Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-10-17

The attorneys for the prosecution, together
with Chief Hubbard and others, at once
went to work on the case and have dis
closed one of the most deliberate attempt:
to corrupt the jury and to defeat
the law of Illinois which has yet come tc
public attention. I'VE have had confes
sions here this very day." said Mills at q
subsequent interview late this afternoon
these confessions are from six to ten In
number. They are absolutely giving us
the whole miserable conspiracy. They
reveal the most damnable organization
against the law of the land, a conspiracy
against the jurisprudence Of this land that
will startle the continent when thoroughly
| known-a conspiracy of ramifcations OF
audaclty, a conspiracy involving men
whose names will be a surprise to the
country. 1t is no exaggeration when say
that you cannot magnify the damnable
outrage of this conspiracy In taking off
DIR. CronIn and the manner In which it
was done the whole world was startled
This second conspiracy viii alike startle
the whole world. 1t is an assault ON the
very integrity Of our Institutions .
| Judge Horton issued a venire for a spec
ial grand jury, returnable at 1870, P. NJ,
to investigate the attempts at jury fixing
| In connection with the Cronin trial, and
| the jurors summoned assembled
! In the court room. Ex-Mayor Roche is
/ among the grand jurymen al will be
/ foreman of the body. Al. Hanks and
| Mark Solomon are under arrest charged
with packing the Cronin jury.
| At clock this evening the grand jury
had agreed to return indictments against
Alexander J. Hanks, Mark Solomon, Fred
w. Smith, Tom Kavanagh and Tom SEN
nett Hanks who had been bailiff for eight
or nine years. Solomon was appointed
bailiff year and half ago; Smith is I'M
known about the court house, and Tom Kav-
anagh was engineer at the county insane
asylum during the boodlers regime and was
mixed up in their case. He is now In bust
ness here, and strange to say, his partner
was summoned for jury duty but was per-
emptorily challenged by the state when his
connection with Kavanaugh was learned
1t was stated in this connection that the
German, Hanks, one of the accused
balliffs, is an apologetical protege of SEN
mott s, and through the latter's influence
was four years ago given the position of
bailiff by Sheriff Matson. Sennott is one
of the best known and most popular of
the younger public men In Chicago. He
has four successive terms been
elected to the responsible office
of which he is the incumbent
At 7:30 p. M, some time after Sennott' S
arrest, the grand jury was still in session,
and It's proceedings yet secret. A num-
Der Of people were being brought to the
building, some of whom were undoubtedly
only witnesses. 1t was asserted, however,
the others were not broubht to give evil
dence, but to be placed in confinement.
According to a statement by Lawyer
Mills, it was the bailiff, Solomon, who
first attempted to bride citizen CTschap-
pat) who was afterward to be summoned
as Juror Solomon also is man whose
confession was obtained. Saloman turned
over to the state attorney a list of names
and addresses said to be prospective
corrupt jurors. Only two of the list had
been summoned and neither was yet ex-
amined. Solomon said that the list had
been furnished him by the bailiff, Hanks.
They were seated In the court room just
behind the Cronin suspects, whom they
were guarding. Hanks said $4,000 would
be given for a fixed juror-half to the man
in the box and half to the bailiffs.
Last night, Mr.. Mills narrative con-
tinued, the men on the lists, were inter-
viewed by the chief of police. One man
stated he had been approached with an
offer of $4,000 to go on che jury by Fred
w. Smith, a hardware manufac-
turer's agent. Another citizen was
also similarly approached by a
citizen. O'Donnelrs part as told by
Mr.. Mills was similar to that of Smith.
He sounded at least one man and offered
him 81 900. O'Donnell, who was arrested
early In the evening is said to have con-
fessed that person understood to be
Kavanagh, guaranteed that the
money offered would be forthcoming.
The supposed corrupted venieremen
were carefully instructed as to their man.
ner while being examined in court, being
told how they should answer and to be
gruff to the lawyers for the defense. The
official list of indictments given out about
1920 p. M, contained six names: Hanks,
Solomon, Smith, Kavanagh, O'Donnell
and Joseph Kohn.
The latter is a fruit dealer who it is
said, was to go on the jury and get 81 900
from Hanks.
1t was about midnight when the special
grand jury adjourned Their report was
short and formal in character, except for
an intimation that the jurors believed the
plot to be more widespread than was indi
Gated by the six indictments returned. All
the indicted persons spent the night In the
county jail.
CHICAGO, Oct 12-The fifth agreement
was agreed upon against jeremiah O'Don-
nell, who was recently appointed gauger
at South Chicago. At Top. m. it was re-
ported that two additional indictments,
seven in all, had been made.
States Attorney Longenecker today en-
phatically denied the elaborate reports
published this morning that the records
and exhibits in the Cronin case had been
stolen from his office, and that his former
stenographer James Purcell, was the
guilty man. Mr.. Longenecker said 1t was
an outrage to drag Purcells name into
such a connection and that the stories Of
the theft were fiction.
CHICAGO. Ill.,, Oct. 1.-THE indictment
| of six men does not end the investigation
| of the grand jury into the bribery of jurors
in the Cronin case The men indicted are
but tools in the hands of a gang of bold,
inscriptions men who have set out to de-
feat the ends of justice by a liberal use of
money. 1t is proposed to find the princi-
pals In the plot and it is promised that
the investigation set on foot will result In
the most sensational and startling dis
closures. Men of high standing and great
prominence are said to be connected with
the bribery conspiracy, and their indict-
ment seems certain.
The grand jury summoned so hastily on
Saturday was discharged as soon as it re-
| norted the six indictments But In JUDGE