Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-07-20

beard the political Douglas, Jimmy
o Brien, in his hall, as Dorman b.
Eaton, United States civil service COM
missioner found ont as he philosophical
over the mutability of human affairs
on sick bed at his country mansion in
Connecticut nursing a fractured skull.
Croker and O Brien, with friends, met
on the afternoon of that day and fu
rious battle ensued. la the melee John
McKenna, "a follower of O'Brien, was
shot and killed. O'Brien swore before IA
magistrate that Croker did the shoot
ing, as did also some of his retaincrs.
Croker was indicted and tried for muir
der in the first degree. O. Brien savage
ly tried to hang" his enemy, and
boasted that he would do so. With
three other men he swore that he saw
Croker fire the fatal shot. Two of those
men have since died and confessed that
they testified falsely.
John Kelly and Abram s. Hewitt
fought valiantly in Croker's defense,
yet it was almost in vain There was a
plethora of killing in New York Just
at that time and a paroxvsm of public
wrath in consequence. To accuse was
to convict, as in the time of tile
French revolution. Edward s. Stokes
was then undergoing his second trial
for the murder of Jim Fisk John Scan
nell, now fire commissioner of New
York, was being tried for the killing of
John DOnahue, who had slain Scannell $
brother Florence; George Foster, the
Gear hook murderer for taking
the life of car conductor, and "
number of other men We're awaiting
trials for various homicidcs. The jury
stood 9 to 6 in Croker's trial, and at
one time it was II to for conviction.
He was never brought to second trial,
as evidence was later brought to the
notice of the prosecution showing that
three of the witnesses against Croker
had committed deliberate perjury jus
tiCe Barrett, who presided at the trial,
has always maintained that Croker was
innocent. Judge Barrett has been on
the bench ever since and has no firmer
friend than Richard Croker.
Croker owes the power he has today
to his marvellous powers of organiza-
ton, his perfect knowledge of human
nature, his stern discipline and his
stanch loyalty to friends. With him
friendship is a religion, but no friend
can dare abuse that friendship to the
detriment of the powerful organization
of which he is supreme master. There
Is an old Italian proverb Cardinal MAJ
arin used to apply to his clerical fol
lowers when he was prime minister Of
France, ''Si non caste, cave. So with
Richard Croker. He, too, says, IF you
are not chaste, beware" in other
words Don't let your sins find you
out. Croker can wink at venial sins,
but anything which will hurt "the or
ganization' is deadly sin and unfor-
givable. So a mighty man Che thought
himself) found out when he attempted
to get rid of a faithful wife and leave
her penniless, through fraudulent di-
vOrce, and marry his mistress. He held
the best Office in the county, worth
SO, 600 to 500, 900 year, and he inn
plored Cookers protection and friend
ship when the newspapers exploited his
villainy. Are You Innocent" asked
Croker, fixing his cold, steel eye upon
the others. The other one looked down.
"You have hurt the organization " re-
turned Croker coldly, land must get out
of Tammany, out of Office and stand
trial" He read the mans guilt at once,
Croker is as loyal in his friendships az
was Conkling President Cleveland in
vited him down to Washington in SOB
and begged Of him not to support Ed
ward Murphy Jr., for United States
senator, promising him to help noini-
nate Tammany man if he would
abandon Murphy. Croker brusquely re-
fused. He could not be coddlod or "iol-
lied like other men, Murphy he said,
was his friend and that ended the mat
ter Cleveland had been sounding Con-
gresham BOurke Cochran, then the
great orator of Tammany and pet of
Chief Croker. Cleveland told Cochran
he was Just 1.-The man for the place"
and 20 ''see Croker about if " When