
vOlley of questions.
Suppose an order came from the Exec
utive to remove a man like LIE Caron,
would you obey it?"
81 think not"
Would you think the camp had right
to criticise ii?'
Moss hesitated and said: 81 don't
know"
Suppose there came from the Execu-
tive On order to remove person, giving as
a reason that he was a British spy, would
not you, knowing the motives of the Exec
utive, obey or criticise it?"
Il would not obey it."
"Would your camp?"
"The camp would have to decide that"
"Would any member of your camp obey
it?r
'I do not know; think not"
"D0 members of the Brotherhood take
an oath to obey the orders of the Executive
without criticizing them or without asking
for their reasOnsW
Again Mr.. Moss hesitsted. A secret so
cieiy man of the strictest type, he was be-
ing compelled to expose the inmost work
inRs of the organization and he did not
like it, and so he hemmed and hawed, and
SO finally he said:
THE FORM OF OATH.
1--WE take an oath, bat do not remem
Der its words. We promise to assist exiles
from Ireland, to elevate the race in every
way we can, and to help to free Ireland. "
'You do not swear to obey the orders of
the Executive implicitly and without
question:" insisted Mr.. Hertz.
Mr. Moss wriggled and finally said
Peter McGeehan was defiant witness.
At fret he refused to answer the leading
questions of the Coroner, but the lRhing
he received made HIM more docile. He
said he lett his wife in Philadelphia be
cause of some trouble he had with her.
This was about six weeks before the MUIR
der. He did not tell bis wife when he
left home where he was going When In
Chicago he met DR.. Cronin on the street
The latter said: "You have come here to
assissinats me-"
II called him fool, said McGeechan
ON the stand to-day, land for moment l
was undecided whether to hit him or let
the matter drop 1 finally went away A
few days later l got letter from Cronin
ia which he warned me that if l did not
leave Illinois ne would have me arrested"
The Philadelphia vehementy denied
the charge that he had threatened the
lives of DR.. Cronin and DIR. McCahey. He
admitted that he knew Coughlan and Larry |
Buckley, but denied any acquaintanceship
with Alexander Sullivan. The witness
was very wary about answering questions
relating to the secrets of the Clan and the
Coroner did not get much information from
him. The inquiry will be resumed Mon
day morning.