The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-03-09
REVIEW OF THE CASE.
The Crime Charged Against CoughliD
and the Testimony Submitted.


The Coughlin trial has been one Of the
most noteworthy in the criminal annals OF
the country. Like the former Cronin trial
1t has been replete with sensations and OF
remarkable duration. Daniel Coughlin. an
ex-city detective, was charged with COM
plicity IN the murder Of DR.. Z. II. Cronin,
a prominent Irish physician. Cronin was
well known in one faction of the Gamma
Gael. and IL was to the members OF that
faction that his murder was charged. At
the former trial Coughlin. Martin Burke
and Patrick OSullivan were convicted Of
the murder and sentenced 10 Imprisonment
The two latter died in prison and the pres
ent defendant secured a new trial. DR..
Cronin disappeared on the evening OF May
4, 1882 After prOtracted search his body,
mutilated and decomposed. was found in a
catch-basin in the northern part OF the city.
In the same section Of the city stands the
little Carlson cottage where the theory Of
the prosecution places the murder.
In the present trial, after five weeks
work, the jury was accepted on Dec. last
After the jury was completed several sensa-
lions were sprung in the shape of charges
against jurymen, and three men VINO had
been accepted were excused from service.
On Dec. IL the case was opened. one OF
the most important witnesses to appear for
the prosecution was Mrs Andrew Foy, wife
of bricklayer. Mrs. Foy told OF being
present at numerous conferences between
the defendant and her husband claiming 10
have heard numerous conversations between
them and other men which pointed TO a con-
spiracy to murder DR.. Cronin. Her story
was sensational in the extreme, but the de-
Tense introduced testimony 10 show that
Mrs. Foy had written to a. former attorney
for the defense threatening TO tell dam
aging story unless she was literally re-
warded. Her sanity also was called in
question, and her intense hatred for her
Ans~ HtVrn.nr NF4Cf
damaging, was shown. Her evidence was
perhaps the strongest of any presented by
the State. as she told complete. story OF
tin Burke, now dead, and the missing
Cooney did the actual killing while, icemaa
o'sullivan stood in the Eard' do and
Coughlin, she said, arrived at The
Carlson cottage shortly after the deed was
Foy's story Mrs. Hoertel testified that she
saw Foy and Coughlin together on May u,
however, introduced testimony to show that
on the day in question Mrs Hoertel was
sadly intoxicated.
A new and sensational witness intro
duced by the State in the person OF Frank
Bardeen,, an electrical engineer. In May,
1889. he was employed at the Edgewater
bearing the remains OF DR.. Cronin. was as
sumed by the prosecution TO have gone.
morning OF May he heard a wagon pass
ing. He turned on an electric searchlight
which was fixed above the door and, In the
glare, he said he saw a wagon in which
was a large chest or trunk. Behind the
wagon walked two men, he claimed, one or
whom he identified as Coughlin. Bardeens
testimony was savagely attacked by the de-
Tense. Ii was shown that no train ran at
the hour he said he left Edgewater, the
morning after he saw the wagon, and evil
dence was introduced TO show that no moon
was visible on the night in question, ale
though he swore positively he first saw the
wagon and men by moonlight. Much med
ical testimony was introduced by the de-
Tense to show that DR.. Cronin's death might
have resulted from disease and not from the
wounds found on his body, but its prin-
cipal effort directed towards establish
ing an alibi with three witnesses sworn TO
having seen Coughlin during the evening
when he was supposed to have been engaged
in the killing, and their testimony was un-
shaken.