Telegram-herald., 1889-11-05
TOOK IT ALL BACK.
lis CORRESPOsDEsCE WITH BECCS.
Khs Utrasss, Before the 0rsRa Jury,
swoFs nat Coaghlin aaas rhrssts
AEaizst Creata-Sos he szys,
he A AAstAksa.

PooE WITNESS FOB FHE STATE.
CHICAGO, Nov. The morning ses-
sion 0f the CroniR trial opened With Ed
ward opslln2ns q Peoria, on the stand.
and the secret committee part Of the
conspiracy wss taken up again. NF.
spellmSR Is officer Of district No 10,
United Brotherhood, Omprising the
States Of Illinois, Wisconsin and Michi-
gan. He Is the highest officer IN the
district, and bows u no authority bat
the constitution. There are no officers
above him who have any power
over him except that charges
might 30 made against him for
violating the constitution The execu-
tive IS a body ia itself, and its duties
are provided for by the constitution
The witness could not give the names
OF all the members OF the present exec
utiye, but mentioned Mortimer Scanlsn
and Lawrence Buckley, Of Chicago, and
Mr. Ronayne, Of New York. Witness
Spellmsn Identified the letters written
By Beggs % him and by him TO Beggs.
Mr. Mills read three OF them aloud 20
the jury. Their reference 70 DIR.
Cronin consisted OF a statement 10
the effect that the doctor was
keeping up the factiOnal feeling in the
society by reading 10 the members OF
the Columbus Club the report of the
trial committee and asking If something
could not be done 20 stop il. Spellman
in his reply said he thought nothing in
the constitution empowered him 20 do
any thing.
Becgs answer was 20 the effect that,
while he was not prepared 20 say that
the act complained OF was q violation of
any unwritten law. yet. in his opinion,
lit was very unwise and such conduct
As is prejudicial 10 the good Of the order,
no man in his right senses wip deny.
II is just such acts that keep US contin-
ually in hot water" Beggs, in his let
ter, continued:
why IA Gods name, II mea are sincere, will
they insist upon opening old sOres' The ma
iOrity OF our men believe the parties charged
TO be innocent OF any criminal wrong and 70
have the charges made continually that they
are guilty creates a bitterness and illfceling,
and the man or men who continue 10 bring
the charges are not the friends of Irish
unity. What earthly good is done in continu
ing the old fightg What is the reason for itf
l confess l can give no answer. II we are true
men as we profess, viii rather conciliate
than keep up a war which can only lead TO
further disuniOn. The rank and file are sin
cere They want peace. and the time is not
far distant when they Will have it, even if it
has 10 come 10 war. ] am anxious for bet
ter Understandable among our people and
will do any thing IN my power to obtain unity.
The matter l wrote Of would have let pass If
could but was ordered TO notice it. Person
ally think il is better not 10 notice such things
but am only one. The men who are in power
will in time realize the motives OF those who
are continually breeding disorder in their ranks
and a day OF punishment will c. ne"
Some of the witness testimony before
the grand jury was of character ex-
ceedingly damaging to Dan Coughlin
in particular, but Spellman had
experienced a change of mind
since that time and refuted the
correctness of certain statements made
then, and his reasons for such re-
pudiation were TO himself perfectly sat
isfactory. For instance, before the
grand jury Spellman testified that on
visit made him last winter in Peoria
by Dan Coughlin the latter told
--, and ought to be killed" After
giving such testimony to the grand jury,
he said on the stand he felt that he had
done Coughlin wrong and upon confer
ring with friends who had been present
during COughlins conversation with
him he was informed that he had
made a mistake in his testimony; that
Coughlin had not said: "Cronin
ought to be killed" He Immediately
sent his attorney TO Chicago to so in
form the States Attorney. The latter
gentleman was not to be seen Later
Spellman came himself TO Chicago and
told the States Attorney that he had
made a mistake in his testimony be-
fore the grand jury, and that If he
(Spellman) were put on the stand at
the trial and asked If Coughlin had told
him that DR.. Cronin should be killed,
he should say 10 was not true. In reply
to the States Attorney the witness
said he went first 20 Alexander Sulli-
vans Office, and Afterwards went 20 see
! Mr.. Longenecker While at Sullivan's
Office no mention was made Of the wit
ness evidence before the grand jury.
On the cross-examinatiOn Mr.. Spell
man said he was worth $50, 600 and had
subscribed $500 for tho conviction Of the
Cronin murderers, only 500 of which,
( however, had been paid. He
said he had read the letters
| in convention OF the dis
trict camps, and that the visit OF Cough
/ lin and Kunze 20 Peoria last winter had
nothing 70 do with Irish affairs. At tho
time Tho report OF tho trial committee
/ Is said TO have been read in DR.. Cronin s
/ camp IL had not been made public in
other camps. Beggs never preferred
/ charges against DR.. Cronin 20 witness.
Following the examination Of Spell
man. Justice Mahoney took tho stand.
/ Justice Mahoney. 10 viii be re-
membered. is the man who intro
/ dured Icenan O'Sullivan TO DIR.
+ CrOnin. az the formers request
and who was present when the
famous contract was made. He said
that The iceman made tho request at a
meeting Of the Washington Literary
F Society. and tho contract vas completed
a, tho doctors Office In tho Opera
House block. When the terms had
been agreed upon, O'Suilivan HANDED
~. C-onin soma ~ his cards saying
that I'm ease he 20 'Sulhvanj was out o
the city when the doctor vas wanted 4
card would be- sent him.
zArvRpAY's rEoCFEnrVGs.
CrrrAso Nnr aIu The Cron.n trial Saf
rrfav rffrrnnca Wrs Johanna Carison testified
arl --r. more rrrss vas llertieed a9ic-Iv an|
er4oi at .aIr Nrs Carbon story consisted "A
3 r---e-.r.rr .f n0nr Features cf ta~ othe
ga-.s.r- affar raat she n1faei the con
sffrr rf frn ra.s Ia .hs cctfase before WA
f.e-. s--rr .--e-1a..r ara affar ffr r-..-r. b.