Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1889-10-31
Judge LOngenecker Traces the Conspiracy
from Its Inception to the killing
Several Witnesses Give Their
Testimony.
THE TRIAL OPENED.

again by his friends. His body was
found in Lake View catch-basin May
%, where it had been placed by those
who had beaten out his life. There
was a motive for his murder, and the
speaker claimed that the State would
be able TO show that the motive arose
from the fact that the unfortunate doc
tor was an active member of an Irish
organization known as the Clan-na-Gael.
There were five members of the execu-
tive board, and of these Alexander Sui
livan, Boland and Feeley formed the ia
nous triangle. The triangle was accused
by DIR. Cronin Of having plundcred the
society, and to prevent an exposure, the
speaker said, the butchery was planned
and executed. The States Attorney
traced the conspiracy from its inception
to the killing of the doctor, concluding
at $3.50 p. m. In his peroration he said
that II after hearing the evidence
the jury had the slightest doubt of
the guilt Of the prisoners they
should give them their freedom, but if
on the other hand they were satisfied
that they were the murdercrs then he
should demand that the highest penalty
Of the law be inflicted. Counsel for the
defendants waived their opening speech
es and the examination of witnesses
was commenced without delay.
Captain Villiers. of the Lake View
police, told Of the finding Of the bloody
trunk, and the identity of the body was
sworn to by Joseph c. Keefe, James
Holland, stephen Connolly II. A.
Wisch and Morris Morris. +. Roseh,
the employee Of the department of
public works, who discovered the
body in the catch-basin, gave his
testimony The witnesses were dis
missed with nominal cross-examination
the defense apparently having decided
to admit that the body was that of the
physician. At 4:40 o'clock court ad-
journed
CHICAGO, Oct. 2G.-The line of proof
as shown by the witnesses who APP
peared early in the session of the Gro
min trial Friday was to establish be-
You'd the shadow of doubt that the
body found in the catch-basin was that
Of DIR. Cronin. Nicholas Wallen-
born, 7. 7. Conllin, John #. Sean
Ian, Frank Seaman. =. McGarry and ID.
7. Ahern-all friends and intimate ac-
quaintances of the doctor--swore to the
identity of the remains, and two labor
ers, John Fennegar and William Mi
chaels, told of the finding of the body in
the catch-basin.
DR.. c. w. Lewis, a dentist, told Of his
experience in treating DIR. Cronin for
teeth trouble. Dentist and patient
had been on terms of intimacy,
and the former had experimental
with peculiar style of plate for
the false teeth he made for DR. Cronin
and which could not be moved in the
mouth without inserting the finger.
DR.. Lewis described this plate to a
nicely, and when Mr.. Mills, undoing a
Small package he held in his hand, pro-
duced plate with two false teeth at
tached which had been taken from the
mouth Of the corpse, every body was sat
iefied that the young dentist was able to
Recognize his handiwork at a glance. On
May "a Lewis went to Carrolls under
taking establishment on Chicago avenue
and there saw a dead body, which he
identified as DIR. Cronin's.
DR.. Egbert, assistant county physi-
clan, who assisted at the autopsy of the
body, testified as to the nature of the
wounds, and said the doctor died from
the result of violence-from the wounds
he received-and That the internal or
gans were found in good condition and
there was no evidence that the body had
suffered from any disease.
Judge Wing and Mr.. Forrest flor the
defense) took turns in cross-examining
the witness for nearly two hours with
the view Of securing an admission that
the wounds upon the body might have
been occasioned by rough usage while
getting it out of the vault. DR.. Egbert
insisted, however, that they were in
flicted prior TO his death, and his testi-
mony in other particulars remained I'M
shaken.
John Carroll, the undertaken, was
called to establish the identity of the
body on which post-mortem was held
with the one examined by DIR. Lewis at
his establishment at III Chicago av-
enue. The defense did not cross-eX-
anime him.
Court then adjourned till 10 o'clock
Saturday morning.
CHICAGO, Oct. 2S.-In the Cronin trial
on Saturday DIR. ID. G. Moore testified
that the horrible wounds found upon
DR.. Cronin's head were made by the
blows which all believe hammered out
his life.
Mr.. Forrest, for the defense, moved to
strike out DIR. Moore's testimony on the
ground that he had read in the morning
papers the testimony of DIR. Egbert and
the other witnesses called on Friday.
The reading of the papers, he said, prac-
tically made imperative the rule of the
court excluding witnesses from the court
room.
Judge Mcconnell sustained Mr.. For
rest because the rule excluding wit
nesses from the court was for the pur-
pose of preventing them from knowing
what tie others testified to.
For an instant the public prosecutors
were dumbfoundcd Mr.. Hynes was the
first TO contest the ruling. and declared
that If such an unprecedented ruling
were followed the trial might just as
well stop then and there. Mr. Mills
said ii was time to stop the case if the
testimony of the rest of the States wit
nesses was to be excluded for the reason
that they had read the testimony of wit
nesses who had preceded them on the
stand.
Judge Mcconnell then reversed his
ruling, and said he did not see that the
court could do more than simply exclude
the witnesses from the room.
Patrick Oman, the liveryman, testi-
fed to the oft-repeated story of Dan
Coughlin on May engaging a rig for
friend; the calling Of the friend for it in
the evening; the hitching up of the cell
ebrated white horse, and the objection
of the stranger 10 the color of the horse.
The rig was driven north on Clark street
in the direction of DR.. Cronin's Office.
When DR.. Cronin's absence became known
the witness felt as though something was
wrong and went 20 the station that
night, where he saw Dan Coughlin.
Coughlin asked the witness TO say moth
ing about his friend having the horse
out as 1t might get him into trouble, as
he and DR.. Cronin had not been good
friends for year and half, but Oman
said be went and told Captain Setback
the circumstances.
Court adjourned until ten o'clock Mon
day morning.
Chieas America: Youngloye =