and he frequently contradicted himself and became so
confused that it was evident that he was endeavouring to conceal the
truth. When he left the room the conference was resumed, and a general
opinion was expressed that the detective had a guilty knowledge of the
murderous plot by which Dr. Cronin had lost his life, and that he
should be treated as an ordinary criminal. He was taken from the place
in the same patrol wagon that had carried so many of his own prisoners,
and that night he slept in "Criminals Row" of the armory station. Before
the conference had ended, orders were also issued suspending Detective
Michael Whalen, who was a first cousin to iceman O'Sullivan, for neglect
of duty.

[Illustration: CHIEF OF POLICE HUBBARD.]

THE SMITH STORY DISPROVED.

Coughlin's friend, Smith, put in an appearance at police headquarters of
his own volition, the following day, only, however, to give a flat
refutation of the story told by the detective. "Willard F." instead of
"Thomas" Smith was his name. He had come to Chicago from Michigan four
years before; had traveled thence pretty well all over the west and
south, and eventually had returned to the city. When a boy in Houghton,
half a mile from Hancock, he had lived next door to Coughlin, and after
coming to Chicago the second time, he had called upon him at the
station. On the last occasion he had said something about having been in
New Mexico. He volunteered the statement that he was the man that
Coughlin had met on Clark street when the latter was in company with
Whalen, but strongly denied that he had ever asked his friend to hire a
rig; that he had never used one in Chicago, or that he was identified in
any way with Irish secret societies. In fact, although born in Michigan,
his parents were native born Germans.

THE CASE AGAINST O'SULLIVAN.

No doubt could any longer exist but that the suspicions that had been
entertained that Detective Coughlin was, to a greater or lesser degree,
connected with the crime, was well founded. It was equally certain that,
by the same process of reasoning, O'Sullivan was largely in the toils.
Many a man and woman in foreign countries had been sent to the gallows
on evidence far less circumstantial than that with which the iceman was
confronted at this stage of the case. It was beyond all question, that
about the middle of April, more than a month prior to the disappearance
of Dr. Cronin, he had asked John A. Mahoney, a Lake View