The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1890-11-19
WEARY OF IRON BARS.
|ICEMAN O'SULLIVAN MAKES A
CONFESSION.
He Says He Lured Cronin To the Fatal Cot
tase. surprising Only that He Was tn He
Made tai Give Up Some Valuable Papers
In His Posscssion-story of the Murder.
fChicago dispatch. |

| In His Posscssion-story of tile Murder.
Chicago Dispatch
The cabal of Cronin consplrators has
| been broken.
Patrick O'Sulivan's love OF liberty Il
| stronger than his allegiance 10 the Irish
| Nationalist. He has made statement
| OF his connection with the murder of DR..
| i. ii. Cronn, and by SO doing has thrown
| light I'm dark places. He Is angry, de-
| fiant and determined. He is serving n
| life'sentence in the prison at Joliet. He
says that he is guilty of nothing more
| than aiding in conspiracy To identify
| an alleged British spy and to secure
some papers" O'Sullivan now realizes
| that the securing of papers was not the
chief purpose of the conspiracy and that
! Cronin was not spy.
A few days ago an intimate friend
called upon the iceman and was furnish
| ed with the facts which are the cause
Of O'Sullivan's great confidence that he
will be given his liberty. The story was
| told with every indication OF sincerity,
| and may be accepted Us the first break
| in the oath-bound compact
OSullivan says that he never was in
volved in any conspiracy TO murder Gro
min. He was member of the National
| lists. and ii was common talk among the
members that Cronin was a British
spy and an enemy 10 the order. He
believed the statements made to
him, and as an ardent friend of
the Irish cause he came TO look
upon DR.. Cronn as a traitor to the peo-
pie of his native land. He was told
that Dr. Cronin cou d be identified a
British emissary, If necessary, and that
upon his person could be found papers
which would not only prove him TO be
an enemy of the Irish Nationalist but
which. unless secured, might be used as
evidence against prominent Irishmen.
Drawn on by the enthusiasm Of his oath
bound associates, O'Sullivan says that he
entered into the conspiracy with Daniel
Coughlin, Martin Bourk, Patrick +.
Cooney, and others whose names he will
give at the proper time Daniel Cough
lin had absolute charge of the matter
and the others acted under his instruc-
tions.
O'Sullivan does not tell who was next
in authority above Coughln. The lee
man says that he was not acquainted
with the inner workings of the con-
spiracy He was the dupe IL was he
who was assigned to look after the SecIir-
ing of the Carlson cottage: he was sent
furnish medical services for his (O'Sulli-
vans employees at the rate of $50 year;
he was the one who was TO send a card
to DR.. Cronin's house in order TO invegle
the victim into the ambush of the muir
derers: he was the man forced out into
the open while the others remained un-
der cover and perfected their plans Of
assassination unknown To him.
O'SullVan says that up to the very
hour of the murder he was i'm ignorance
Of the real motive Of the preparations
which the cOnspratOrs had been careful
ly making for seventy-two days He
knew that the Carlson cottage had been
rented and furnished by Martin Bourk,
and he also knew of the other arrange
ments for leading Dr. Cronin into the
trap. But COughin repeatedly assured
him that the intention was to get posses
sion of Cronin and examine him for docu-
mcnts which were valuable 10 the Irish
cause and which would prove the treach-
, cry of the man who professed to be a
friend Of ireland.
O'Sullivan was at the cottage on the
night of May I, $50, but he was not i'm
the front room when the fatal blow was
struck.
The mysterious driver of the white
horse had been sent to DR.. CrOnin'S resi-
dence, carrying one of O'Sullivan's BUSH
ness cards. The iceman either does not
know or refuses TO give the name OF the
driver. The remainder Of the narrative
can be put I'm OSullivan's own words as
he has told it within the last few days:
"There were three of us in the front
room of the cottage at o'clock that
evening"" said O'Sullivan. "They were
ID Il a.
self We were waiting TO see whether
our plan was successful | was feeling
pretty nervous, for l did not like the way
Bourk and Cooney acted. did not see
any weapon. and | will always say that |
did not go there that night to commit
murder. When the buggy bringing Dr.
Cronin drove up the street toward the
cottage | weakened and began TO realize
that there might be trouble-a struggle
at least-and so / went out through the,
back room ana down the rear stairway
] stood back of the house trembling with
horror as | heard the sounds of the
struggle from within"
OSullivan's story in regard TO being in
the back yard at the time of the killing
is corroborated By the testimony of Mrs
Carlson and of the German washer
woman, who saw DR.. Cronin enter the
cottage. Both OF them testified at the
trial that some one was standing at the
rear of the house at the time of the muir
der.
In continuing his story O'Sullivan says
that after remaining outside of the
house for time. undecided what t. do
he went i'm and found Cronin lying. APP
parently dead. on the floor of the front
room. The walls of the room were spat-
tered with blood and there was pool of
blood on the floor. Dan Coughln was
i'm the room. He had been waiting up
the street and had come in at the front
door just after Bourk and Cooney. "the
Fox" had completed their bloody work.
As OSullivan came in the back way
Coughlin walked up 20 the body OF DR..
Cronin lying on the floor and began kick
ing the dead man in the head O'Sullivan
caught hold of him and told him to stop,
Coughlin paid no attention to the iceman,
and continued stamping upon the head
of the lfeless man. Then OSullivan
drew revolver and said: "You scoln-
drel, you have killed this man, and now
YOU are kicking his dead body. If you
don't stop, I'll shoot you" Coughlin