The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-05-25
Now a Police Detective Is
Up to His Neck in the
Cronin Case.
DID HE HIRE THAT BUGGY?
No Doubt Now as to Where the
Crime Was COmmitted---Was the
Doctor Killed as Spy?

CHICAGO, May s5, 1ss9.-The Time, this
morning says
The Times within the last twenty-four
hours has come into possession of most
important and most startling chain Of
facts.
The white horse and buggy which con-
tained the man who lured DIR. Cronin to
his death have been discovered, and the
man wac ordered the rig. according to the
story of the livery stable keeper, is
detective in the employ of the Chicago
police force and his name is Daniel
Coughlin.
On the morning of Saturday, May 4,
Coughlin called at the livery stable Of
Patrick Dinan, No. 260 North Clark street.
and gave notice that 'sfriendn would
call about seven o'clock that evening, and
that he was to be given horse and
buggy.
That evening a man called and was
given the white horse and buggy, and
about quarter past seven o'clock the
man left the stable with the rig and drove
north on Clark street. According to
Frank Seaman it was five minutes there
after when the stranger drove to No 40
North Clark street and informed DIR.
Cronin that he was wanted at Sullivan's
ice house. Dinan says the man asked for
buggy with side curtains, but he had
none to give him. The white horse and
the buggy were returned to the stables
by Coughlins friend at half-past nine, or
just two hours and fifteen minutes after
they had been hired.
Mr. Dinan describes the man as being
about thirty-fiye years of age and OF
ordinary hQiOhf and hr1ild a ha6
weeks growth of beard on his face and
wore a soft felt hat with a narrow turned
up brim. Mr.. Dinan says he thought
nothing more of the matter until Monday
morning, when the papers began to pub
lish DIR. Cronin's mysterious disappear
ance and the peculiar connection of
white horse and buggy with the sensa-
tion. Then he became suspicious Of the
trip his own white horse made under the
guide of Detective Coughlin's friend
TRYING TO HUSH 1T UP.
He went at once to the East Chicago
Avenue Station to tell Captain Setback Of
the curious coincidence He found De-
tective Coughlin, who took him aside and
cautioned him not to say anything about
the affair of Saturday night because, not
being on good terms with DIR. Cronin,
some people might think he had some
thing TO do with the disappearance.
Mr. Dinan was still uneasy. He told
Captain Setback his story and insisted
that full report be made to Chief Hub
bard. But becoming suspicious that the
report had not been made, he called on
the Chief himself The matter is being
investigated and Chief Hubbard said last
night that unless Coughlin could make
satisfactory explanation he would lock
him up.
THE MILK DEALERS STORY.
William Mertes. milk dealer, who lives
on Woodside avenue, near Addison, tells
story which, in view of the fact that it
has been definitely settled that DR.. Crouin
was murdered in the Carlson cottage, has
an important bearing on the investigation.
Two weeks ago last Saturday night, be-
tween half-past eight and nine O'Clock,
Mertes left his house to visit the grocery
at the corner of Ashland avenue and Otto
street, which is only a short block south
of the Carlson cottage.
AS he neared the Carlson cottage a
buggy containing two men rolled up to
the edge of the ditch, and one of the men,
whom Mertes describes as a tall and ap-
apparently athletic man, sprang from the
buggy and ran up the front stairs of the
cottage, the door of which was thrown
open before he even knocked for adj
mission. Scarcely had the door closed
again when he heard the sound of loud and
angry voices within the cottage. The
man in the buggy then whipped his horse
into a gallop, drove TO Division avenue
ana Ileu buEleOl LII tllG QlT6CtlOu Ol lI6
lake. Mertes was unable to describe the
man in the buggy, as his face was partly
concealed by the brim of q soft hat. He
thinks the horse was light sorrel.
WHY CRoNIN WAS DANGEROUS.
The Times says:-The charges that DIR.
Cronin and his friends made against Alex
anderSullivan, Michael Boland and Dennis
c. Feehy the triumvirate that acted as
Board of Directors for the United Brother
hood, are stronger than mere embezzle-
ment of funds and malfeasance in Office.
There was charge not long ago brought
against the members of this Board that
they had not only misappropriated large
sums of the money subscribed for the
good of the Irish national movement in
the old country, but that they, or some
of them, either Intentionally or otherwise,
allowed secrets of the order to escape them,
resulting in the imprisonment of several
emissarles of the Gamma Gael and the
death of two on British soil
The charges are said to have been based
merely on suspicion, but DR.. Cronin was
said to have been very active in the accu-
mutation of testimony calculated to COR
roborate the suspicious.
In addition to this, and more sensa-
tional than all is the undoubted fact that
in the possession of DR.. Cronin was an
affidavit made by a well-known Irish
American, that he heard one of the par
ties interested in these and other disclos-
ures say that Dr. Cronin must be put out
of the way The name of the man who
made this statement is in the possession
of the States Attorney, and a warrant
for his arrest may be looked for at any
moment.
WAS HE KILLED AS A SPY?
The Herald this morning says:-Yes.
terday's developments give point to the
belief that the murderers are not, and
may never have been, residents OF
Chicago. On the contrary, there is some
reason to suppose that his slayers crossed
the water from England with designs ON
his life, and that as soon as they COM
pleted their work they made their escape.
1t will be remembered that one 4. j..
Kirby, native of Canada, came to Chi
caro last wear from London, England, on 8
secret mission for the London Times Kirby
knew Cronin when he lived at st. Catha-
rine's. Ont, and when he came to Chicago
he renewed his acquaintance with the
doctor. 1t is known that the two met
frequently in Chicago when Kirby was
doing spy work for the London Times.
The connection is suggestive, to say the
least.
When the British spy, LIE Carron, was on
the witness stand in the Parnell case ne
refused to give the names of his Ameri.
can accomplices, on the ground that II
would be as much as their lives were
worth to be known. lie Carron was
ordered by the Court, however, to furnish
the name or names privately to the Court
and counsel which he did. Might 1t not
~ that a dafaehrnanf NJ the hand that fol.