Democratic Sentinel, Volume 13, Number 43, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 November 1889 — COUGHLIN AND KUNZE. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

COUGHLIN AND KUNZE.

TESTIMONY IMPLICATING THE DETECTIVE AND HIS FRIEND. Milkman Mertes Says He Saw Them Drive to the Carlson Cottage on the Night ot May 4, and Coughlin Entered the Slaughter House. [Chicago telegram.] In the Cronin murder trial, Justice Mahoney testified as to O’Sullivan asking him to introduce the iceman to Dr. Cronin, and how the Justice accompanied O’Sullivan to the Doctor’s office, where the contract was made for Cronin to attend any of O’Sullivan’s men who might happen to be hurt. Mrs. Addie J. Farrar was then called. She said she lived at No. 377 Mohawk street and had known O’Sullivan in a business way, having taken ice from him for ten or twelve years—when he peddled for Snell and afterward when he went in business for himself. “Do you remember the discovery of Dr. Cronin’s body-” “Yes, sir.’’ “Did you see P. O’Sullivan about that time?” “Yes, sir; he called at my house in the latter part of May to see me about taking ice from him this season. I had just read in the papers that morning about the finding of Dr. Cronin’s body, and I asked Mr. Sullivan if he had heard about it. He said he had. I said it was a terrible thing to kill anybody and throw his body into a catch-basin. Mr. Sullivan said he heard them say that Dr. Cronin was a British spy and I said: ‘Why should they kill him even if he was a spy?’ Then Mr. Sullivan said: ‘They say he gave away secrets of a secret order, and if that was so he ought to be killed.’ I said: ‘lf he did that he was another Morgan,’ and Mr. Sullivan said: ‘Such men get their just deserts. ’ Sebastian Steib then took the stand. On the 4th of May he was a police officer in Lake View. About 11:30 o’clock on the night of May 4 he and Officer John Riley were standing on Fullerton avenue, near Cooper street. A horse and wagon passed by containing three men and what appeared to ba a large chest in the box behind the seat. The wagon approached them from the west. One of the men had his back turned to the horse and his nands rested on the large object in the wagon. The horse was a dark bay and they were driving at an ordinary gait. Other officers traced the route of the wagon containing the trunk by the time it passed them on their beats on the fatal night. Capt Francisco Villiers was again called to swear to the correctness of the blue

print map of what was the city of Lake View, but is now a part of Chicago. He told how far it was from Brynmawr avenue to Roscoe street, and whether or not the streets were paved. O n crossexamination Forrest brought out the roads were sandy, but this

-was good for the prosecution, who wanted it to appear that the sand on Dinan’s whitecapel buggy came from Lake View. Another point of the captain’s testimony was that the bringing into the Sheffield avenue station of the bloody trunk which was discovered May 5. “What was in the trunk?” “There was some cotton batting and red tissue paper, evidently the wrapping of the cotton. Capt. Wing and Officer Phillips discovered it. I also found a lock of hair,” continued the witness. “The lid of the trunk was fastened to the clasp by the lock. The other fastenings had been torn off.” The bloody trunk -was again brought in and identified by Capt Villiers. .Herman Theel testified that on the morning of May 5 he and two friends went to Edgewater on a hunting expedition. The names of those who accompanied him were Herman Pausee and Carl Knop. They left the city about 4 o’clock in the morning, reaching Edgewater an hour or two later. While passing through the woods on their return they found a trunk lying near a fence a short distance south of the Chicago & Evanston railroad tracks. It was then between 8 and 9 o’clock. The lid of the trunk was broken off and lay about five feet away. They looked in the trunk and discovered blood-stained cotton batting and some thick blood, which one of them stirred with a stick. When they found the trunk it was lying on the west side of Evanston avenue and on the east side of the fence that skirts that thoroughfare. They carried it out near the roadside, where it would be noticed by anyone passing by. Pausee and Knop corroborated the above witness and all of them identified the trunk. Joseph Phillips, one of the Lake View officers wno went for the trunx, testified that they found it lying with one corner in a ditch alongside the road. There were two or three inches of water in the ditch, and a small quantity had leaked into the trunk. When they arrived at the spot it was about 10 o’clock. The lid was lying a few feet away, and in the trunk was some cotton batting covered with blood. Officer Phillips pulled a small lock of hair off the side of the trunk that was sticking to a clot of blood. He rolled it up in a piece of paper and handed it over to Capt. Villiers upon his return to the station. After searching in the vicinity where the trunk was tound for an hour and a half it was placed in the patrol-wagon and brought to the station. Officers Wing and Phillips carried it to the captain’s office. E H. Wing ex-captain of police of Lake View, was then called. His testi-

mony regarding the bringing of the trunk to the station was precisely the same as that given by Officer Phillips. W hen he L.succeeaed Capt. Villiers the trunk and 'lock of hair came into his possession. A day or two after the discovery at the Carlson cottage he was given a key that was found by Officer

