The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1890-11-19

The above Is, in substance, the story
told By tho Lake View iceman after
ncarlya year Of pcnitcntiary reflection
at joliet. 1t Is the story which he
wished TO tell the jury when he felt the
coils of circumstantial evidence tighten
ing about the defendants i'm the trial
He says that no placed all the facts at
the disposal OF tho attorneys and that
they told him il would be unwise for him
To testify. Hopes of acluittal were held
ont 20 him, and so, doubling and fearing
he kept quiet under protest III he had
been placed on the stand the whole
mechanism of the Clan-na-Gael conspir-
acy would have been laid bare. Some
one might have gone 10 the gallows, but
O'Sullivan thinks he would have gone
free. His own life and liberty, his little
property and his many friends i'm Lake
View are dcarcr 70 him just now than
any oath-bound obligation 10 men who,
as he claims. Gc,eiyed him.
The prosecution In the Cronin case
could never understand why O'Sullivan
had been so indscrcet in making his
contract with the doomed physician and
then sending his business card by tho
driver thus furnishing the strongest
kind OF circumstantial evidence against
himself. His present statement, if ac-
cepted as true, furnishes the explanation
of his conduct. He did not observe the
secrecy 10 be expected of one who was
planning murder which was sure TO be-
investigated thoroughly. When DIR. Gro
min had been missing over night, T. Il.
Conklin, with whom DR.. Cronin had
boarded. picked up O'Sullivan's card from
the mantel and went out to the Lake
View iceman in regard TO the physicians
disappearance. Ii is claimed by O'Sufli-
van that If he had been part Of the
conspiracy TO murder he would not have
been so careless i'm having his identity
revealed TO the Conkln family; neither
would he have selected the Carlson cot
tage, only few feet from his own
house, as safe place TO do the danger
Gus job. OSullivan was careful liz his
endeavor To keep suspicion away from
Cronin's mind, but he did not cover up
his tracks, and he thinks this fact ought
10 speak eloluently i'm his behalf. Il is
certain that the States Attorney could
not satisfactorily explain the iceman's
boldness i'm carrying ont his part of the
deeply laid plot, while the others were so
quiet in their operations.
OSullivan's verbal confession has been
in the hands of certain wel-known gen.
tlemen for several days. Some of them
are interested, at least in sentiment, in
the Identification and punishment of all
who were connected with the great con-
spiracy, which had It's origin. they say,
with men whose political and social sta
ton was far above that of Coughlin,
OSulliyan, COoney, Bourk and kunze.
One of them, who is acquainted with the
O'Sullivan version OF the tragedy, said
last evening:
AT no time did we believe that O'Sul-
Ivan was i'm the room at the time of the
murder lie was i'm the back yard
crouched against the building and cover
ing with fear He lost his nerve when
he saw the buggy approach. When he
saw Coughlin kicking the ifelesS man he
drew his revolver and attempted TO aid
the victim Of the murder. We believe
O'Sulliyan's story, but when ! picked up
a morning paper and read that he was
anxious TO make public statement on
the witness stand the news seemed too
good to be true. / only hope that O'Sul-
Ivan will speak out and name the men
who used the iceman and the others as
their deluded tools. ("