On May 4, 1889, at around 8 p.m., a stranger came to the home of Dr. Patrick Henry Cronin, asking for his help. A man had been gravely injured at O’Sullivan’s ice house in the Lake View neighborhood of Chicago,^[1]Henry M. Hunt. Crime of the Century or, the Assassination of Dr. Patrick Henry Cronin (1889). This book is found in HeinOnline’s World Trials Library. he told the doctor, and his help was urgently needed at the scene. Dr. Cronin had been contracted^[2]Henry M. Hunt. Crime of the Century or, the Assassination of Dr. Patrick Henry Cronin (1889). This book is found in HeinOnline’s World Trials Library. since that April to tend to any injured workers at O’Sullivan’s ice house, so the call was not so unusual. Neighbors observed Dr. Cronin leave his house with the stranger and climb into an unidentified buggy being pulled by a white horse.^[3]Henry M. Hunt. Crime of the Century or, the Assassination of Dr. Patrick Henry Cronin (1889). This book is found in HeinOnline’s World Trials Library.

Several hours later, at around 2 a.m., Officers Smith and Hayden^[4]Henry M. Hunt. Crime of the Century or, the Assassination of Dr. Patrick Henry Cronin (1889). This book is found in HeinOnline’s World Trials Library. were on their patrol beat in Lake View when they spied a wagon drawn by a bay horse charging down Clark Street. The wagon was driven by two men and carried a large trunk. About an hour and a half later, Officers Smith and Hayden again saw the same wagon driven by the same men. The trunk, however, was gone.

The two officers thought little more of the incident. Shortly after 7 a.m., a local alderman burst into the Lake View police station to report a disturbing discovery: he had found an abandoned trunk in a ditch, filled with blood-soaked cotton^[5]Henry M. Hunt. Crime of the Century or, the Assassination of Dr. Patrick Henry Cronin (1889). This book is found in HeinOnline’s World Trials Library. and what appeared to be bloody locks of human hair.

Back across town, Theo and Cordelia Conklin^[6]Duke Bailie. Cronin Case. Complete. The Assassination of Dr. Patrick Henry Cronin. Inception, Consummation, Detection, Prosecution and Punishment. The Most Remarkable Conspiracy of the Nineteenth Century (1890). This book is found in … Continue reading were worried about their friend and tenant, Dr. Cronin. They knew him to be a punctual man with predictable habits who did not stay out all night without sending word. They had not seen him since he had left the house the previous night with the stranger to go to O’Sullivan’s ice house.

The Life of Patrick Henry Cronin

Patrick Henry Cronin was born in Cork, Ireland, in 1846,^[7]Matthew Worth Pinkerton. Murder in All Ages; Being a History of Homicide from the Earliest Times, with the Most Celebrated Murder Cases Faithfully Reported, Arranged under Controlling Motives and Utilized to Support the Theory of Homicidal … Continue reading and emigrated with his parents to the United States when he was just an infant. As a young man, Cronin moved about between Ontario and Pennsylvania, before eventually settling in St. Louis. In St. Louis, Cronin earned his medical degree and established his first practice. It was also where he met Theo and Cordelia Conklin. Well-connected and much respected, Dr. Cronin served as a state commissioner for Missouri at the 1878 Paris Exposition.^[8]Matthew Worth Pinkerton. Murder in All Ages; Being a History of Homicide from the Earliest Times, with the Most Celebrated Murder Cases Faithfully Reported, Arranged under Controlling Motives and Utilized to Support the Theory of Homicidal … Continue reading In 1882, Cronin and the Conklins moved to Chicago.

In Chicago, Dr. Cronin lived with the Conklins and practiced medicine out of his home. Success followed Dr. Cronin from St. Louis to Chicago. He had a thriving private practice and was a respected member of his community, and was known to have a fine tenor singing voice.^[9]Henry M. Hunt. Crime of the Century or, the Assassination of Dr. Patrick Henry Cronin (1889). This book is found in HeinOnline’s World Trials Library. He was also a proud Irish Nationalist.

