Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1890-11-19

OHlCAGO, ILL.,, NOV. 1T dIIICk " CuI-
livan's love of liberty is stronger than
his allegiance to the Irish Nationalists
He has made statement of his connec
ton with the murder of DR.. P. II. Gro
min. and by so doing has thrown light in
dark places. He is angry, defiant, and
determined. He is serving life SEN
tence 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 Gro
min was not a spy.
O'Sullivan says that he never was in
volved in any conspiracy to murder
Cronin. He was a member of the Ma
tionalists, and it was common talk among
the members that Cronin was British
spy and an enemy to the order. He be-
lieved the statements made to him, and
as an ardent friend of the Irish cause
he came to look upon DR.. Cronin as
traitor to the people of his native land.
He was told that DR.. Cronin could be
identified as q British emissary, if
necessary, and that upon his person
could be found papers which would not
Irish Nationalists, but which, unless Sc
cured, might be used as evidence
against prominent Irishmen. Drawn
on by the enthusiasm of his oath-bound
associates, O'Sulllvan says that he en-
tered into the conspiracy with Daniel
Coughlin, Martin Burke, Patrick F.
Cooney and others, whose names he
will give at the proper time. Daniel
Coughlin had absolute charge of the
matter, and the others acted under his
instructions.
O'Sullivan does not tell who was next
in authority above Coughlin. The ice
man says that he was not acquainted
with the inner workings of the conspi-
racy. He was the dupe. 1t was he
who was assigned to look after the Sc
curing of the Carlson cottage; he was
sent to make contract with DR.. Cronin
to furnish medical services for his
(O'Sullivan's) employees at the rate of
$50 year; he was the one who was to
send card to DR.. Cronin's house in
order to inveigle the victim into the
ambush of the murderers; he was the
man forced out into the open while the
others remained under cover and per-
fected their plans of assassination I'M
known to him.
O'Sullivan says that up to the very
of the real motive of the preparations
which the conspirators had been care
fully making for seventy-two days. He
knew that the Carlson cottage had been
rented and furnished by Martin Burke,
and he also knew of the other arrange
ments for leading DR.. Cronin into the
trap. But Coughlin repeatedly assured
him that the intention was to get posses
sion of Cronin and examine him tordoc-
uments which were valuable to the Irish
cause, and which would prove the
treachery of the man who protested to
be friend of Ireland.
O'Sullivan was at the cottage on the
night of May 4, 1899, but he was not in
the front room when the fatal blow was
struck. The mysterious driver of the
white horse had been sent to DR..
Cronin's residence. carrying one of
OSullivan's business cards. The ice
man either does not know or refuses to
give the name of the driver.
There were three of us in the front
room of the cottage at o'clock that
evening"" said O'Sullivan. "They were
Martin Burke, Patrick Cooney and my
self We were waiting to see whether
our plans were successful | was feel
ing pretty nervous, for | did not like
the way Burke and Cooney acted. |
did not see any weapon and | will al
ways 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 and
down the rear stairway. | stood back
of the house, trembling with horror as
f,oo Il Io of 10
O'Sullivan's story in regard to being
in the back yard at the time of the kill
ing is corroborated by the testimony Of
Mrs. Carlson and of the German wash
erwoman, 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
murder.
In continuing his story, O'Sullivan
says that alter remaining outside of the
house for time, undecided what to do,
he went in and found Cronin lying, APP
parently dead, on the floor of the front
room. The walls Of the room were
spattered with blood, and there was
pool of blood on the floor. Dan Cough
lin was in the room He had been
at the front door just after Burke and
Cooney, "the Fox" had completed
their bloody work AS O'Sullivan came
in the back way Coughlin walked up to
the body OF DR.. Cronin, lying on the
floor, and began kicking 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 lifeless man. Then O'Sullivan
drew revolver and said: 'You
scoundrel, you have killed this man
and now you are kicking his dead body.
Ii you don't stop III shoot YOU
Coughlin ran out of the room at the |
point of O'Sullivan's revolver. O'Sulli-
van left the house and had nothing to
do with putting the body into the trunk
and disposing of it. 1t was his under
at the time Martin Burke
struck the first blow, which dazed and |
stunned the victim. although it did not
prevent him from struggling until he
received his other death wounds
O'Sullivan will swear upon the witness
stand, if an opportunity is given him,
that he did not furnish the weapon
with which the murder was committed,
L II