spy who came in from the coalfields: a british spy in illinois

8/18/2019 Spy Who Came in From the Coalfields: A British Spy in Illinois

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ontents

Articles

90 The Spy Who Came n from the Coalfield: A British Spy n IllinoisJoseph Clark

107 The 1847 Harbor and River Convention at Chicago and the Politics ofInternal ImprovementJoel Stone

133 Image Makers Picture Takers: Illinois Women Photographers 1850-1900Margaret Denny

Book Reviews

151 Burlingame Abraham Lincoln: The Observations i ohn G Nicolay andJohn Hay, by

Bruce Tap

152 Dirck Lincoln the LaU J1er, by Roger D BillingsJr.

154 Craughwell Stealing lincoln s Body, by Beverly A. Smith

155 Masters Governor Henry Horner, Chicago Politics, and the Great Depression, by JustinP Coffey

157 Warren Tzed to the Great Packing Machine: The Midwest and Meatpacking, byJ;homas J Jablonsky

158 Cayton and Gray The Identity i he American Midwest: Essays on Regional History,by Vernon L Volpe

159 Frost I've Got a Home in Glory Land: A Lost Tale i he Underground Railroad, byPaul A. Shackel

160 Walker Style Status: Selling Beauty to African American J Jmen, 1920-1975, byDennis B Downey

162 Dodson The Poet and the Sailor: The Story i A{yFriendship wit Carl Sandburg, byJames Hurt

163 McCarter Frank Lloyd W ~ h tby Michael E Long

Journal of Illinois History Volume 10 • Number 2 • Summer 2007


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The Spy Who Came in from the Coalfield

A British Spy in Illinois

JOSEPH CLARK

A furious storm raged as Henri Le Caron entered the witness box at the RoyalCourts of Justice in London on the fateful and cold morning of February 5, 1889.What a fitting backdrop for his emergence from obscurity. For by the end of theday even his long-abandoned given name of Thomas Miller Beach would beresurrected and repeated on the news wires traveling around the world. He wasabout to become an international object of fascination for the astoundingrevelations he would make before a special English commission, commonly knownas the Parnell Commission, which challenged the movement for Ireland's liberty.

His accusations against the Irish nationalist organizations and the men behindthem endangered lives and threatened to derail Ireland's quest for independencefrom England, for the Prince of Spies, as he was later dubbed,2 was spilling thesecrets of their organizations. The repercussions would reverberate on twocontinents. His notoriety was instantaneous, and his testimony would shortlytrigger a chain of events in Chicago that culminated in a murder dubbed the

Crime of the Century.,,3

john MacDonald, Diary q the Parnell Commission: Revised.from The Daily News (London: T FisherUnwin, 1890), 120

~ i l l i mO'Brien and Desmond Ryan, eds., Devoy's Post Bag, 1871-1928: Volume II, 1880 1928{Dublin: C ] Fallon, 1953),46.

3Henry M. Hunt, The Crime q the Century; or The Assassination q Dr. Patrick Henry Cronin: A Completeand Authentic History q the Greatest q Modern Conspiracies (Chicago: H. L D H. Kochersperger, 1889),473.

Joseph Clark was born in the historic Pullman community of Chicago and is a resident of Lockport,Illinois. He is pursuing a degree in American history at the School for New Learning at DePaulUniversity.

90


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HENRI LE C RO

Th e day a fter L e C aron s testim ony, th e fore mo st n ews pa p ers of th e worldwould trump et in bold h ea dlin es th at L e C aron h ad b een a spy op erating for th eBriti sh gove rn m ent insid e t he U ni ted S tates . T aken abac k b y th e c ontro ve rsy we reresid ent s of Br aidw oo d , Wilmin gto n , Loc kp ort , J o liet, a nd Ch i cago, who kn ewonl y of thi s Prin ce of Spi es as Dr . H enri L e Ca ron .4 Le C aron h ad sp ent twentytwo yea rs in Illin ois livin g a du al life.