Cronin and Clan na Gael

Clan na Gael is an Irish republican organization formed in 1867^[10]Jerome Caminada. Twenty-Five Years of Detective Life (1901). This book is found in HeinOnline’s Legal Classics. in the United States as a successor to the Fenian Brotherhood.^[11]Justin H. McCarthy. Ireland since the Union; Sketches of Irish History from 1798 to 1886 (1887). This book is Found in HeinOnline’s World Constitutions Illustrated. In 1866, the Fenians attempted to invade and take control of Canada^[12]George R. Gregg; E. P. Roden. Trials of the Fenian Prisoners at Toronto, Who were Captured at Fort Erie, C. W., in June, 1866 (1867). This book is found in HeinOnline’s World Trials Library. to force Britain to exchange the Province for Ireland’s independence. A failed Fenian-led uprising in Ireland in 1867 led to divided factions within the group, and the creation of Clan na Gael. Like its predecessor, Clan na Gael’s aim is to secure Ireland’s independence from British rule.

Clan na Gael was organized into chapters called “camps,” with the Chicago camp known as Camp 20. Since 1881, the Clan was largely controlled by Chicago lawyer Alexander Sullivan, supported by Michael Boland and Denis Feely.^[13]Jerome Caminada. Twenty-Five Years of Detective Life (1901). This book is found in HeinOnline’s Legal Classics. Together, the three men were known as “the Triangle.” Under Alexander Sullivan’s leadership, Clan na Gael shifted from a group primarily focused on fundraising towards the sort of violent tactics used by the Fenians. Sullivan’s “dynamite policy”^[14]Jerome Caminada. Twenty-Five Years of Detective Life (1901). This book is found in HeinOnline’s Legal Classics. involved sending agents to England to set off dynamite bombs in public spaces. These attacks were generally unsuccessful.

Patrick Henry Cronin and Alexander Sullivan were rivals within Clan na Gael. Dr. Cronin suspected Sullivan was embezzling Clan funds. In 1885, Sullivan had him tried for treason^[15]Henry M. Hunt. Crime of the Century or, the Assassination of Dr. Patrick Henry Cronin (1889). This book is found in HeinOnline’s World Trials Library. before a committee whose members included Chicago police detective Daniel Coughlin. Dr. Cronin was found guilty and expelled from Clan na Gael.

Dissention in Clan na Gael

Patrick Henry Cronin’s expulsion from Clan na Gael divided the organization^[16]Matthew Worth Pinkerton. Murder in All Ages; Being a History of Homicide from the Earliest Times, with the Most Celebrated Murder Cases Faithfully Reported, Arranged under Controlling Motives and Utilized to Support the Theory of Homicidal … Continue reading into pro-Cronin and pro-Sullivan camps. In 1888, Dr. Cronin charged that the reason the Clan’s dynamite attacks had all failed was because the agents were intentionally underfunded, and that Sullivan was embezzling money from a fund specifically designated to support the widows and families of killed or imprisoned agents.^[17]Jerome Caminada. Twenty-Five Years of Detective Life (1901). This book is found in HeinOnline’s Legal Classics.

Clan na Gael conducted an internal investigation and acquitted the Triangle of any wrongdoing. Dr. Cronin served on the trial committee. Suspecting that his fellow committee members had been threatened to acquit, Dr. Cronin planned to publish the trial testimony and evidence^[18]Henry M. Hunt. Crime of the Century or, the Assassination of Dr. Patrick Henry Cronin (1889). This book is found in HeinOnline’s World Trials Library. to Camp 20 and to the Irish National League of America. Throughout the spring of 1889, Dr. Cronin confided in his friends that he feared for his life.

A Grisly Discovery

The morning after Patrick Henry Cronin’s disappearance, Theo Conklin drove out to O’Sullivan’s ice house^[19]Henry M. Hunt. Crime of the Century or, the Assassination of Dr. Patrick Henry Cronin (1889). This book is found in HeinOnline’s World Trials Library. to look for his missing friend. He spoke to a startled Patrick O’Sullivan, who knew nothing about an injured worker or Dr. Cronin being summoned to his ice house the previous night. Alarmed, the Conklins immediately reported Dr. Cronin’s disappearance to the police.

Sightings^[20]Elizabeth Dale, People v. Coughlin and Criticisms of the Criminal Jury in Late Nineteenth-Century Chicago, 28 N. ILL. U. L. REV. 503 (Summer 2008). This article is found in HeinOnline’s Law Journal Library. placed the missing doctor in Chicago, Toronto, and London. Rumors^[21]Henry M. Hunt. Crime of the Century or, the Assassination of Dr. Patrick Henry Cronin (1889). This book is found in HeinOnline’s World Trials Library. claimed he had fled Chicago after performing an illegal abortion or was a British spy who had infiltrated the Clan’s ranks.

