The Crime of the Century; Or, The Assassination of Dr. Patrick Henry CroninHunt, Henry M.
History
The Crime of the Century; Or, The Assassination of Dr. Patrick Henry Cronin
Hunt, Henry M.
Cronin, Patrick Henry, 1846-1889; Trials (Assassination) -- Illinois -- Chicago
"There was the sign 'For Rent' on that Carlson cottage; there was
Patrick O'Sullivan, a member of Camp 20, a man who had been saying
that Dr. Cronin was taking deputies into the camp, to say that the
cottage was to rent. He knew that the old folks went to bed at an
early hour; he knew the habits of these poor old people. Patrick
O'Sullivan knew there were but two houses on the entire block on
that side of the street; he knew there were not half a dozen houses
within a radius of three or four blocks. Now, Martin Burke, who
belonged to the same camp, and was present at the time the
committee was ordered to be appointed--Martin Burke, under the name
of Frank Williams, appears on the scene and wants to rent the
cottage. He told Jonas Carlson that his sister intended to keep
house for him and his brother. Now, remember that every time
anything was said about the flat or the cottage the party was to
come from the East. Simonds said his brother was coming from the
East to have his eyes treated, and he wanted to be near the center
of the city for that purpose. This man, Frank Williams, who turned
out to be none other than Martin Burke, a brother in Camp 20,
appears and says his sister is coming from the East. Martin was not
so lavish with his money as Simonds was, because when the old man
wanted $12 a month he wanted him to take $11. Martin wanted to save
all he could out of the pile; but this man Simonds, who had the
bulk of the money, pulls it out in rolls when he was going to pay
for anything. Simonds carried his money just as the trianglers
would carry it, who had been robbing the Irish cause for years, but
Martin Burke, who had been working in the ditches, thought if he
could save a dollar out of the $12 he would do it. But Mr. Carlson
refused to lower the rent and he paid the $12. Then he said his
sister was coming from the East to keep house for them. You can
have no doubt that the cottage was rented by a man named Frank
Williams. Mr. Carlson and his wife, and Charles Carlson and his
wife, who were present, said that he rented the cottage. Charles
wrote out the receipt and signed it for his father and gave it to
Frank Williams. Here are three persons who swore that Frank
Williams rented the cottage. And here is a significant incident for
you to remember. They started out with assumed names. Martin Burke
appears as Frank Williams. If he were renting the cottage for a
lawful purpose, if he wished it for no other purpose than to occupy
it in a legitimate way, to have his sister come and keep house for
him, there would be no occasion for his renting it under the name
of Frank Williams. That is conceded. So, then, he must have rented
this cottage for some other purpose. It was not because he wanted
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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