Huntsville gazette., 1889-12-21
NONE WILL HANG.
The Verdict in the Famous Cronin
Murder Case.
Coughiin, Burke and O'SuIlivan Go Up
For Life, Kunze Gets Three Years
and Beggs Goes Free-Scenes
In Court at the Close.

CH1CAGO, Dec. 16.-Judge Mcconnell
| made his appearance in his private
chamber at ten minutes before two
o'clock. A rumor found its way from
the other side of the building that the
| jury had at last agreed upon verdict.
Extraordinary precautions were at once
| taken in and about the court room
Orders were issued that no one beside
the representatives of the press and the
counsel engaged in the case should be
given admittance, and to the fifty or
| more reporters that occupied the
benches there were as many more police
| officers in plain clothes. Some slight
delay was created by the absence of
Counselor Forrest, and special mes
senger was dispatched for him, and
| upon his arrival at 2:25 p. m. Judge Nc
Connell took his seat upon the bench
| and the court was declared to be in ses-
sion.
One moment later the five prisoners
were uShered in over the iron bridge
leading from the Jail. Lawyer John f.
| Beggs, with deathly pallor on his face
and his blue eyes staring as though pIo-
truding from the bleached bones of a
| skeleton, headed the line. Behind him
| came Dan Coughlin with a half-nerv-
| Gus, half-cynical smile upon his face. 1t
was apparent to every observer that he
| had nerved himself for the ordeal.
Next came O'Sullivan, his jaws COM
| pressed and the fingers of his right hand
| tugging nervously at his moustache.
| Martin Burke, close behind him, had the
same look of stolid Indifference that he
had worn throughout the trial. Little
Kunze, the last in the line, was, as
| usual, the comedian of the prisoners,
| and smiled and waved his hands at the
officers and newspaper men as he en-
tered the room.
AS soon as the defendants had taken
their seats three deputy sheriffs took up
a position behind each chair, and at the
| same moment about fifty officers en-
| tered the room by the main door and
| formed complete barricade between
| the prisoners row and all means of exit
| from the room.
At 2:29 p. M. the iron doors leading to
the Jail were again swung open and,
while the word went around the audi
| ence Here they come" the members of
the jury filed into the room, Every
| man had on his overcoat and carried his
hat in his hand, and this was accepted
as conclusive evidence that verdict
| had at last been reached.
The twelve good men and true were
| escorted to their seats and the roll was
| called. Breathless silence prevailed.
Even the Judge, usually calm and col
| lected, nervously wiped the perspira-
ton from his brow. The prisoners
maintained the demeanor which they
| had worn when entering the courtroom,
| except that Burke chewed with re-
doubled energy at his quid of tobacco,
| while OSullivan ran his fingers into his
| hair with desperation that threatened
| to tear it out by the roots.
| The voice of Foreman Clark came out
clear and distinct, and with a triumph
| ant ring in it, when answering 1--WE
have" in response to the question of the
clerk of the court as to whether he and
| his colleagues had agreed on verdict
Rising in his seat, he handed folded
paper to the clerk The stiffness at
| this moment was not merely oppressive,
but painful. Every eye was turned to-
ward the five men whose fate in an
other moment would be known. For
| rest cast glance of encouragement to-
ward his clients, with as much as to
say, ''Be brave Foster from his seat,
| couple of feet distant, threw a few
words in whisper to Beggs.
In another moment the voice of the
| clerk, clear and distinct, rang out upon
| the air:
| We find the defendant, John F Beggs, not
| guilty as charged in the indictment
There was buzz in the court room as
| though thousand bated breaths had
| been let loose The blood rushed to the
| face of the lawyer-prisoner, and in a
| second later it was of carmine hue.
His right arm, which had been resting
or, the railing, fell to his side. and his
| entire frame shook like that of man
afflicted with the palsy. All this was
but the work of moment. Again the
voice of the clerk rang out:
| we find the defendant, John kunze, guilty
| of manslaughter, and fix his penalty at three
years Imprisonment in the penitentiary.
The little comedian simply smiled
and showed his teeth. To all appear
ances the verdict, at the moment, suited
him as well as an acquittaL
| There was pause before the clerk
resumed. No doubt was left that the
three remaining defendants had either
been condemned to die on the scaffold,
| or to suffer living death. The eyes OF
| Coughlin, Burke and O'Sullivan were
riveted on the reader, while the con-
| vulsive movements of their jaws showed
that each man was making super
| human effort to control his feelings
| For the third time the clerk cleared his
| throat and proceeded:
| We find the prisoners Daniel Coughlin
| Martin Burke and Patrick o. Sullivan guilty
| of murder as charged in the Indictment
| and fix their punishment at Imprisonment
| in the pententiary for the term of their nat
| ural lives.
The suspense of the auditors found
| vent in half-suppressed shout and the
| demeanor of the three men passed un
! noticed in the wild Scampering of the