Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-10-25
TIE CRONIN TRIAL.
The States ittorney Makes His
Opening Address.
WITNESSES ON THE STAND.
An Effort to Obtain Evidence That
Cronin Was Not One of
the Four Spies.
ESPECIAL DISPATCHES TO THE REooRD-uN1oN.

CHICAGO, October 24th.-Long before the
hour for the convening of the Court in the
Cronin trial this morning hundreds of spec.
| tators were clamoring for admittance, and
it required a small army of bailiffs to keep
at bay the eager ones who demanded to be
passed.
At 10 o'clock the Court was called to
order and the States Attorney, Longe-
necker, began his opening address to the
jury. He reviewed briefly the long-con-
tinued sitting of the veniremen which re-
suited in the selection of the twelve before
him. He defined the duties of jurymen
and the meaning of the presumption OF in
nocence. He next defined the meaning of
reasonable doubt, which, he said, must not
be so stretched as to permit Juror to
avoid doing his duty.
The States Attorney then proceeded to
define murder and set forth the material
allegations in the Indictment which it
| would be necessary to prove.
He told about the charges made against
Cronin in Camp 20, and that on the 10th of
February Senior Guardian Beggs wrote to
District Officer Spellman, of Peoria, that
he was directed to investigate the matter,
and wanted the District Officer to do so.
The latter, on the 18th of February, wrote
to Beggs that he knew of no law or pro-
vision of the constitution requiring him to
investigate, and that he could not inyesti-
gate unless charges were made directly to
him. Beggs, on the 18th, wro,e back that
while there was no written law for this,
there was law, and the matter had to be
investigated or there would be trouble.
On the following day man giving the
name of Simonds rented fiat at III Clark
street. opposite DIR. Cronin's office. He
To- 49,, l. v,1
moved in. On the Goth of March Martin
Burke appeared at the Carlson cottage
under the name of Frank Williams, rented
the cottage, and then, after talking with
O'Sullivan, went to 1T Clark street and
moved the furniture to the cottage. Some
time in April 0'Sullivan made arrange
ment with Cronin by which, if the latter
received one of O'Sullivan's cards he was
to accompany the messenger iii order to at
tend professionally upon any of O'Sul-
livan's men who might be hurt in hand
ling ice for him.
The States Attorney pointed out that
this seemed queer contract, for up to this
time there never had been an accident to
one of 0Sullivan's men, and there were
many doctors nearer than Cronin. Before
that Daniel Coughlin had declared in a
saloon than there was a certain North
Side man. leading Catholic, that would
soon bite the ground, or something to that
effect. OSullivan was with Coughlin that
night.
Longenecker told about Coughlin's ar
rangement with livery. stable-keeper Dy-
nan, and said the State will prove that
Coughlin was seen going into the Carlson
cottage on the night OF the murder, and
that the horse and buggy procured at Dy-
mans livery stable were the horse and
buggy which drove Dr. Cronin TO the cot
tage. At a meeting of Camp 20 on the
night of May Sd, some one inquired
whether the Secret Committee had re-
ported, whereupon Beggs said, that COM
mittee is to report to me and not to the
Camp"
We will prove that Coughlin told other
parties that Cronin was a spy that the
year before be tried to hire a man to slug
DR.. Cronin. Wew will prove that o'Sullivan
Nav 4th showing owing GffGint ffan.t 2a @ TIE night OF
neighborhood, and was not in his house at
the time. On the 9th of May Martin
Burke had box, the contents of which
were not seen, soldered up by tinsmith.
Where that box is or what became of it no
one knows but it Is an important circum-
stance in the case.
We will prove that Kunz was seen in the
udI Oh AldTh SlIccI at tAC ttAAC II W do ONOh-
pied. and that be had been intimate with
Coughlin; that he and Coughlin were at
Peoria together; that Kunz stated to man
when the papers were talking about Gro
nin's disappearance, that he (Kunz) knew
Cronin was murdered. After the discovery
of the body and its Identification, Martin
Burke left the city under an assumed
name, and was arrested in Winnipeg, hay
ing in his possession ticket to Liverpool.
Mr.. Longenecker went on to say that
whoever looks at the facts or evidence can
see very readily that the acts committed
were of themselves conclusive, and that
they were the result of conspiracy. he
went on then at considerable length to de-
fine the nature of a conspiracy, and the
liabij6y of the accessories. He added that
the State would present evidence as speed
lily as possible.
Counsel for the defense then waived their
right to make an opening address, and the
taking of testimony was begun.
WITNESSES ON THE STAND.
The first witness was Francis Villers, ex-
Captain of the Lakeview police. His testl-
mony was unimportant except as to the one
fact that he knew DR.. Cronin in his lifetime,
and that as the body was being conveyed
from the catch basin to the morgue he had
IL DIS tudl VI tAC dCdQ QOOtOls
James T. Boland, cashier in coal
dealers office, and an associate of DR..
Cronin in various secret societies, also gave
testimony as to the identity OF the body,
and to the location of Cronin's office.
Lawyer Forrest, for the defense, ELECTED
from Boland, on cross examination, the
fact that, contrary to the general belief,
Cronin's Office was so situated that view
into its windows could not be obtained
from the Clark-street flat, supposed to have
been hired by the accused. Cronin's office
was not fronting on Clark street, being in
the rear of the building and facing on the
alley.
Several other witnesses were examined
before adjournment, their testimony relat
ing wholly to the finding and Identification
of the corpse. Nothing of importance was
brought out.
LOOKING FOR NEW EVIDENCE.
CHICAGO, October 24th.-P w. Dunno,
who is indirectly connected with the prose-
cution in the Cronin trial, said to-day that
efforts had been made and were to be
further pushed to obtain, if possible, from
Parnell or his counsel Sir Charles Russell,
categorical statement that Cronin's name
was not one of the four handed in by the
SPY, LIE Caron, as that of the men who were
Systematically betraying to the English
Government the secrets of the Irish move
ments in America. Letters to this end
have been written, one at least by Dunno to
the Irish leader, Matt. Harris. 1t is now
proposed to forward to the other side as
formidably signed petition as can be
secured, demanding the desired informa-
| ton and taking the ground that if Cronin's s
name was not on the list of the spies no
breach of trust will be made by breaking
the silence and saying SO.