Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1894-03-15
Dan Coughlin Acquitted.

Nearly everybody was surprised
when on last Thursday evening it was
announced throughout the country
that the famous trial of Dan Coughlin
for the murder of DR.. Cronin in
Chicago was ended and that Couglin
was found not guilty. There was
a general feeling at the beginning OF
the trial that he was guilty of the
murder and that he would either be
sent to prison again for life or else
hanged; but right or wrong, he is
now free man. Below is brief
history Of the crime and the trial,
taken from the Milwaukee Sentinel:
HISTORY OF THE GREAT TRIAL.
The Coughlin trial has been one of
the most noteworthy in the criminal
annals of the country Daniel Cough
lin, an ex-city detective, was charged
with completely in the murder of DR..
T. II. Cronin, a prominent Irish physi-
clan. Cronin was well known in one
faction of the Clan-Na-Gael and it was
to members Of an opposing faction
that his murder was charged. At the
former trial, Coughlin. Martin Burke
and Patrick O'Sulliyan were convicted
of the murder and sentenced to life
Imprisonment. The two latter died
in prison and the present defendant
secured new trial.
DR.. Cronin disappeared on the even
ing Of May i. 1889. After a protract-
ed search his body, mutilated and de-
composed, was found in 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 placed the murder.
In the present trial, after five week 5
work the jury was accepted on Dec. )
last. Before the jury was completed
there were charges against jurymen
and three men who had been accepted
were excused from service. On Dec.
II, the case was opened with the fol-
lowing jury: George z. Shay Oscar
p Brooks, G. Holsman, Frank b, Lusk
0. S. Weinberger. Frederick 6. Lane,
Clark Bruce, Hiram Wadleigh, John
F. Larson, Michael Conlon, Alfred f.
Woodland and Oscar Benson.
Assistant Prosecuting Attorneys
Bottum and Kickum Scanlan conduct
ed the case for the state with ex-
Judge Wing and Attorney Donahoe for
the defense. One Of tile most import
ant witnesses to appear for the prose-
ton was Mrs Andrew Foy, wife Of a
brieklayer Mrs Foy told Of being
present at numerous conferences be-
tween the defendant and her husband,
and claimed to have heard numerous
conversations between them and other
men which pointed to a conspiracy to
murder Or. Cronin Her story was
sensational in the extreme but the de-
tense introduced testimony to show
that Mrs. Toy had written to former
attorney for the defense, threatening
to tell damaging story unless she be
literally rewarded Her sanity also
was called in question and her intense
hatred for her husband, to whom her
testimony was most damaging, was
shown Her evidence was perhaps
the strongest Of my presented by the
state as she told o complete story of
the killing. Her testimony was that
Martin Burke. now dead. and the miss
ing Cooney did the actual killing,
while Iceman O'Sullivan stood in the
yard and a policeman guarded the
door Coughlin. she said. arrived at
the Carlson cottage shortly after the
deed was done.
In attempted confederation of Mrs.
Foy's story, Mrs. Susie Horton was
called and testified that she sew Toy
and Coughlin together on May y, !