To man y h e was kno wn as a reso ur ceful co untr y doc tor wh o h ad spen t th ebett er p ar t of hi s tim e livin g in Will Co un ty in th e wild Illinoi s mining town of

Br aidwo od . Whil e imm ersed in th e int ern ation al intrigu e of hi s spy callin g, LeCa ron lived a laud a ble life servin g as a co mmuni ty lea der in Br aid wood , wh ere h eserved as an el ec ted sup ervisor of R ee d Town ship , ran for a seat in th e IllinoisG en eral Asse mbl y, p arti cip ated n local Ca th olic c hu r ch ac tiviti es (although h e wa snot Cath olic), a nd was engage d in loca l sch ool-boa rd issues and Boa rd of H ealthta sks. H e was an a ctive m emb er in good standin g of th e Will County M edicalSo ciety. R epr ese n tin g th e St ate o f Illin ois, Le Ca ron atte nd ed th e 1883 N ationalSa nitar y Co nv ention in Ja ckson , Mi ssissippi. H e o p era t ed pharma cies in


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92 JOURNAL OF ILLINOIS HISTORY

Braidwood and Braceville to serve the expanding mining area and later opened apharmacy in Chicago to serve the growing immigrant population. Skills earlierhoned while employed as a medical attendant at the Illinois State Penitentiary at

Joliet led to his eventual appointment as the fourth president of the IllinoisPharmaceutical Association, an organization that he helped establish. 5 His actionsin the aftermath of the Diamond Mine Disaster-with seventy-four deaths, one ofthe worst coal-mine disasters in Illinois history-were recorded as daring; hisefforts to promote relief for the families of the victims of the disaster through fundraising likewise fostered recognition. 6

To his British Home Office handler 7 and Canadian intelligence officials 8 he wasa source of information in an ongoing battle with the forces of Irish revolution inthe United States and Ireland who had declared war on Great Britain. Le Caroncurried favor with all the important figures connected with the American factionof the Irish movement to free Ireland from British dominion. He was instrumentalin supplying information that thwarted invasions of Canada in 1866 and 1870 bymembers of the Fenian Brotherhood, a revolutionary movement supportingIreland's independence. Intelligence supplied by Le Caron also derailed an 1871raid into the western Canadian province of Manitoba by a Fenian party in supportof a local uprising. 9 Additionally, his information took on grave importance to theBritish in the 1880s as a terror dynamite campaign was mounted by IrishAmerican agents in England. 10

While traveling in Paris in 1858 or 1859, Thomas Beach, always the adventurer,

became intrigued with the looming war in the United States. Leaving France afterthe firing on Fort Sumter, Beach returned to England and took passage on the SSGreat Eastern for the voyage to America. Primarily out of curiosity, he wished toexperience the war firsthand. He adopted the name Henri Le Caron and joinedthe Union Army. Wounded in battle, he recuperated in a hospital camp at

5Proceedings rif the 4th AnnualMeeting rif the Illinois Pharmaceutical Association Held at Chicago (Chicago:

Marsh, 1883).6For an account of the Diamond Mine, see John S. Lord, Statistics rif Coal Production in Illinois, 1883(Springfield, Ill.: H. W Rokker, 1883), 97-107. The Coal City Public Library Web site(http://coalcity.lib.il. us/ coalmining/pages/ diamond/ diamondminevictims.html) lists seventy-fourdeaths; other historical accounts have ranged from sixty-eight to eighty. For Le Caron at the mine,see The Spy is Dead, Joliet News, Apr. 3 1894; Diamond Mine Wuiows'and Orphans Relief Committee:Report and Proceedings {Braidwood, lli.: Braidwood Gazette, 1883),5.

7Robert Anderson, Sidelights on the Home Rule Movement{London: John Murray, 1906),5-6.8Gilbert McMicken, June 8, 1868, Volume 241, Reel C1666, pp. 107057-60, Sir John A

MacDonald Fonds (MG 26-A), Library and Archives Cana da, Ot tawa, Ontario.9See McMicken, The Abortive Fenian Raid on Manitoba: Account by One Who Knew Its Secret History:

Paper Read bifore the Socie J, May 11, 1888, Historical and Scientific Society of Manitoba, Transaction

No. 32 (Winnipeg: Manitoba Free Press, 1888).IOHenri Le Caron, Twen J-jive Years in the Secret Service: The Recollections rif a Spy {London: William

Heinemann, 1892),217.


