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
"Now we will tell you about other things in this case before we
come to the 4th of May. You will remember that in September John F.
Beggs was walking down the street with Mr. O'Keefe, and Mr. Flynn,
and they were discussing Dr. Cronin. Beggs said Dr. Cronin was not
fit to belong to the Irish cause. When you brand an Irishman as not
being fit to belong to the Irish cause it means that he is a man to
be held in contempt by the Irish people. Beggs gave as a reason
that he had taken Dan Coughlin in without ever initiating him, and
O'Keefe, said he was going to investigate it. I have no doubt that
somebody filled up Beggs in reference to Dr. Cronin. I have no
doubt somebody stood behind him telling him what a terrible man he
was; that he was always creating disturbances in the order; that
somebody talked him up in this matter until he got to be senior
guardian.
"Up to the 4th of May Dr. Cronin still lived, but all the
arrangements were 'amicably settled.' 'The matter I was writing to
you has been amicably settled,' wrote Beggs. I want to call your
attention to another thing: You remember that about a year ago last
September, about the time that Beggs was talking about Cronin not
being a good Irishman, about that time Dan Coughlin was trying to
get some one to 'slug' Dr. Cronin. Now you must believe that
statement. Here were three witnesses. They did not all swear to the
same point, but all directed to the same thing that Sampson swore
to. You remember that Garrity testified that this man Coughlin told
him he would like to see Sampson, as he had some work he wanted
Sampson to do--that he wanted him to 'slug' Dr. Cronin. Now, if
Garrity is the kind of man that Dan Coughlin's learned attorney
would have you believe, and I don't say he is not, Garrity then is
the kind of man that Coughlin would talk to about this, is he not?
If this man Sampson is in the habit of loafing in Garrity's saloon,
Garrity would be the man that Coughlin would go to in order to get
a word to Sampson; and in order to get Sampson from running from
him, Coughlin told Garrity he wanted to see him. Garrity said he
told Sampson. Sampson took this man Lynn with him. The
conversation, of course, is not in evidence; it was not competent,
but Lynn stands across the street. Sampson didn't know but what
maybe this man Coughlin wanted to run him in; he didn't know but
what it was a job put up on him. You don't suppose that Coughlin
would have sent for a class leader in a Methodist church to do this
job, nor would he send for a banker or a lawyer or a doctor to it.
But he picked up Sampson. He thought Sampson was void of all
respect, and he said: 'Sampson, I want you to slug a man.' It was
just before election, and he said: 'You can catch him some night
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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