Lorch in the cottage. On one end of the key was some yellow paint He tried the key in the lock of the trunk found on Evanston avenue and it worked to per-

section. This was done in the presence ot Capt Schuettler and Officer Lorch. The key was shown to the witness and he identified it. “Did you visit the Carlson cottage about the time the body was found?” “I went there a day or two after, accompanied by Capt Schuettler.” “Describe the articles you found in the cottage and also the condition of the rooms.” The witness said that he saw a dresser, washstand, bowl and pitcher, small lamp, bed, mattress, springs, two pillows, and e comforter. The front room floor was smeared with yellow paint On the floor in the hallway, front room, and bedroom were footprints, as though made by a naked foot in fresh paint Capts. Wing and Schuettler searched the house from basement to garret and found nothing but the articles mentioned. Officer Jacob Spangler was called to corroborate Officer Phillips where he testified? as to going to the catch basin and getting a pailful of the water and cotton batting. Officer George Malia’s testimony was about the same as ex-Capt Wing’s and Officer Phillips’ in regard to the bringing of the trunk to the police station. George Hiatt, a detective at the East Chicago avenue station, was detailed on> the case the day after the body was found. On the day the Carlson cottage was put under surveillance the witness and Officer Lorch went there between 2 and 3 o’clock in the afternoon. Charles Carlson admitted' them. After describing the farniture and appearance of the rooms Officer Hiatt said that he saw Lorch pick a key up off the floor, tie was present when Lorch banded the key to Capt. Wing and saw it tried in the lock. The key was found in the dresser and was partly covered with yellow paint. Upon examining the dresser the witness and Officer Lorch discovered the initials “A. H. R. & Co.” That was the first clew they got that the furniture was bought at Revell’s. William L. James is the name of a IG-year-old boy who lives at No. 118 South' Morgan street, who was the next witness. Every sentence he uttered was weighed carefully, and when he made a statement he stuck to it

During the months of February, March' and April young James was employed in' his father’s office in the opera-house block. The adjoining office was occupied by Mr. Snell. Mr. Snell’s rooms were directly opposite No. 117 South Clark street The boy spent most of his time in Mr. Snell’s office and frequently saw men on the top floor, front, of 117 Clark street. About the Ist of March hesaw a man washing his feet at the window one day. The man did not have anything on but his underclothing. When he saw that young James was watching him he pulled down the window curtain. Several times during the latter part of Februarv and the for epart of March James saw men lying down on the bed in the Clark street flat. They usually came in about 3 o’clock in the afternoon. “The man you saw washing his feet at the window, do you she him now in court?” Judge Longenecker asked the witness, “Yes, sir; that’s him lying on the pillow,” indicating John Kunze, the little German. Kanze turned his head and looked fiercely at the witness. in tne cross-examination Mr. Donahoe brought out the fact that the witness had identified Kunze at the North Halsted street station the night he was arrested. He picked him out of a half-dozen men standing in line. The man he saw at the window washing his feet did not have a mustache, but Kunze did when he identified him. After the most severe crass-ex-amination of James, Coroner Hertz was called. It was his

business to prove that the bloody trunk was the same one found in the ditch beside theEvanston road. ‘ ‘ls this the trunk?” he was asked. “This is in every particular identical with the trunk I turned over to the chief of police. If this is the trunk turned over to the

police then it is the one brought into thecourt room where the inquest was held.” Forrest did some pretty work in the-cross-examination of Hertz, and the coroner fussed over the trunk until he was red in the face. Then he said: “It seems to me impossible that another trunk could be made to look like this. Here arethe stains of what was supposed to bo blood; there is the same fracture of the lid ” /‘Yes, but is it the same trunk?” “Yes, it is. I took particular notice of it, and this is the trunk.” William Mertes, the milkman, was upon the stand. “Do you remember May 4 last?” “Yes, I do. I was on the east side of Ashland avenue, near the Carlson cottage, about 8:30 o’clock. I saw two men drive up to the Carlson cottage in a buggy. The horse that pulled the buggy was a. dark-brown with a white face A bigfellow got out of the buggy and went up the steps and it looked to me as if he had keys and let himself in. So soon as hegot the left side of his body in the door the other man in the buggy turned around and drove away soquick as he could get away. When he came toward me I saw his face very plain. He was a little man without any beard. He had a big forehead and looked to be about 20 years old. The man who went into the cottage was a big, high-shouldered man, big fellow. I went down to the grocery store and stayed there about half an hour. The store is one block and ahalf south of Ashland avenue. When I came back along by the Carlson cottage I heard noises like there was nailing. There was a small light in the house, like they keep all night in a house. I went homeand stayed m all night.” “Did you ever see those two men again?” “Yes, sir.” “Do you see them now?” “Yes, sir.” “Where are they.” “That man there, John Kunze, is the one I saw driving the buggy. Then the one sitting next on the east of Mr. O’Sullivan is the man who went into the* house.” “Dan Coughlin?” “Yes, that’s them an. ” This testimony produced a sensation inthe court room, but the persons mostaffected were not in the least disturbed.

CAPT. VILLIERS.

CAIT. WING.

CORONER HERTZ.