Los Angeles daily herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1884-1890, 1889-10-25
GREAT TRIAL BEGUN.
The CrOnin Case Formally
Opened.
THE STATE ATTORNEYS ADDRESS
The Line of Prosecution Fully Set
FOrth-Taking of Evidence.
Commenced.

trial this morning, hundreds of specta-
tors were clam oring for admittance, and
it required small army of bailiffs to
keep out the eager ones who demanded
to be passed. At 10 o'clock the court
was called to order, and States Attorney
Longenecker began his opening address
to the jury.
He reviewed briefly the long continued
sitting of veniremen which resulted in
the selection of the twelve men before
him, defined the duties Of jurymen and
the meaning of '.presumption of limo.
cence." 1t was, he said, mere mega
tive, which stood in the wav of convic-
tion in the absence Of evidence, but
must not be allowed to weaken the force
of the evidence given.
He next defined the meaning of "rea-
sonable doubt" which, he said, must not
be so stretched go as to permit the juror
to avoid doing his duty.
The States Attorney then proceeded
to define murder and set forth what were
the material allegations in the indict-
ment which it will be necessary to prove
They were that DR.. Cronin was killed !;
that the killing was done in this State;
that it was done without adequate provo
cation, and that these defendants did it.
He then defined direct and circumstantial
evidence, then spoke of the disappear
ance of DR.. Cronin and the finding of
his body eighteen days afterward, and
said the State proposed to prove that the
murder was the result of conspiracy.
Continuing his address, the States At
torney proceeded to speak of
THE MOTIVE FOR THE CRIME.
He said in order to show what that
| motive was, it became necessary to ex-
anime into the history in this country OF
the organization known as the United
Brotherhood, commonly called Clan-na.
Gael. Before doing this, he reminded
| the jury that they were not trying the
Clan. ma Gael, but the prisoners at the
| bar. He then proceeded to sketch the
history of the Gamma Gael and said the
triangle" was supreme; that the oaths
of the members made their command
superior to the Nation.
Attorney Forrest, for the defense, ob-
jscted to this line Of statement as mad
missible in advances of proof.
Judge Mcconnell said he did not know
what would be proved, and warned the
States Attorney that he was making
these statements at his own peril.
The States Attorney said he would
prove what he had said, aud accepted the
responsibility.
He proceeded then to say that wheB
Sullivan, Feeley and Boland got control
of the Executive Board, they changed the
/ MIC nf If tha AMI ~,
augurated a dynamite policy and i'm
planted in the constitution a clause
demanding perfect and unquestionine
board.
The defense again prayed an exception
to this line of statement.
The States Attorney then went on tc
say that the membership did not know
who constituted the Triangle, SO secret
YVES it; but nevertheless they obeyed it's
orders, and were sent on various mis-.
sions in England in the way of active
work and under assumed names. Not
withstanding this secrecy, these men
were betrayed by the board to the Eng
lish authorities, and twenty of them are
now in prison. This was, he declared,
to enable the board to steal the funds
and at the last showing made the board
claimed that the order owed them $13,.
600, when there was $3.50, 900 in the
treasury when they took charge.
CRoNIN's FIGHT AGAINST THE TRIANGLE
At this point the State sAttorney intro
duced DIR. Cronin in connection with the
order, and proceeded to skstch the his.
tory of his fight against the Triangle. He
told OF Cronin's expulsion, the subse-
quent union convention, the trial CT Sui.
livan, Feeley and Boland by q secret
committee, of which DR.. Cronin was a
member, in Buffalo a year ago last
August. The States Attorney went on
to say that the committee was in session
three days hearing evidence which, he
stated, would be introduced during the
trial.
| Cronin wanted thie evidence published
to all the camps of the order, with the
report Of the committee. The report was
not made to the camps till day or two
after CrOnin's death, and even then
Cronin's part was suppressed. 1t
was sent out in this shape in the
belief that his body would never be
found. 1t was not sufficient to make
away with Cronin, but the same unseen
hand that regulated the conspiracy from
its inception had to make it appear also
that Cronin was traitor; for if Cronin
had published his evidence against the
Triangle, as he was about to do, it meant
the ruin Of the Triangle with the Irish
people, and to have it published to all
the camps was to convict these men OF
embezzling these funds that had been
accommodating for years. 1t would have
proved them traitors to the Irish cause
proved them not only embezzlers, VIC.
| lators of the laws of two countries, trait.
ors to the cause in which these people
had enlisted, instead of doing that which
was to benefit poor old Ireland, but it
would brand them the worst men on
earth among the Irish people. That was
the object.
BEaGs' AGITATION AGAINST CRoNIN.
The States Attorney then went on to
show. how Coughlin began denouncing
Cronin as O spy way back in February |;
how Beggs, at q certain meeting of the
camp, said Cronin's denunciation of
Sullivan and the Triangle had to be
stopped if it took blood.
The States Attorney then went on to
tell about the charges made against
Cropin in Camp 20, and that on the 18th
OF February Senior Guardian Beggs
wrote to District Officer Spallman, of
Peoria, that he was directed to investi-
gate the matter and wanted the District
Officer to do 80. The latter, on the 18th
OF February, wrote to Beggs that he
knew OF no law or provision of the con-