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HENRI LE CARON 95

Bacon decried the conditions found at the prison. The sewer system wasstagnant, with standing water in the cooper shop. A low slough located at thesoutheast corner of the prison grounds compounded health problems. The BaconLe Caron medical staff started work at the penitentiary in the midst of a typhoidepidemic with eight prisoners having already fatally succumbed to the disease. 2

In his autobiography, Twenty-five Years in the Secret Service, Le Caron tells how hehad to leave employment at the prison when O'Neill called for him to come toNew York. 22 The time for the next invasion of Canada was at hand, and his workin preparation for the campaign was needed. Accounts published later stated thathe had been released from employment at the prison due to irregularities notclearly defined. 3

In 1869, in the midst of war preparations, the Le Carons relocated fromLockport to Wilmington, about thirty miles southwest along the Kankakee River.With an expanding family that then included a daughter, Ida, the Le Carons tookup residence on Wilmington's main street, Water Street. Le Caron was receivingpay from Canada for services, but the expense of a large family, continued medicalstudies, and relocation to a new community, along with Fenian activities and spywork, was taking a financial toll. Knowing fully of his involvement, his wife was hisgreatest confidant and supporter throughout the difficult times. 4

Le Caron had a well-defined role in the second major invasion of Canada bythe Fenians. He was in charge of placing ordnance, fifteen thousand stands ofarms and almost three million rounds of ammunition,,,25 along what was

designated as the eastern district of the front. The New York and BrooklynBrigades were placed under his command, and Le Caron purposely sidetrackedthem from arriving to the front in time to assist O'Neil l at Eccles Hill, Quebec. Hisdetailed reports to McMicken guaranteed that the impending invasion would befrustrated. The Canadians had amassed a superior force, and the second invasionwas ended before it started. 6 After being debriefed in Canada by McMicken, LeCaron trekked back to Illinois satisfied in his accomplishment.

While not a Catholic, Le Caron attended the Catholic church to better meldwith the Irish. He took part in services at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church inWilmington, drawing particular delight in singing with the choir. In 1871Wilmington's People's Advocate reported the events on St. Patrick Day as one of

21 Illinois State Penitentiary: Reports q the Commissioners, Warden, Chaplain, and P1 Ysician for the Years1867 8 (Springfield, Ill : State Journal, 1869), 125-28.

22Le Caron, 53.23 The Spy Le Caron, Joliet Daily Press, Feb. 8, 1889.24Mrs. Nannie Le Caron, Jan. 19, 1869, Volume 242, Reel C1667, pp. 107821-22, Sir John A.

MacDonald Fonds.25Le Caron, 74.26 Le Caron Known in Brooklyn, Brooklyn Eagle (N.Y), Feb. 11, 1889, p. 6, col. 6.


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96 JOURN L OF ILLINOIS HISTORY

honoring former pastor Father John McMullen, later the first Bishop ofDavenport, Iowa. Of note in the article was mention of Le Caron as a doctor,although he had not finished his formal training. The recognition by the pressreflected the position of prominence he had attained as a leader at St. RoseChurch and in the community.27 During that year, along with the celebration ofthe birth of a second daughter, Gertrude, Le Caron would make one last foray intomilitary action. O'Neill planned a raid in support of Louis Riel and the metispeople of Manitoba, although O'Neill did not have the backing of the FenianBrotherhood. O'Neill once again recruited the assistance of Le Caron forarmament preparation, revealing the complete raid plan in the process.McMicken, now head of the Canadian Dominion police, personally took chargeof the response to O'Neill's border excursion. With the knowledge of logistics

supplied by Le Caron, O'Neill was once again immediately disarmed at theborder.28With the Fenian movement in shambles, Le Caron determined that it was time

to complete his medical degree. He resumed his studies at the Detroit MedicalCollege and shadowed suspected revolutionaries at the request of the Canadianpolice. He received his diploma on March 10, 1872,29 and jumped into his practicein Wilmington with verve, frequently advertising in the local newspaper. 30

With the expeditions behind them, Le Caron would entertain Fenian leaderO'Neill while he was on lecture tours. The Wilmington Advocate reported on onesuch visit when O'Neill addressed the public at the Empire Hall in Wilmington on

the subject of the state of the Irish revolutionary movement in America and thereasons for its recent defeats. Coincidently, on the same page directly across fromthe announcement was an advertisement for the services of Henri e Caron,M.D.3J

By 1873 the next town to the south of Wilmington was flourishing. Braidwoodwas robust with all the activity and attraction of a boomtown. A national recessionfailed to hinder that progress as mining in the area along the edge of what isknown as the Colchester field was at a peak. Le Caron transplanted his expandingpractice, good reputation, and growing family (a new son, William, was born in

27 St. Patrick's Day, Peoples Advocate (Wilmington), Mar. 18, 1871. p. 2, co1s. 2-3.28See McMicken, The AbortiveFenian Raid on Manitoba.29Index, Physicians Register, Book 2, No. 1828, p. 6, Register of Licensed Physicians and

Surgeons (RG 208.028), Department of Registration and Education, illinois State Archives,Springfield.

