Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1889-11-13
KNOTTlNG THE MOSES.
Witness Who Saw Cronln as He Entered
the Cottage-Milkman Mertes Says He
Was With Kunze and Coughlin-Di.
rect and Damaging testimony Against
the Defendants-StOry of the Man
Who Saw One Act of the Tragedy,

Inc DOOy OF Dr. CrOn1n IN June last.
During that inquest was there
trunk brought to your private office ?'
"Yes, SIR"
"Did you lock- at the trunk in your
private office and examine it?
II don't think SO, Judge; think the
trunk was brought in by officers in my
private Office while the inquest was go
ing on, and brought from there into the
room where the inquest was taking
place."
| what was done with it after it was
exhibited in the court room, before the
jury ?"
1T was given into charge of the police
| department"
| "Will you examine this trunk (wit.
dess does so). State what, if anything,
| was in the trunk at the time it was
brought there"
There was lot of cotton batting and
a lot of coloring, just like this, supposed
to be blood (relerring to blood stains on
the trunk). There was pail | think,
| ii my memory don't fail me-a wooden
| pail with some cotton batting in it. The
| trunk that was there was in every par
| ticular identical to this; if this was the
| trunk by me handed over to the chief
| of police, then that is the trunk that was
! there"
| William Mertes, the milkman, was
| called upon the stand. He is a short
statured man, with a white muller
knotted around his neck, and he wears
sallow-colored beard to match his
complexion"
| do you remember May last?.
"Yes, do. l was on the east side
of Ashland Avenue near the Carlson
cottage about $3.50 O'Clock. l saw two
men drive up 10 the Carlson cottage in
a buggy. When | came about fiity or
seventy-fve feet from the cottage,
the buggy was just in front OF
| the cottage, and it stopped
One of the fellows got out of the buggy
and went up to the front gate and went
through it, and up the front steps. 1t
lookeu to me as though he had some
key. or something like that in his hand
and that he opened the door himself.
AS soon as that fellow stepped
in the other fellow that was sit
ting in the buggy turned the
horse around at once and got away just
| as quick as ne could do it. | did not
take any notice of the fellow that went
| into the house to see whether he had
hat on or cap, but | noticed he had on
a dark brown overcoat. But he had
cuffs, and it looked ss though he had a
| dark brown coat. AS soon as that fell
| low that was IN the buggy turned his
horse to go away, [ could see his face
better. There was gesllght there on
the corner, and it was light and | could
| see his face
| How near were you to him at that
time?"
"Oh, just from the street to the side
walk, as | was very near the Carlson
| cottage. When they stopped | was
| about seventy five feet away. / went
on walking toward them. / went south
| to the grocery store on the corner of
Ashland Avenue. I was there about
half an hour. When L came back again,
and when | came about half q block near
the cottage, then [ heard somebody
mailing in the cottage as if they were
mailing boards together. l heard them
when [ was half block away"
| "Did you ever see these parties since
you saw them driving up there 2"
| "Yes."
| "Do you see them now?''
Yves. sir. That one, indicating
Kunze, was the one that was driving the
wagon, and that big one there, indicat-
ing Coughlip, that looks like the fellow
that was going into the house."
'"These are the men you saw there at
halt-past s ?'
Yes"
Which one went up the steps?"
''The big one"
"And which one drove the wagon
away ?"
''That young one."
| On the cross-examination the witness
was soon confused by the questions
which were rapidly fred at him. He
said he remembered the 4th of May
pretty well and it was clear night.
| Didn't you state that you thought it
| was raining that night?"
| "Well it was kind of dark weather."
1T looked as if it was going to rain
didn't it; the sky was covered with
| clouds?"
Eyes, SIR"
"And you thought it was going to
| rain ?''
Eyes, but I cou dn't say that it was
raining"
There were no stars shining or moon;
| it wss cloudy and had every appearance
| of rain didn't it?"
''The stars were shining and don't
| think there were any Clouds"
There was no appearance of rain
then?''
| mo, don't think there was''
1T was a clear, bright night?"
81 guess SO"
But the milkman stuck to his story,
and said to the ross-examining lawyer:
eff am here 70 swear, will swear by
| God what is right about it"
81 will ask you to tell this jury how
| you are able to fix the time as Sat
urday, the 4th of May as the day you
saw the two men drive up to the cot
tage?"
''It was when I went to the grocery
store. The lady asked me if L had
! heard about DR.. Cronin that had got
| killed in Carlson's cottage. [
said, How the devil did that
man get killed?' That must
be the night saw the
| two men get out of the buggy and then
when / got back again | heard some
mailing in the house as if they were
mailing boards together-that must be
the night; and / figured it up from that
time and found it was the same date"
| 'Will you swear positively that this
man pointing to Kunze) was the mar
| that was sitting in the buggy? ?"
| "Yes," answered the witness.
| "And the other man was Coughlin
| here?"
| Yes"