Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1893-12-27
THE CRONIN MURDER
JUDGE LoNGENECKER TELLS ABOUT
MARTIN 5uRkE'S CONFESSION.

MARTIN BuRKE'S CONFESSION.
He Thought He Had a Full story OF the
Cronin Murder, but Burke Changed
Front and, Refused to Give Out the
story-The Cause of the Change Only
Guessed At.
CHICAGO, Dec. 27,-According to a
story in The Times, Martin Burke was
at one time, after his extradition from
Winnipeg, on the verge of making a
complete confession of all the events
connected with the murder of DR.. Gro
min. Judge Longenecker, at that time
prosecuting, now tells what narrow
escape he had from securing from Burke
confession which would have changed
the whole complexion of the celebrated
trial of the conspirators who hired the
Carlson cottage for their awful butchery.
Judge Longenecker's Story. /.
Burke reached Chicago III charge of
Chief Hubbard, who had taken immedi-
ate supervision of his extradition, and
had gone to Winnipeg to bring Burke
home, had him carried at once to the
Harrison street station. Here, ! feel, l
made my first mistake. Perhaps / ought
to have had him taken to some other
station. went directly to the
station, where Chief Hubbard and I
held long interview with the prisoner.
l tried my best to get him to confess,
and I am confident that / should have
succeeded had nobody else seen him be-
fore my next visit.
Burke" said to hun, tive have got
evidence enough to hang you, There is
not the slightest doubt of that. We
know that you hired the Carlson cot
tage. 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 good deal more, and we
can prove all we know. Now we also
know that you were not alone in the
murder. There were others. Now, the
people who are behind the murder don't
care anything for you. It is the others
whom they are going to try to get off.
They will simply use you as scape-
goat, as bridge to carry themselves
and the rest over safely. Burke, you
had better use the only chance yon have
to save your neck, and turn states
evidence. 1 talked long while with
him in this strain. Then showed him
a letter from his mother. It seemed to
be the finishing stroke.
Thought He Would Confess.
"When left him that afternoon, both
Chief Hubbard and myself felt there
was not the slightest doubt that he would |
confess all about it when returned on
the morrow. I left strict orders that
nobody should be allowed to see Burke.
But ex-Mayor Cregier and Stephen D.
May, who was at that time city prose
cutor, if remember Alright, procured |
admittance and had talk with him. I |
don't want to be understood as impugn-
ing the motive of either ex-Mayor Gre |
gier or Mr.. May. l feel positive that the
ex mayor was heartily with us in our
efforts to convict Burke. Mr.. May also
nad perfect right to see him in his ca
pacity of city prosecutor. It is quite
probable that they both wished to see
Burke from mere curiosity. Mr.. May
had formerly been a 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
,ells.
Burke's Demeanor Changed.
''But the fact remains that the next
morning when Chief Hubbard and I
visited Burke, fully expecting to hear
Ills confession, the prisoners whole de-
neanor had completely changed. In
stead of looking like man who seemed
20 have lost the last straw of hope and
lad determined to save himself by con-
'ession, Burke was defiant He laughed
1t us, and told us that he guessed he
wouldn't confess AS Burke was leav-
ng the station I told him again that he
vas being used as a scapesoat. To
prove it I said:
"'Just you tell your Wisconsin law
Ter when you see him that you have
made up your mind to confess every
hing and plead guilty. See how quickly
le will try and persuade you not to
10 so.'
81 think that Burke may have done
%, and that his lawyer from Wisconsin
nay have wavered little. This may
account for his being supplanted by Mr..
Forrest almost Immediately afterward.
have always believed that Burke in
ended to confess, but was braced up
md prevented from telling anything by
he same mysterious power which lent
courage to O'Sullivan and the rest when.
yer they began to DESPAIR"