bsequent expulsion therefrom; to the trial of Professor Thomas by
the Methodist Church, and his expulsion therefrom for heresy;
charges which a few years before would have insured the burning of
those two men, then passed on to consider the disagreement in the
Episcopal Church which resulted in the formation of the Reformed
Episcopal Church, and inquired if the jury ever dreamed of men
being put on their trial in any of those churches for saying that
Dr. Swing was not fit to be in the Presbyterian Church, or that Dr.
Thomas was not fit to be in the Methodist Church.

"And yet," continued Mr. Foster, "the expressions they used were
the same as John F. Beggs is testified here to have used, and on
account of which they ask you to destroy his life. Beggs' statement
of his opinion giving the reasons upon which he made it, was
harmless, yet the gentlemen stand here and argue by the hour, and
ask you to find that Beggs was an enemy of Cronin because of these
expressions. Now, gentlemen, the evidence of John F. Finerty is
that Cronin was at that convention that appointed that trial
committee to investigate the old executive, commonly designated by
the name of the triangle. This is a point upon which we had some
dispute to-day, and I refer to it simply to show that I was correct
in my statement on that point. But the gentlemen have already
conceded that they were wrong and I was right. Now I say that these
were harmless expressions, and they are the only expressions which
have been shown in evidence, or of which any evidence existed. I
say existed, because if they ever existed anywhere they would have
been proven in evidence. That was all that Beggs ever said against
Cronin from the day of the beginning of the world down to the
present time. That was all. All that he ever said was the statement
that he ought not to have been on the trial committee which met at
Buffalo, and from the statements made to him, naming the man who
made them, that he (Cronin) had no business belonging to any Irish
societies. They say that he claimed friendship for Alexander
Sullivan--I shall refer to that hereafter--but did he ever denounce
Cronin? Never! Never! All the members of the organization have been
arrested, and brought to the State's attorney's office and
discharged, or br