The Portland daily press., 1889-11-02
WITNESSES POINT TO MARTIN BURKE.
That Is the Man" Who Hired the
Cottage Of the Carlsons.
A Roll Of Carpet Joins the White
Horse and the Trunkl
As Silent Witnesses Against the
Prisoners In the Dock.


had bought the furniture sent first to lit
South Clark street, and afterwards identified
in the Carlson cottage by Witness Hatfield.
who testified yesterday. Witness had laid
the carpet according to Simonds's directions
In the rooms at lit South Clark street.
At this point occurred very significant
event to those who have been paying close
attention to .the trial. Attorney Ingham,
who was conducting the examination for the
State, produced roll of carpet, and hand
ing 1t to the witness, asked: "Was the car
pet you laid at lit South Clark street similar
to this piece?"
Unhestatngly the witness answered:
"That is the very CARPET" Instantly the
full import of the question and answer
struck the close students of the case. Yes
terday the State was particular to draw from
Witness Hatfield that he had seen furniture
exactly similar to that he had sold to ST.
monds in the Carlson cottage. There was
one exception No carpet was found in the
monds with the Carlson cottage seemed COM
plete. Had the carpet been located by the
State? Was 1t found In the possession of
some Of the defendants? The progress of
the case can alone solve the mystery, for at
this interesting point the State turned the
witness over to the defence.
On cross-examinatien, the old line of ques-
tions was renewed: "Could the witness tell
any other carpet he had laid anywhere else
The force q the cro;ss.eSamination S i % was de- de-
stroyed as usual, however, by the State
bringing out on redirect examination that he
had refreshed his memory in regard to this
particular transaction from the books OF the
firm.
Fred N. Allen. who delivered the goods or
dered by the So-called Simonds to III South
Clark street, had seen Simonds when the
goods were delivered. The receipt given by
Si9onds to Allen was produced and identi-
erful subStantiati0n of the description
given by Hatfield of Simonds. Hatfield tes-
tilted that Simonds looked and acted exactly
like ,bs business nlssI man The receipt showed
ness men have the habit Of signing initials
only: Again was the fateful. blood-smeared
trunk brought Into the court room. Again
was every neck stretched to its utmost as
the greedy spectators bent forward and up
ward to catch glimpse of the gruesome OBJ
ject. No person or article connected with
the case seems to possess such fascination as
this CORY sepulchre. The witness, of course,
could not swear the trunk was the identical
one he had delivered to Simonds. 1t was ex-
actly similar, however. The carpet was on
the floor when witness delivered the furni-
ture. He could not describe Simonds accu-
rately, but thought he answered very well to
the printed descriptions. Witness Hatfield,
who gave the sensational testimony yester-
day, and who sold the Carlson cottage furni-
ture to Simonds, was again recalled. He
identified the piece of carpet as identical
with that he had sold to Simonds.
Shipping Clerk Maher further connected
the furniture with Revell & Co., by testify
ing from the record that he had superintend-
ed the loading of the furniture into Aliens
truck.
Mrs. Chas. Carlson. daughter-in.law
off NH, v.oAk kIHk sekn rsn
was the next witness. On March 20 of the
present year. she had spent part of the day
at the home of her husbands parents. Their
home was on the same lot and in the rear of
the cottage in which DR.. Cronia was said to
have lost his life. Both were numbered 1872
Ashland avenue. About noon a man had
called to rent the house. the front Of which
was then vacant. He readily agreed to the
terms, and rendered a months rent in ad-
vance: II am going to keep house with my
sister. l have some furniture down town."
The man was in the house about 10 minutes.
Witness'S husband, Chas. Carlson, wrote the
receipt. The man gave the name of Frank
Williams.
During the giving of this testimony Burke,
the defendant, had flushed mp to such an ex-
tent that his very eyeballs looked red. His
appearance answered in advance whether or
not the State had been indulging in little
| fiction when they indicted the mysterious
Frank Black, alias Frank Williams.
"Do you see that man in the court room?"
the witness was asked.
"Yes, sir" was the startling answer.
"Point him out. please"
'He is the man there chewing..'
Burke had been chewing. His lower jaw
had been working like sausage machine.
When the witness pointed him out he stop
hung in suspense, and the gaping hole in his
| face added to his stricken look. An imme-
| diate attempt sto smile and look unc0ncern-
| ed was a lamentable failure. II simply added
| the finishing touch to an almost total col
lapse.
Old Mr.. Carlson, father-in-law Of the pre-
ceding witness, and the owner of the Carl
SON cottage, was. next called. He look
70 years sd, old aseot and spoke 9Sa in
after repeated questioning. he owned the
two houses at 1872 Ashland avenue. On
March 20, witness, his wife and his son and
wife were at home. A stranger came to the
cottage, which had been vacant since the
previous September. Witness took the man
through the vacant cottage. The man agreed
to the rent, $12 month, and paid In ad-
vance, the witnesses son making out the re-
man said his name was Frank Williams, and
that he was one of three brothers, for whom
a sister, at that time In Baltimore, would
come and keep house In about week. Wit
ness knew defendant O'Snlliyan we'll. He
from second Identification as Frank Will
liams this morning, by a request of the State
at this point to adjourn SO that some photo
graphs could be procured for Identification
at the afternoon session.
During the afternoon session Jonas Carl
| son, recalled, said the stranger after renting
the cottage walked across the lots to O'Sul
livan's stable, where he met O'Sullivan and
talkeS Snyi. wth him. .. Witness heard Burke say
Witness saw Burke at about O'Clock Of the
afternoon of May 4th, few hours before
DIR: Cronin was murdered, ON the front steps
witness heard two. men talking in the cot
tage ''in hard voice." as Carlson expressed
1t. In April the witness had conversation
with O'Sullivan about the men who rented
the cottage. O'Sulliyan told him that he
knew one Of them. He was ''all right" and
would pay the rent when due. On May 10Th
Carlson told OSulliyan that the cottage was
vacant. He had received letter from the
man who rented it asking him (Carlson)
to put the furniture in the basement, saying
sister the trouble Of scrubbing it. The wit
ness was asked how many times altogether
he saw the man calling himself Frank VIII
liams. and answered three times.
do you see the man now?"
Slowly raising his head the witness per-
mitted his glance to travel over the group OF
lawyers and reporters immedi ately at his
feet and thence in q bewildered way to the
back Of the court Mr.. Mills indicated the
back of the court room and invited the wit.
ness TO step down and pick out the man he
wished him to identity. The witness, walk,
ing straight up to Martin Burke, shook his
hat at him and exclaimed. "That's the
man." Despite his utmost. efforts to appear
unconcerned, 1t was evident that Burke full
ly realized the damaging nature of old mar
; Carlson's testimony.
"Is that the man." Mr.. Mills asked
whom at your place you called Frank Viii
| liams?"
SIR"
J John Garrity, a teamster, testified tha
, about two years ago Coughlin told him h,
get him to ''slugd a man. BE wanted tn,
) man disfgured for life. and If he was killed
1t would not make much difference. or
| cross-examination, counsel for the defence
J sought to show that the witness had a grude,
against Coughlin, but he denied that sucl
was the case.
The court adjourned until tomorrow.