30Sidney Lee, ed., Dictionary q National Biography (New York: Macmillan Company, 1901), 152.31 Generaljohn O'Neill, of Fenian Note, Wilmington Advocate Oct. 26, 1872, p. 2, col. 4; H.

LeCaron, M.D., ibid., col. 5.


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HENRI LE CARON 97

1873). He soon transferred his medical office to a pharmacy set up next to theentrance to Braidwood's main mine. The local press reported favorably of hispractice, with admiring coverage of a cancer operation, the treatment of miningaccident victims, and his life-saving action in a swimming mishap.32

On February 14, 1875, Le Caron was invited to become a charter member ofPhil Kearney Post Number 38 of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR). Alongwith Dan McLaughlin, the future mayor of Braidwood and later an AmericanFederation of Labor vice president under Samuel Gompers, and Robert Huston,future Braidwood postmaster and sheriff of Will County, Le Caron would joinnumerous other local dignitaries in establishing the GAR post. But Huston, inparticular, would make e Caron's life much more interesting in the future.

Le Caron's gregarious manner and community involvement led him to enter

the local political arena. In 1875, running on the Liberal Reform ticket, Le Caronbeat out the town's namesake, James Braidwood, for the position of ReedTownship supervisor. Trounced in the race at the bottom of the heap wasMcLaughlin running on a Bolters ticket. Le Caron had advanced to a pinnacleposition in the community almost overnight. 4

Following a successful year in office, Le Caron found the press stronglyendorsing him for another turn, praising his performance throughout. 5 But theclosely contested 1876 election was mired in controversy. A riot had broken outthat involved the smashing of ballot boxes and brandishing of pistols by marshals.The Wilmington Advocate declared that conflicting reports made pinpointing the

blame nearly impossible. The Advocate stated the causes of the election riot asreligious bigotry and political polarity.36 Later accounts written pinned the blameon Le Caron for leading, organizing, and inciting the destruction of the ballots andboxes. 7

Le Caron's family continued to grow with the birth of his daughter, May, in1878. In November of the same year, he ran for state representative on theDemocratic ticket, only to have his ambitions derailed. Hailed by the WilmingtonAdvocate as a tried and true friend of labor and organized companies and a

true greenback man, e Caron had strong support throughout the county. Butthe little doctor, as he was fondly referred to, could not pull off an electionvictory. At a later date, a run for mayor against one of the officers of the EurekaCoal Mining Company, Mr. Seeley was frustrated by McLaughlin, who by thattime had become an area power broker. 8

32Ibid., Apr. 5, 1873, p. 3, col. 2 May 31, 1873, p. 3 col. 3 Aug. 22, 1873, p. 3 col. 2.33 G.A.R., ibid., Dec. 17, 1875, p. 3, col. 3.34Ibid., Apr. 9, 1875, p. 2 cols. 5-6.35Ibid., Mar. 31, 1876, p. 3 col. 4.36 Mob Violence, ibid., Apr. 14 1876, p. 2 col. 4.37 The Spy is Dead.38 WilmingtonAdvocate Nov. 1 1878.


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ALEXANDER SULLIVAN

Le Caron s spying career took on new importanc e with his association vvithChicagoan Alexander Sullivan, who help ed Le Caron gain entry into th e successororganization of the Fenian Brotherhood , the Clan na Gael. The Clan na Gael wasa secret society founded n approximately 1868 in New York. In co r poratingelem ents of th e Fenian Brotherhood with advanced tactical stra tegy, the Clan'smajor way of achieving their ends was fund-raising in the United States an d by anew policy unifying Irish and American overt and covert activity . 9

In Ireland , pro -British old esta bli shm ent Irish political affa irs were yie lding tocalls for Irish self-rul e, and Le Caron would int erac t with its l eaders. Thatmov eme nt centered on Charles Stewart Parn ell , an Irish MP who was also aProt esta nt and a landown er.

oParn ell s work was strengthened by Michael Davitt ,

a leade r of the Land Le ague, which wa s pushing for ag rari an relief through theending of landlord o m i n t i o n. ~ lA third influential member John D evoy, worked

William O 'Connor Morri s, Ireland: 1798 - 1898 (London: A. D. In n es, 1898 ), 264-65; John TMcEnni s, The Clan-Na-Gael and the Murder q D : Cronin (Chicago: E]. Schult e and ]. W. Iliff, 1889 ).