Ten days after Patrick Henry Cronin’s disappearance, Lake View residents reported a foul odor^[22]Henry M. Hunt. Crime of the Century or, the Assassination of Dr. Patrick Henry Cronin (1889). This book is found in HeinOnline’s World Trials Library. coming from a backed up sewer at the corner of Evanston Avenue and North Fifty-Ninth Street. The reports built up over the next several days until three workers were sent out on May 22^[23]Henry M. Hunt. Crime of the Century or, the Assassination of Dr. Patrick Henry Cronin (1889). This book is found in HeinOnline’s World Trials Library. to investigate the sewer. Inside a catch basin was the naked body of Patrick Henry Cronin.

A Conspiracy Unravels

Two days after the discovery of Dr. Cronin’s body, police searched a cottage^[24]Henry M. Hunt. Crime of the Century or, the Assassination of Dr. Patrick Henry Cronin (1889). This book is found in HeinOnline’s World Trials Library. about 150 feet^[25]Matthew Worth Pinkerton. Murder in All Ages; Being a History of Homicide from the Earliest Times, with the Most Celebrated Murder Cases Faithfully Reported, Arranged under Controlling Motives and Utilized to Support the Theory of Homicidal … Continue reading from Patrick O’Sullivan’s house. The cottage was a rental property for the Carlson family,^[26]Duke Bailie. Cronin Case. Complete. The Assassination of Dr. Patrick Henry Cronin. Inception, Consummation, Detection, Prosecution and Punishment. The Most Remarkable Conspiracy of the Nineteenth Century (1890). This book is found in … Continue reading who had rented it in March to Frank Williams, who paid in advance but did not appear to occupy the cottage at all. Williams continued to rent the cottage before abruptly cancelling his lease after Dr. Cronin disappeared. Inside the cottage, police found broken rented furniture and numerous bloodstains indicating a great struggle. On the floor of the cottage, they also discovered a key^[27]John Moses; Joseph Kirkland. History of Chicago, Illinois (1895). This book is found in HeinOnline’s U.S. State Package. which fit the bloody trunk that had been found in Lake View the day after Dr. Cronin’s disappearance.

The next day, on May 25, Patrick Henry Cronin lay in state at the First Calvary Armory. Some 10,000 people passed by his closed casket, and his funeral procession the next day down Michigan Avenue attracted an estimated 8,000 people.^[28]Henry M. Hunt. Crime of the Century or, the Assassination of Dr. Patrick Henry Cronin (1889). This book is found in HeinOnline’s World Trials Library. Five thousand mourners^[29]Henry M. Hunt. Crime of the Century or, the Assassination of Dr. Patrick Henry Cronin (1889). This book is found in HeinOnline’s World Trials Library. crowded into Calvary Cemetery for his burial, and the Philadelphia Clan na Gael camp sent roses and violets arranged to spell out the word MARTYR.^[30]Henry M. Hunt. Crime of the Century or, the Assassination of Dr. Patrick Henry Cronin (1889). This book is found in HeinOnline’s World Trials Library.

The day after Dr. Cronin was laid to rest, Patrick O’Sullivan, the ice house owner, was arrested. In custody he confessed^[31]Henry M. Hunt. Crime of the Century or, the Assassination of Dr. Patrick Henry Cronin (1889). This book is found in HeinOnline’s World Trials Library. to being a Clan na Gael member and to knowing Frank Williams, the cottage renter, and Daniel Coughlin. Daniel Coughlin, the Chicago police detective who had served on the committee that expelled Dr. Cronin from Clan na Gael, was also arrested after it was discovered that he had rented the horse and buggy^[32]Matthew Worth Pinkerton. Murder in All Ages; Being a History of Homicide from the Earliest Times, with the Most Celebrated Murder Cases Faithfully Reported, Arranged under Controlling Motives and Utilized to Support the Theory of Homicidal … Continue reading that had picked up Dr. Cronin from his home the night of his disappearance. A coroner’s inquest^[33]Matthew Worth Pinkerton. Murder in All Ages; Being a History of Homicide from the Earliest Times, with the Most Celebrated Murder Cases Faithfully Reported, Arranged under Controlling Motives and Utilized to Support the Theory of Homicidal … Continue reading was convened on the 28^th where dozens of witnesses testified that Dr. Cronin feared for his life and considered Alexander Sullivan to be “his mortal enemy.”^[34]Henry M. Hunt. Crime of the Century or, the Assassination of Dr. Patrick Henry Cronin (1889). This book is found in HeinOnline’s World Trials Library. The inquest recommended^[35]Henry M. Hunt. Crime of the Century or, the Assassination of Dr. Patrick Henry Cronin (1889). This book is found in HeinOnline’s World Trials Library. that Daniel Coughlin, Patrick O’Sullivan, Alexander Sullivan, and Frank Woodruff, another Clan na Gael member, be indicted for Dr. Cronin’s murder.

