The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1889-11-08
FOOT PRINTS POINTING TO A GALLOWS.
Evidence which the Cronin Murder.
ers Left In the Cottage.
Another Horse Makes His Appear
ance in the Case.
He Is a Dark Brown Animal and
Causes a Sensation.


Hertz, who so ably conducted the examina-
tion in the Cronin case before the coroner's
Jury, was the first sworn in the Cronin muir
der case this morning. The State, having
now proved beyond cavil the connection be-
tween the blood-stained trunk and the Carl
son cottage, the connecting link being the
key'which was found under the sink in the
Carlson cottage, is now following the histo-
ry of the trunk since it came into the hands
of the police. The idea is, of course, to
prove the identity of the trunk as the one
found on Evanston avenue by the three
Germans, and which contained the cotton
batting soaked with water and blood and the
lock of hair which expert witnesses VIII tes-
tify came from the head of DR.. Cronin. Cor
oner Hertz was the connecting link who
could show the trunk came from the police
and went into the hands OF the State. IL
was in his possession during the whole OF
the coroner's inquest. The witness was not
able to say the trunk was the Identical one,
at first contenting himself with the state
ment that it would be practically impossible
to perfectly immitate the trunk which had
been in his possession. The peculiar nature
of the breaks, the size and location OF the
blood stains and the general appearance oil
the trunk could not be c0nterfelted. On Iur-
ther examination Coroner Hertz said: THAT
is the identical trunk"
Attorney Forrest tried in vain to shake
the positive Identification of the witness,
put the latter was too much for the willy
lawyer.
On redirect examination the witness iden-
titled splinter from the trunk, it having
been remarked that 1t looked as though 1t
had been kicked in with the heel of boot.
Even the reporters. the judge and jury,
hardened as they all are to sensations, were
wrought up to the highest pitch OF excite
ment by the testimony of William Mertes,
the next witness. Mertes is milkman, and
lives near the Carlson cottage. He remem-
bered the evening of the 4th of May per-
fectly.
AtS3O in the evening he had gone from
his home to a neighboring grocery after
some oil. On the way he passed the Carlson
cottage. Just as he arrived in front of the
cottage two men drove rapidly up and STOP
ped. They jumped hurriedly from the
buggy and rushed up the steps of the
Carlson cottage. One of the men was a
short light-complexioned man, and the other
man was much larger, and wore brown
overcoat and brown gloves or mttens. The
men almost touched him as they ran from
the buggy to the steps. Almost Immediately
the short man ran back, jumped into the
buggy and drove rapidly away. The horse
was dark brown, with white face, and
the buggy was top one.
Almost wall of disappointment went up
from those who have not kept perfect track
of the case.
The witness continued: 81 went on to the
grocery and got my oil. stayed in the gro
cery about half an hour, and then went
back home past the Carlson cottage. When
over 100 feet away, heard man yelling in
the cottage, and he kept on yelling until
had gone past. sa.,.,
with that given by the previous witnesses.
1t was white horse which had taken DR..
Cronin to his death, and by no possibility
a m consumed laIfHRn lOnr
In doing their murder0us deed, srB Butit is al
Ways darkest lust before dawn, and one
question by State Attorney Longenecker
cleared up the whole testimony OF the WIZ
ness, dovetaied it in perfectly with i tne fefy ifffy
lifted the audience to their feet in their ex-
citement.
"Haye you seen those two men since?"
"Yes, SIR"
"Do you see them now?"
Eyes. sir; the short man is the one there
on the end Indicating defendant KunZe).
The big man is the one next to O'Sullivan,"
Indicating Coughiin).
The whole thing was cleared up. Kunze
had brought Coughlin to the Carlson cot
tage. While witness was in the grocery the
unknown defendant. driving white horse,
had brought Dl. Cronin to tue slaughter pen,
and witness had returned home in time to
hear the death yells and expiring groans Of
the assassiIated doctor The defendants
have hardened themselves in a measure
to being identified, and ordinarily can meet
1t with we'll simulated indifference, but
this testimony was too direct and positive.
Its crushing weight could not be borne.
Kunze's face is pale from his illness. When
Mertes gave his testimony kunze'S face be-
came absolutely CHASTITY. His look of horror
down in his easy chair and fairly closed his
eyes to shut out part of his heart-breaking
sensations No longer did Coughlin at
tempt to laugh away the testimony. For the
first time the big ex-dateetive's face showed
no evidence of even simulated mirth. All
the blood in his arteries seemed to rush into
his face.
Ex-Police Captain Michael j. Setback tes.
titled in regard to a conversation held with
Patrick O'Sullivan, May 2Sth as follows
HE said he had known Cronin six or seven
years and made his acquaintance to speak to
him about two weeks before the spring cleo
| tion the latter part of last March. O'Sulli-
| van said the meeting of Irish Nationalists al
| which he spoke to Cronin was held for the
benefit of the poor in Ireland" Captain
| van admitted, after some hesitation, that
| Coughlin telephoned to him in April. He al
| first denied he had telephoned to Coughlin,
but subsequently admitted that hi
Rpze tafYa FSe witness to oSSsano ssRs6 osua1 nG0n
where he was on the of May. He said tina
he was on an ice wagon all day. Witnes.
| asked him hat time he came home in tht
| evening and he said at about seyen or nan
past seven. He had his supper and went e
bed at about eight or hall past eignt
not away from his house that night and ht
said he was positive that he was not. III
was in the house all that evening. After h
was in Jail O'Sullivan sent for witness AM
told him he had forgotten TO tell that he wa
out of his house that night. He said he wa
in the rear of the sheds but no further
The examination of acting Captai
Herman Schuttler of the police brought ou
the fact that that officer has in his possessio
sections of the floor Of the bedroom an
prints In the paint, the paint being identics
with that put on the floor of the front rooI
to conceal Cronin's bloodstains. :, Schultz
| also said he had the blind from the cottag
on which we're finger smears OF the sam