St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-12-26

told - The Story as Recently
Told by the Disappointed and
Chagrined Judge.
CHICAGO, Dec. 25.-According to a
story in this mornings Times. Martin
Burke was at one time after his extra
dition from Winnipeg on the verge of
making complete confession of all
the events connected with the murder
of DR.. Cronin. Judge Longenecker, at
that time proset uting, tells today what
narrow escape he had from securing
from Burke confession which would
have changed the whole complexion of
the celebrated trial of the conspiIators
who hired the Carlson cottage for their
awful butchery. Judge Longenecker
says:
Burke reached Chicago in charge of
Chief Hubbard, who had taken i'm
mediate supervision of his extradition,
and had gone to Winnipeg to bring
Burke home, and was carried at once to
the Harrison street station. Here, l
feel. made my first mistake. Perhaps
ought to have had him taken to some
L
station, where Chief Hubbard and |
held long interview with the prisoner.
l tried my best TO get him to confess
and l am confident that l should have
succeeded had nobody else seen him
before my next visit. Burke said to
him, we have got
EVIDENCE ENOUGH TO HANG YOU.
''There is not the slightest doubt Of
that. We know that you hired the Carl
son cottage. We know that you bought
the furniture which was put in it. We
know that you fled to Canada as soon as
the murder was discovered. We know
all this and a good deal more. and we
can prove all we know. Now we also
know that you are not alone i'll the MUIR
der. There were others. Now, the peO-
pie who are behind the murder don't
care anything for you. 1t is the others
whom they are going to try to get off.
They will simply use you as scape-
goat, as a bridge to carry themselves
and the rest over safely. Burke, you
had better use the only chance you
have to save your neck, ana turn states
evidence,
IL talked long while with him in
this strain. Then | showed him a letter
from his mother. 1t seemed to be the
finishing stroke. When l left him that
afternoon, both Chief Hubbard and my
self felt there was not the slightest
doubt that he would confess all about it
when returned on the morrow. left
strict orders that nobody should be al
lowed to- see Burke. But ex- Mayor
Cregler and Stephen d. May, who was
at that time city prosecutor, il remem
Der Alright, procured Abundance, and
had talk with him. ! don't want to
be understood as impugning the motive
of ex-Mayor Cregier or Mr.. May. l feel
positive that the eX-mayor was heartily
with us in our
EFF oRTS TO CONVICT BURKE.
Mr.. May also had perfect right to
see him in his capacity of city prose.
cutor. 1t is quite probable that they
both wished to see Burke from mere
curiosity. Mr.. May had formerly been
partner of Lawyer Forrest, who was
defending the other prisoners. Whether
anybody else saw Burke or not that day
do not know. Still, there were plenty
of police officials who had the right of
entrance to the cells. But the fact re-
mains that the next morning, when
Chief Hubbard and / visited Burke,
fully expecting to hear his confession,
the prisoners whole demeanor had
completely changed. Instead of look
ing like man who seemed to have lost
the last straw of hope, and had de-
termined to save himself by confession
Burke was defiant. He laughed at
us, and told us that he guessed
he wouldn't confess. AS Burke was
leaving the station l told him again that
lie was being used as a scapegoat. L
prove it said: Just you tell your Wis
consin lawyer when you see him that
you have made up your mind to confess
everything and plead guilty. See how
quickly he will try to persuade you not
to do so.' l think that Burke may have
done so, and that his lawyer from Wis
consin may have wavered a little. This
may account for his being supplanted
by Mr.. Forrest almost Immediately aft
erward. l have always believed that
Burke intended to confess, but was
braced up and prevented from telling
anything by the same mysterious power
which lent courage to O'Sullivan and
the rest whenever they began to de-
spair."