River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1890-01-02
IhE CRonln II,sx

The Secrets of Their Deliberations Made
Pubiic-cuIver Signs the Verdict while
Declaring His Belief In the Innocence
of the Defendants.
CHICAGO, Dec. 30.--The record of the
deliberations of the Cronin jury from
the time the twelve peers finally re-
tired until they returned to Judge Nc
} Connelfs courtroom with the famous
verdict that assigned Coughlin, O'Sulli-
van and Burke to a living death in the
penitentiary is one of the most interest
ing chapters Of the great trial The
! Herald, of this city, against which pa
per Juror Culver has brought suit in
the sum of s25, 900 for libel, has never
| let up in its effort to solve the mystery
of the jury's deliberations, and pre-
sents three-column article which 1t
claims is complete record. The fol-
lowing is a synopsis of the Herald's
article:
The first ballot was taken on this
question:: Are any of the defendants
guilty?" The result stood eleven in the
affirmative and one in the negative.
Culver was the minority. Several of
the jurors talked to the real-estate
man, and after trying to find out just
what his position was endeavored to
persuade him that majority Of the de-
PENDANTS were guilty. Culver, how
ever, maintained his position with
logged earnestness and turned deaf
ear TO the arguments of his companions.
The second ballot was ordered on the
question: WAS DIR. Cronin killed in the
Carlson cottage?" The result, as be-
fore, was eleven TO one, the majority
voting in the affirmative.
Saturday morning Culver took the
position that Burke's Identification was
by no means complete. In fact, he
also claimed the identity of the furni-
ture had not been established.
Several of the jurors held short con-
sultation in undertones, and at the sug-
gestion of one of their number a series
of resolutions concerning many of Gull
ver's utteraRces in the rooms the jury
occupied at the Commercial Hotel was
written out and fred at him in rapid
succession. These in substance are as
follows:
Are you prepared to state on your oath as Q
juror, that you did not come into the jury room
with the determination TO force Disagreement
II not how do you explain the fact that you said
10 Jurors before any testimony had been taken
that you were almost prepared in advance 70
discount every thing that the State might do
and disbelieve its testimony; that you believed
Mrs. Conkln TO be an immoral woman; that
you were preJudced against the State because
II had used you brutally and you could not give
II fair treatment: your remark during the first
or second week OF the trfal that the Jury would
probably stand eleven TO one; that the jury sys-
tenn was brutal and the State would not make
any thing by treating you as Ii had donef Will
you say that your determination to sue the
county for damages has not Influenced your
opinionff'
The question relating TO his threat
ened suit against the county was sug-
gested by threats which he had made
from time to time as the trial progressed.
He seemed to believe that his dignity
and integrity were outraged when he
was given into the custody of bailiffs
and practically made prisoner, and he
said more. than once that he would
bring suit against the county as
soon as he should be released.
Culver did not answer one of the
questions nor did he comment on them.
Culver shortly afterward admitted in
the presence of three jurors that he had
entered the jury-room with previously
formed opinion, and a conviction
that those witnesses who we're under
the protection of policemen were not
worthy of belief. He also admitted
that he ought to have told the counsel
of his conviction before he was sworn
in as juror.
Saturday morning at 9 o'clock the
jurors, who had been debating earnestly
for several hours, concluded to begin
balloting again. The result was the
same throughout the day-eleven for
conviction, one for acquittal. Late
Saturday night Culver took two jurors
aside and told them that il they would
let Kunze and Beggs go free he would
vote to find the other three guilty. The
proposition was instantly rejected. No
further word was done that night, but
at o'clock Sunday morning Foreman
Clarke ordered another ballot, and by
agreement all the defendants were in
cluded in It. The result was as follows:
No