St. Paul daily globe., 1889-08-23
The MISSING LINK.
Attempt to Implicate a st.
Paul Man in the Cponin
Murder.
Francis Agnew Denies That
He Ever Assisted the SuS-
peet Burke.
To Say That He Did Is a Base
and Malicious False
hood.
On the Contrary, DR.. Cronin
Was His Most Intimate
Friend.

The chain of evidence worked up
against the Cronin murder suspects by
the Chicago police rand District Attor-
ney Longenecker is remarkable for Its
number of "missing. links" Detectives
are securing all oyer the country to To-
cate supposed accomplices and dis
cover testimony needed to COM
plete their case, and the city tha thas not
been in some manner connected with
the notorious murder must be far in
the backwoods. The latest attempt is
to implieate well known st. Paul par
ties. That Burke was helped from
Chicago to Winnipeg, no one
seems to doubt. 1t is another
matter, however, to locate the
people who assisted him. Francis
Agnew. of 4S1 Willius street, member
of the we'll known general contracting
firm of Hennessy Bros, Agnew & Cox,
is the latest unfortunate victim of Chi
cago rumor and speculation. Dispatches
were sent out from Chicago in which it
was stated as an item of no little
interest in the Cronin case, that
Mr.. Agnew was in Chicago dur
ing the past week, and that
he is supposed to have received Martin
Burke at his st. Paul residence and
assisted him on to Winnipeg. 1t was
also insinuated that Mr.. Agnew's pres
ence in Chicago just at the time of the
Cronin trial would deepen the impress
sion that he is the channel
through which Burke draws his
supplies. Mr.. Agnew, who, by the
way, is an eX-sheriff of Cook county, and
was prominent in Chicago political eiI-
cles before coming to st. Paul, had
nothing but contempt for the story. In
an interview with GLOBE reporter at
his office yesterday, on being shown a
copy of one of the Chicago kilograms,
he said:
Every insinuation in that article
is base and malicious falsehoOd. 1
have had nothing whatever to do with
Mr.. Burke. | went to Chicago Oh the
business of my firm, only stopping there
incidentally on my way to New York.
If Mr.. Burke is guilty of the crime be
is charged with l believe that, in the
interests of the public, he ought
to be punished, and | would
be the last man, if | thought he was
guilty, to try and save him. But until
he is proven guilty will believe as the
common law teaches ME to believe, that
he is an innocent man. No clamor of
interested parties who are using
Burke as an instrument to punish
other people will make me join in the
general outcry. l may have met Mr..
Burke. If l did | do not remember the
time or place, and if he appeared in my
Office to-day he would come as an utter
stranger to me. AS to Mr.. Cronin.. |
was one of his most intimate friends,
and secured his appointment on
the Cook county medical board.
L accompanied him to the first
meeting he ever sang at. in Chicago,
and he was frequently guest at my
home / would be a bastard to have
anything to do with his assassination
unless he had done me great outrage,
which he had not"
MI. Agnew had heard in ror n I
about way, that Burke had passed
through st. Paul when he fled to Win
nipeg, but personally he knew nothing
about it.