The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1893-12-29
CONFESSED.
Judge LOngenecker Tells How Close
He Came to Getting a Confession
From Burke
Giving the Details Of the Murder OF
DR.. CrOnin--He Thought He
Had 1t Sure,
But When He Went to Burke's Cell
Next Day Burke Refused to
Say Anything.
CONFESSED.

CHICAGO, Dec. C.-AccOrd1nS 10 u
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 L~ongenecker, at that time
prosecuting, now tells what a narrow
escape he had from securing from Burke
a confession which would have changed
the whole complexion of the celebrated
trial of the conspirators who hired the
Carlson cottage for their awful b%utchery.
Judge Longenecker's Story.
Burke reached Chicago i'll 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, l feel. l
made my first mistake. PerhapsI ought
to have had him taken to some other
station. l went directly to the
station, where Chief Hubbard and l
held a long interview with the prisoner.
! tried my best to get him to confess,
and l arm confident that l should have
succeeded had nobody else seen him be-
fore my next visit.
Burke" I said to hun, 1--WE 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 He'd 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 were not alone in the
murder. There were others. Now, the
people who are behind the murder don't
care anything for you. 1t is the others
whom they are going to try to get of.
They will simply use you as a 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, and turn states
evidence. l talked a long while with
him in this strain. Then ! showed him
q letter from his mother. 1t seemed to
he the finishing stroke.
Thought He Would Confess.
"When I left him that afternoon, both
Chief Hubbard and myself felt there
was not the slightest doubt that he would
confess all about it when l 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 l remember Alright, procured
admittance and had a talk with him. ]
don't want to be understood as impugn.
ing the motive of either ex-Mayor Gre
gier or Mr.. May. I feel positive that thu
ex-mayor was heartily with us in on,
efforts to convict Burke. MI. May alst
had a perfect right to see him in his ca
pacity Of city prosecutor. 1t is quite
probable that they both wished to sex
Burke from mere curiosity. Mr.. May
had formerly been a partner of Lawyer
Forrest, who was defending tho Other
prisoners. Whether anybody else saw
Burke or not that day I do not know
Still, there were plenty of police official
who had the right Of entrance to tn,
cells.
Buvke's Demeanor Chsnged.
But the fact remains that the mex
morning when Chief Hubbard and
visited Burke, fully expecting to heai
his confession, the prisoners whole de
mesnor had completely changed. In
stead Of looking like q man who seemet
to have lost the last straw Of hope AM
had determined to save himself by con
fession, Burke was defiant. He lsughe'
at US, and told us that he guessed h
wouldn't confess. As Burke was leav
ing the station I told him again that b
was being used as q scapegoat. T
prove it I said:
"'Just you tell your Wisconsin law
yer when you see him that you hav
made up your mind to confess every
thing and plead guilty. See how quickl
he will try and persuade you not I
do so.'
II think that Burke may have dQn
90, and that his lawyer from Wisconsi
NAV have Wayered q little. This ma