The Press and the Prosecution

Alexander Sullivan was promptly arrested on the inquest’s recommendation. After a night in jail, Sullivan was released on bail after a hearing revealed he had resigned^[36]Henry M. Hunt. Crime of the Century or, the Assassination of Dr. Patrick Henry Cronin (1889). This book is found in HeinOnline’s World Trials Library. from Clan na Gael four years previously. Ultimately, the grand jury refused to indict^[37]Elizabeth Dale, People v. Coughlin and Criticisms of the Criminal Jury in Late Nineteenth-Century Chicago, 28 N. ILL. U. L. REV. 503 (Summer 2008). This article is found in HeinOnline’s Law Journal Library. Sullivan due to a lack of evidence and charges against him were dropped. Several other men,^[38]Elizabeth Dale, People v. Coughlin and Criticisms of the Criminal Jury in Late Nineteenth-Century Chicago, 28 N. ILL. U. L. REV. 503 (Summer 2008). This article is found in HeinOnline’s Law Journal Library. however, were arrested in connection with Dr. Cronin’s death:

• Martin Burke, alias Frank Williams, the cottage renter, was arrested in Canada in July and extradited to Chicago
• John F. Beggs, a Chicago lawyer and Clan na Gael member, was arrested for actually plotting the murder
• John Kunze was arrested on charges of helping to cover up the murder
• Patrick Cooney, who purchased the cottage furniture and the trunk in which Dr. Cronin’s body was stored, was indicted but escaped and never stood trial

Patrick Henry Cronin’s disappearance had stirred up considerable press coverage, but the discovery of his body catapulted the crime into a national news story “said to rank with the assassinations of Presidents Lincoln and Garfield.”^[39]Henry M. Hunt. Crime of the Century or, the Assassination of Dr. Patrick Henry Cronin (1889). This book is found in HeinOnline’s World Trials Library. The press coverage made it impossible to find an impartial jury pool. Jury selection began on August 30, 1889^[40]Henry M. Hunt. Crime of the Century or, the Assassination of Dr. Patrick Henry Cronin (1889). This book is found in HeinOnline’s World Trials Library. and lasted until October 22.^[41]Duke Bailie. Cronin Case. Complete. The Assassination of Dr. Patrick Henry Cronin. Inception, Consummation, Detection, Prosecution and Punishment. The Most Remarkable Conspiracy of the Nineteenth Century (1890). This book is found in … Continue reading 1,115 men^[42]Henry M. Hunt. Crime of the Century or, the Assassination of Dr. Patrick Henry Cronin (1889). This book is found in HeinOnline’s World Trials Library. were interviewed as prospective jurors, making it, at the time,^[43]Henry M. Hunt. Crime of the Century or, the Assassination of Dr. Patrick Henry Cronin (1889). This book is found in HeinOnline’s World Trials Library. the largest jury selection process in American history. At 45 days, the jury selection took almost as long as the actual trial, which lasted for 49 days.

After so many twists and turns, verdicts^[44]Henry M. Hunt. Crime of the Century or, the Assassination of Dr. Patrick Henry Cronin (1889). This book is found in HeinOnline’s World Trials Library. were returned on December 16, 1889:

• John F. Beggs was found not guilty
• John Kunze was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to three years in prison
  • He appealed his conviction and was acquitted
• Patrick O’Sullivan, Daniel Coughlin, and Martin Burke were all found guilty and sentenced to natural life in prison

Like Kunze, O’Sullivan, Coughlin, and Burke all appealed their convictions to the Illinois Supreme Court, but O’Sullivan and Burke died in prison before their appeals could resolve. Daniel Coughlin was granted a new trial and acquitted^[45]Elizabeth Dale, People v. Coughlin and Criticisms of the Criminal Jury in Late Nineteenth-Century Chicago, 28 N. ILL. U. L. REV. 503 (Summer 2008). This article is found in HeinOnline’s Law Journal Library. in 1894.

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• Crime of the Century: The Murder of JonBenét Ramsey
• Crime of the Century: The Brides in the Bath
• Crime of the Century: The Bombing of the Los Angeles Times Building
• Crime of the Century: The Case of Timothy Evans
• Crime of the Century: The Kidnapping of Peter Weinberger