'IOS ee Robert M. McWade , Th e Uncrowned King: The Life and Public Services q Han. Charles StewartParne (Philadelphia: Edgewood , 1891 ).

'1IDavitt, Th e all q eudalism in Ireland, or Th e St01Yq the Land League R evolution (New York: HarperBroth ers, 1904 ), 124-28.


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HENRI LE CARON 99

behind the scenes. He was a revolutionary leader of the Clan na Gael who sawmerit in linking with Parnell and Davitt to increase the pressure on the Britishpresence in Ireland, with the goal of ending English rule in Ireland. 42 Together thethree established what became known as the New Departure, a movement thatemployed overt and covert activity to achieve their ends, including a dynamiteterror campaign.

n 1880 Le Caron became the treasurer of the Braidwood branch number oneof the American Land League. 43 The Land League, active in both Ireland andAmerica, promoted the tenure of Irish lands by those who worked them, the Irishfarmer. As a political movement, it was viewed by the Clan na Gael as aninstrument for furthering revolutionary ends. The Clan na Gael issued a directivethat the leadership should join the Land League and infiltrate the organization,

which provided new opportunities for the spy Le Caron.On August 4, 1880, Davitt, while promoting the Land League in the Midwest,

stopped at Braidwood. Exhausted, hoarse, and under the weather, Davitt wasbefriended by Le Caron, who gave him treatment and medication for hiscondition. Davitt later commented at the Special Parnell Commission that thespy's medicine had done him good ,,45

By 1881 Le Caron had become president of the Braidwood Land Leaguebranch. He was host to Devoy while Devoy was on a Land League lecture tourthrough Braidwood. Devoy was considered the soul of the Irish revolutionarymovement throughout the last half of the nineteenth century. Devoy had supperwith Le Caron in Le Caron's apartment over his second Braidwood drugstore at91 Main Street. n the course of conversation, Le Caron emphasized the mostradical revolutionary points to gain favor. Later, in comments to the press duringthe Special Parnell Commission, Devoy highlighted Le Caron's extreme stanceand vocal attack on Parnell and accused him of being an agent provocateur.4{i

During the week of August 3, 1881, the Clan na Gael gathered at Chicago'sPalmer House. Moderation was shunned, and the vote was for dynamite. A terrorcampaign that would catch the world by surprise was on the horizon. During theconvention Le Caron came under scrutiny about his loyalty for purportedly

revealing the meeting's activities to the press,47 but he managed to deflect theaccusations.

42Terry Golway, Irish Rebel.·John Devoy and America s Fightfor Ireland s Freedom (New York: St. Martin'sPress, 1998), 104.

43,'A Traitor to the Cause, Chicago Tribune, Feb. 7, 1889, p. 1, cols. 1-2, p. 5, col. I« r. w Moody, Davitt and Irish Revolution, 1846-82 (New York: Oxford University Press, 1984), 402.45F. Sheehy-Skeffington, Michael Davitt: Revolutionary, Agitator and Labour Leader (London: T. Fisher

Unwin, 1908), 113.46 He Remembers Le Caron, Chicago Tribune, Feb. 7, 1889, p. 5, cols. 1-2.47 He Got British Gold, Chicago Herald, Feb. 9, 1889. p. 6, cols. 4--5.


