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
"You remember now that Coughlin was sent to find the man. Dinan did
not stop there; he sent word to Schaack and Schaack sent to the
chief, and Schaack had his orders from the chief to send Coughlin
to find out who hired the white horse at that time. This was on May
6. Then, if you remember, the evidence shows that they were out
hunting for the object that had evidently been in that trunk, and
did not find it until the 22d day of May."
THE FINDING OF THE BODY.
"On the 22d day of May some men who were looking after the health
of the community, cleaning catch basins in Lake View, lifted the
lid of one of the basins and saw the body of a man. That body was
taken out and brought to the morgue in Lake View, and identified as
that of Dr. Cronin. Up to this time the word had gone out. Coughlin
supposed it was all right. P. O'Sullivan was on his ice wagon again
and handling ice. It was the right kind of business for him to be
in. Up to this time Burke was visiting his friend in Joliet, and at
work in a ditch, telling him that he had been working at the stock
yards. Up to the finding of this body they all thought 'there is no
danger now; our verdict is sealed and it is returned to him alone
[pointing in the direction of Beggs]. No one has a right to know
except the senior guardian; we are in no danger. Dan Coughlin
signed his pay rolls all the same; Patrick O'Sullivan handled his
ice; Burke worked in the ditch, and this body was found. It was
found just half a mile from where that committee of three were seen
at Edgewater--a mile south of Evanston avenue, where they had the
tool chest or trunk seen by Officer Way. One-half mile south in a
catch-basin was found the body of Dr. Cronin. The wagon was seen to
be empty just three-quarters of a mile from where the body was
found and the bloody trunk was found in the bushes. In the
catch-basin there was cotton. In the trunk there was cotton--when
Dr. Cronin left home he had in his arms cotton--and further on just
a quarter of a mile we find that Dr. Cronin's clothes were in a
sewer.
"Recollect that when they were last seen with this trunk it was at
Edgewater, at 1 o'clock. The clothes were found just north of Buena
avenue in the sewer with a satchel, and it turns out now that the
satchel in all its measurements and appearance and quality and size
is identical with that which Simonds bought, and that Burke moved
into the Carlson Cottage. Now, will you tell me, going over the
ground, and seeing that satchel and the trunk on the road and the
clothes in the sewer--with the evidence of the cries in the
cottage--the card of O'Sullivan taking him there, will you tell me
that you have any doubt as to where this crime was committed or
that Dr. Cronin was killed in that cottage?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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