Norwich bulletin., 1914-08-26
FAMOUS TRIALS
TRIAL OF GROWN MuRDERERs.

On May 22 1889, Dr. P. H. Cronin. an Irish agitator of Chicago, who had disar reare0 from his hCme m that city more than two weeks previously. was found dead in a sewer on Evans ton avenue. with bloody towel wrapped around his head. On May 4. Dr. Cronin, who had been suspected of treachery and had been expelled from membership by members of the Clan na-Gaei. had mysteriously disappeared on the head Of the doctor when he body was discovered were six wounds. cover the murderers. The house where the cl1me had been comm. tied Was shortly located It was a frame build ing at 1878 Ashland avenue. This house had been rented as recently as March 20 to a man named Martin Burke. When the murder was dis covered detectives took possession of the building.
 The murder. it was evident from the amount of blood stains found, had jaher place in the parI0r. put ere was also blood in the sitting room and the hallway. The body had been packed in a trunk and was carried out of the cottage to wagon and taken from the scene of the crime. The first arrest was that of Detec- tive Daniel Coughlin. He was ar raigned before the mayor, Attorney Hynes and corporation counsel He ! county jail The following day there were two more arrests, Patrick O'Su1- livan and Frank J. Black, alias Wood ruff. They were indicted. The fol- lowing day Woodruff confessed that he had been hired to drive the wagon containing the trunk with Cronin'G body inside. He also stated that the man known as Williams was the leader in the murder.
 The coroner's inquest. which was a fnr- al in inc evidence, resulted in the arrest on
 June of Alexander Sullivan. The jury also recommended that besides Sullivan, others to be held to the grand jury without bail were P. O'Sullivan, Detective Coughlin and Woodruff Sullivan was later released on S2,00O bail. There were a number of other arrests of prominent Irish leaders, not only in Chicago, but in New York and Philadelphia. Finally Woodruff made a complete and exhaustive confession. The examination of witnesses and Sus- 1 poets dragged on we'll through the summer and finally true bills were l found against Sullivan, O'SuIlivan, 1 Cough!in, Martin Burke, Woodruff and | John kunze.
 The impaneling of a jury in the | case was begun on Aug. 4. Owing to | the court being engaged in other inn l portant eases, and the great number | of challenges, the jury was not com pIeted unth OcC zz The case was | begun on Oct. 24, when Attorney
 Longenbecker presented an outline of the crime and several witnesses were
 called to testify to the indentity of the body found as that of pr. Cronin. The trial was continued all through
 November and part of December, with
 out interruption. After a charge by
 Judge Mcconnell not unfavorable to
 the five Cronin suspects, their case
 was given to the jury on the after
 noon of Dec. 14. The jurors did not
 report their finding until Monday
 afternoon. Dec. r. when they brought
 in the following verdiet-that Kupze was guilty of manslaughter, and that Couehlin, O'Sullivan and Burke were
 guilty of murder in the manner and 1 form as charged in the indictment and
 fixed the penalty at imprisonment in l the penitentiary for the term of their
 natural lives.
 Juror John Culver saved the necks Of O'Sullivan, Coughlin and Burke. | His opposition to the death penalty dict was read, motions for new trial
 were made by Lawyer Forrest in be-
 half of the four prisoners.
 l It was brought out at the trial that lOSulHvan had contracted for the serV- ices of Dr. Cronin presumably to en- trap him into the snare into which he fell on the night of May f. Burke had rented the cottage in which Cronin was KllleQ. SOugnlln the detective,
 was charged with arranging for "a friend" to hire the horse and buggy
 that carried Cronin to the house where he was butchered John F. Beggs was shown to be the man who was ap- pointed to be committee of one to report Cronin's murder to his lodge, No evidence was brought out to inn
 plicate Kunze as deeply in the con-
 spiracy as the others. However, he
 was present at the meeting of camp 20, when Cronin was sentenced for
 trial.
 The other individuals involved in the
 plot were allowed to go free Wood
 ruff, in spite of his injecting himself into the case. was proved to be ig- norant of the conspiracy and the
 ghastly contents of the trunk he had
 hauled in spite of his many confes-
 sions. Coughlin succeeded in securing
 a rehearing of his case and was ac-
 quilted on March 8. 1894. It was one
 of the longest criminal trials ever held
 in Chicago. as well as one of the most
 Interesting.