The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-12-26
WHY BURKE DIDN'T CONFESS.
Judge Longenecker Hints that Some
Mysterious Influence Was at Work.

CHICAGO, Dec. 25.-According to q story
in local paper Martin Burke was at one
time, after his extradition from Winnipeg,
on the verge of making a complete con-
fession of all the events conn ,ted with the
murder of DIR. Cronin. Judge Longenecker,
at that time prosecuting attorney, tells to-
day what narrow escape he had from Sc
curing from Burke a confession that would
have changed the whole complexion of the
celebrated trial of the conspirators who
hired the Carlson cottage for their awful
butchery. Judge Longenecker says: Burke
reached Chicago In charge of Chief Hub
bard. who had taken immediate super
vision of his extradition and had gone TO
Winnipeg to bring Burke home. l ordered
him carried at once to the Harrison-street
station. Here. 1 feel, made my first mis-
take. Perhaps 1 ought to have had him
taken to some other station L went d.
rectly to the station. where Chief Hubbard
and L held a long interview with the pris-
oner. tried my best to get him to con-
fess and I am confident that 1 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 Carlson cottage. We know
put in il. We know you fled to Canada as
soon as the murder was discovered. We
we can III prove Owe all all we Know. Now, we also
know that you were not alone In the muir
der. There Were others, Now. the people
thing for you. 1t is the others whom they
are going to try to get off. They will sim
ply use you as scaPegoatm Ia p.iog Se, 70
Burke. you had better use the only chance
you have to save your neck and turn
~ talked n long while with him in this
strain. Then 1 showed him letter from
his mother. 1t seemed to be the finish
ing stroke. When l left him that after
noon both Chief Hubbard and myself felt
there not the slightest doubt that he
would confess all about II when returned
on the morrow. 1 left strict orders that
nobody should be allowed to see Burke.
But ex-Mayor Cregier and Stephen ID.
May. who was at that time city prose
mittance and had talk with him. do
not want to be understood as impugning
the motive of either eX-Mayor Cregier or
Mr.. May. I feel. positive that the ex-
Mayor was heartily with us in our efforts
to convict Burke. Mr.. May also had
perfect right to him in his capacity
of city prosecutor. 1t is quite probable
that they both wished TO see Burke from
sheer curiosity. Mr., May had formerly
was defending the other prisoner. 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 eX-
pecting TO hear his confession, the prison
er's whole demeanor had completely
changed. Instead of looking like a man
who seemed to have lost the-iast straw of
hope and had determined to save himself
by confession, Burke was defiant. He
laughed at us and told us that he guessed
he would not confess.
LAS Burke was leaving the station /
told him again that he was being used as
a scapegoat. To prove it. 1 said: Just
you tell your Wisconsin lawyer when you
see him that you have made up your mind
10 confess everything and plead guilty.
See how quickly he will try to persuade
you not to do So / think that Burke
may have done so, and that his law er
from Wisconsin may have wavered a lit
tie. This may account for his being sup
planted by Mr.. Forrest, almost immedi-
ately afterward. 1 have always believed
that Burke intended to confess but was
braced up and prevented from telling any
thing, by the same mysterious power
which lent courage to OSullivan and the
rest whenever they began to despair"