Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-12-05
STATES ATTORNEY CLOSES.
His PeroratiOn a Wonderful Bit of
Evolutionary Power.
Graphic Picture Of the Death Strug-
giles Of DIR. CrOnin.
Judge Wing Begins His Argument
For the Defense.

CHICAGO, Nov. 3U.-Ihe great orator
ical contest in the Cronin case is now fair
ly on. The court room today was crowded
with lawyers and others anxious to hear
what will no doubt be the ablest and most
eloquent arguments ever made in Grim
inal case in this city. Judge Longenecker
opened the case late yesterday afternoon
after DR.. Cronin's knives, found in the
possession of Detective Coughlin at the
time of the arrest, had been offered in evil
dence and identified by permission of the
court. Judge Longenecker began his ar
gument by impressing upon the minds
of the iurymen the fact that nc
more testimony was needed to con-
vlct in an important case than in one n
the smallest Importance. Continuaing, he
declared that the murder of DR.. Cronin
was the result of cold-blooded cOnspir-
acy. He reviewed the evidence that had
been introduced regarding the conspiracy
and how it was carried out: showing the
connection of the defendants with the plot,
on the evidence and connect,
ing each link In the chain, showing the
net that surrounded and en-
thralled the men ON trial.
At the opening of the trial this morning
States Attorney Longenecker resumed
his address to the jury, as follows:
Yesterday evening | wanted to call your
attention to what was said and done at the
the reunion. Qou will remember that Mr.
that he said not to forget their union. At
the meeting speeches were made by diff
ferent parties, and among them Patrick
McGarry made speech and John F. Beggs
senior guardian of camp 20, answered the
speech This is what MeGarry said: 81
was called on There were three other
gentleman that made speeches before me.
One had referred to the unity that ought
to exist among the members and among
the Irish generally, particularly and alto
gether It was about the time that LIE
Caron had testified before the forgery com
mittee In England and the other
gentleman had referred to spies getting in
to the organization. Mark that, gentle
men. THE other gentlemen had referred
to the spies getting into the organization, >
on the eighth day of February of this same
month On the occasion of moving the
appointment of the committee you will
that Foy talked of spies in the
McGarry further says, land
how Irishmen coming to this country and
becoming American citizens ought to edu-
cate their children" That was good.
Ought to educate them first in
the principles of American institutions. "
That was good, Educate them also to
have love for their fathers and mothers
and their forefathers' nome. There was
nothing in the Irish history
that Irishmen Dug hit to be
of in America. That is
true. Il said | agreed with what all
three gentleman had said ! said that it
was all very well to talk of unity and
that | myself wanted to see unity among
the people; but that there could not be
unity while the members of this organiza-
ton were meeting In back alleys and on
dark corners and villifying and abusing a
man that had the courage to stand up and
attack the treachery and the robbery of
the triangle. >
II told them that they ought to be about
getting members into the organization,
that | had been inquiring into LIE Caron S
record, and | said now that there were
men in this organization that were worse
than LIE Caron | said that the man who
got LIE Caron his credentials, that got him
into the convention, was a worse scoundrel
than LIE Caron ever pretended to be-" Now,
did Beggs make a speech following this ?
Yes. What did he say? Hear McGarry s
testimony: 4 remember that Alexander
Sullivan's name had not been mentioned
The triangle had not been mentioned
Beggs said that visiting members were
coming in there and they would speak. 1t
wasn't right, he said, it WASH t fair, and
| wanted to interrupt him and the chair
man at that time wouldn't allow me. l
wanted to interrupt him when he used the
word 'cowardly. He said they came In
there talking about Alexander Sullivan
and was cowardly, he said. to talk about a
man behind his back. Why didn't they
say it to his face? and then he slapped his
breast and said Alexander Sullivan had
plenty of friends and he was one of them.
Then you find that on the 22d day of
February this same senior guardian was
called upon to appoint secret committee
to investigate the action of DIR. Cronin in
Alexander Sullivan with embez-
Element of the funds of the order, or rather
the ex-executive better known as the tri-
angle with that offense. The triangle had
been guilty of embezzling the funds of the
order and putting men into English prisons,
yet, without having mentioned his name
In his speech, McGarry merely repeated the
charge and this man Beggs said he would
not submit to it, that it was cowardly for
him to make an attack on a man In his alb
sence. Now. gentlemen, remember this
was on the 22d day of February, two days
after the carpet bag had been nailed down
In the fat at III Clark street, five days
after the notorious letter that the senior
guardian had written to Spellman under
the 'pretext of finding out something he
knew all about.
What else? We find that in the follow
meeting on the 1st day of March, it is in
as he was leaving the hall Daniel Cough
him into the ante-room and said to Henry
Owen O'Connor that there were other
LIE Carons there Singular, is it not, that
on the Sth day of February the motion was
made for the committee in Camp 20. on
Beggs is writing about the matter to Ed
ward Spellman; on the 18th he again
writes about it; on the 18th the fiat is
carpet is nailed down; on the 22nd of Feb
1 uelIS DCSSo uCIC1etS e4IO lA1dIiS lc, etiu oh
the lst day of March this man, Coughlin,
who is on trial now for his life, denounces
DR.. Cronin as spy.
On the % of April, as testified to by
Beggs' friend Spellman, the district mem
Der. it is conclusively shown to what this
had reference, which was to re-
port to Beggs alone What did Beggs
say on that date? Hesaid to Spellman:
That matter has all been amicably set
tied" How settled? Gentlemen, at the
hour he spoke the cottage had been rented;
it the hour he spoke the final arran gements
had been made: at the hour he spoke SEN