Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-08-08
BURKE WEAKENING.
1t is Reported that He VIII Make
a Confession of Guilt.
The Evidence Against Him So Strong
that Conviction is an Assured
Fact with Good Jury.
Letter From His Mother Breaks the Sus-
pect Down and He Weeps Like
Chhild-Not His First Crime

! CHICAGO, Ill. Aug. II About 1880
this morning States Attorney Longe-
neeher, Chief Hubbard and other police
officials, together with a half dozen
friends of DR.. Cronin, called at the
armory and held a private conference.
| The object of the visit could not be
| learned, but it was rumOred that it had
something to do with Burke's alleged
| promise to reveal what he knows about
| the crime. None of the officials would
confirm this, however. A little later
| Judge Baker issued q writ of habeas
corpus directed to Chief Hubbard for the
release of Martin Burke from the cell in
the Harrison street station, in which he
| now reposes. The writ was obtained by
Lawyer Kennedy of Appleton, Wis,
who has so far been refused permission
| to see his client 1t is returnable at 3
| 'clock this afternoon, but was issued
with the understanding that if the Off
Gals permitted Kennedy to see Burke
| before that hour the matter should be
dropped.
To-day Chief of Police Hubbard, As
sistant Postmaster Stunning and MOrti-
mer Seaman together entered the COR
ridor in the armOry, on which Burke 8
cell opens, and stood before the grated
door.
s'Burke, - said the chief, eve have
letter sent to you by your mother IN Ire
land. Col. Stunning of the North Side
postoffice has had the letter for some
time. As it is postmarked so many days
back it probably contains nothing of any
interest to anybody except yourself. If
you wish it l will open IL and read it to
you, but this is optional.
Tafv
Seaman and Stunning retreated few
feet and the chief handed Burke his
mothers letter. The prise trem-
blingly opened the letter and perused it.
As he read on his frame shook violently
and he cried like a child. When Burke
had finished he threw himself on the floor
of the cell and the trio of visitors left him
to his thoughts.
Mrs. Conklin and others were in the
station and 1t had been intended to LET
them see the prisoner for the purpose OF
identifying him, but seeing his grief
stricken condition, after reading his
mothers letter, it was decided to post
pone the conformation.
An afternoon paper says that Chief
McRae Of Winnipeg will be one of the
witnesses at Burke 3 trial, and others,
and that McRae won Burke IS confidence,
him to the United States boundary. On
the Journey from Winnipeg to Chicago,
that at his further request, he was left
alone with McRae for fifteen minutes,
during which he made important admiS-
sions The authorities here are confident
that he will eventually confess. Said
States Attorney LOngenecker to-day:
81 do not think he can hold out
against the unavoidable prospect of exc
cution for this murder. 1 think he will
confess. l am certain that Burke is one
of the men who actually killed Cronn,
and nothing in the world can
save him from the gallows
except a jury who would not hang
anybody. With all evidence we have
against Burke, and there is far more
than has been published, there Is no
escape for him and ne will drag down
others with him also. When you take
the part Burke played in the conspiracy,
the part Coughlin took, what Beggs did
and how O'Sulliyan helped, there is as
clear a case as was ever made out. There
is no escape We have evidence that
cannot be controverted. Burke is so
guilty, and we have such absolute proof
of his being one of the men who butchered
Cronin that we are loath to accept any
confession from him, if it involved any
leniency for him. He deserves to hang,
and I think he ought to be hanged unless
his evidence should be absolutely neces-
sary to convict more important criminals.
The murder of DR.. Cronin is not the first
crime of that nature of which
Martin Burke has been charged.
In 1887 he was arrested on
suspicion of having been connected
with the death OF man named Tony
Gallagher, but for want of proof the
charge was not sustained. Gallagher
disappeared after having been elected by
Burke and another man from house in
which he was making considerable noise,
and some time afteTward his body was
fished out of the river. 1t bore evidences
of violence and there was rope around
his neck. Evidence was discovered to-
day tending to show that the money with
which Burke made his fight against ex-
tradition in Winnipeg came from this
CITY. On Saturday evening last the fol-
lowing telegram was sent from the Grand
Pacific hotel in this city:
u. Hough, Barrister, Winnipeg, Man.
ssFurnish him with basket food and
fruit. Caution him against Collins who
will pretend friendship -
The sender declined to give his name or
address. ] Hough, barrister, to whom
this telegram was addressed, is the bust
ness partner of Attorney Campbell who
defended Burke in Winnipeg,
and it is now made clear
why it was that Campbell was
not assisted publicly by Hough, but that
Perdue was brought into the case as an
assistant and Hough was to stand in the
background as a secret channel of cores
pondence. Moreover, light is now thrown
on the source of Senator Kennedy's
emoIuments, for the instructions con-
tanned in the kilograms must have been
conveyed to Burke by him. He it was
who instructed Burke to eat out of his
basket on his way to Chicago and not to
eat anything the officers might give him,
and the basket was handed to Burke on
his wav to the tram exactly as ordered in
the telegram and recommended by Ken
nedy.
A POLICE DODGE.
TWenty-four hours more of subsection
to the horrors of the police sweat-boX