"I had been trying to find Starkey, the lawyer, who left Chicago last winter." "Why did you wish to see him?" "Simply to get the run of the town." "Did you not suspect that he might expose you?" "O, no! I am sure he would not do that. It would not be to his interest." "I thought Starkey was not friendly to you. Did he not at one time try to hurt your reputation?" "I don't know that he did. In any case he would not do so now." "Well, now, as to why you left Chicago?" "I have been declining in health for some time and thought it would do me good to take a trip." "Why should you have left Chicago without letting your friends know?" "Well, now, that is a long story and the telling of it would implicate a great number of my friends who are in no way responsible for any of my actions. I trust you will not press me on that point." Cronin was pressed, however, and told the following story: "While I lived in St. Louis I promptly identified myself with the Irish cause, then disturbing the public. I soon found that the great Irish movement was to be centered either at Chicago or New York, and after consulting my intimate friends, among whom was Dr. O'Reilly, I made up my mind to go to Chicago. I did so, armed with letters of introduction, and soon found myself prominent in Irish as well as other circles." He then went on to say that he soon discovered that the large quantities of money being received by certain persons for the Irish cause were not handled properly, and that not more than three-fourths of it ever reached Ireland. "I know," he stated, "that at least $85,000 was gobbled up by certain persons in Chicago, and when I began to 'call the turn' on them they tried to scare me off. Failing in this, they tried to bribe me. That would not work."