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H E N R I LE C A R O N 101

pharmacy in the nearby mining community of Braceville. He also took anotherdoctor on as an associate: Dr. Wade, a graduate of Bellevue and a fellowEnglishman. 52

On February 9, 1883, the Wilmington Advocate announced the sale of theBraceville drugstore to Dr. McMann of Gardner. 53 With money collected from thesale, Le Caron took a trip to New York City. In his absence occurred the mostcatastrophic disaster in Will County mining history and one of the worst in Illinoishistory at the Diamond Coal Mine, just outside Braidwood at the Will-GrundyCounty border. 54 Floodwaters unexpectedly poured into the mine, killing 74 of the185 men below ground. 55

t would take thirty-eight days of relentless pumping of putrid sludge waterbefore the mine became accessible. The rubber-suited search party descended intothe mine, carrying lamps, and with coverings on their faces. Along with the smellof decay, poisonous gases known as black damp were emanating from the pit.The footings, walls, and ceiling were poised to cave in at any given moment. 56Shifting of rock and ceiling beams made recovery dangerous, and the mission wasaborted after bringing only twenty-eight bodies to the surface. 7

The Joliet News reported that Le Caron was one of the members of the recoveryparty. He was referred to as a daredevil for his disregard for personal safety. Withthe precarious shifting infrastructure presenting a constant threat, the heroicefforts of those who went into the creaking mine at the time were beyond anydoubt. 58 The Diamond Relief Committee, of which Le Caron was a member,

provided support to the families. 59e Caron's secret work took on new importance when the Clan na Gael

leadership shifted to his acquaintance Alexander Sullivan, who was now a lawyerand head of a Chicago patronage machine that influenced city Democratic andRepublican politics. 60 Le Caron would accompany Egan and Sullivan on a trip toMilwaukee regarding the name change of the American Land League to the IrishNational League on March 26, 1883. 61 The discussion centered on how the namechange would affect the strategy and tactics of that organization and the Clan naGael. By the end of 1883 the Clan na Gael had split into two factions, with thebolters under Devoy challenging Sullivan's group. Sullivan's group was now

being referred to as the United Sons.

52 Braidwood, WilmingtonAdvocate, Oct. 13, 1882, p. 2, col. 3.53Ibid., Feb. 9, 1883, p. 2, col. 3.54 Shocking: 70 Miners Drowned Like Rats in a Hole, Brooklyn Eagle, Feb. 17, 1883.55 The Mine Horror, Wilmington Advocate, Feb. 22, 1883, p. 2, cols. 3-4.56, A Sad Search, Chicago Tribune, Mar. 23, 1883, p. 9, col. 1.

7 Light of Day, Joliet Daily Republican and Sun, Mar. 24,1883, p. 1, col. 7; The Pit of Woe, ibid.,Mar. 27, 1883, p. 1, cols. 6-7.

5s The Spy is Dead.59Diamond Mine Widows and Orphans Reliif Committee.6°Michael F Funchion, Chicago s Irish Nationalists, 1881 1890 (New York: Arno Press, 1976), 45.61 Braidwood, WilmingtonAdvocate,Jun. 8, 1883, p. 2, col. 5.


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102 JOURNAL OF ILLINOIS HISTORY

By late September 1883 the secret dynamite war against England was in fullswing. The following December, William Mackay Lomasney, a bookseller and aformer editor of the T 1stern Catholic, would be blown to oblivion along with a crewof dynamitards in an unsuccessful attempt to bring down the London Bridge.Lomasney was the individual Le Caron had been shadowing in Detroit while hewas finishing his medical degree in the early 187 Os.

With the upswing in the secret dynamite war against England, scrutiny atBraidwood concerning his activities and loyalties, the increase in the size of hisfamily, and the maturity of his children, Le Caron decided to move to Chicago,closer to the growing intrigue of the competing Irish revolutionary factions. LeCaron was busy with his drugstore at 378 Blue Island Avenue and with attemptsto gain entrance to the Chicago Democratic machine. 6 It appears he did notadvance much outside of ward politics. He also spied on his Irish revolutionaryneighbors, in particular Sullivan, Patrick Cronin, and William]. Clingen.

Clingen was a principal conduit of information to Le Caron. Clingen had beendeployed by the military during the 1863 draft riot in New York City as a NationalGuard captain. Having been with O'Neill in 1866 at Ridgeway, Clingen's Feniancredentials were impeccable. He had been appointed a Fenian organizer at thesame time as Le Caron in 1868. While Le Caron was in charge of ordnanceplacement for the eastern front during the 1870 Canadian invasion, Clingen hadthe same duty for the western district. That experience alone would cement theirrelationship. It was through Clingen that Le Caron was informed of the existence

of the Clan na Gael. Clingen was a captain in the Clan na Gael guard. Arrivingin Chicago in the early 1870s, Clingen became steeped in Chicago politics andknew all the behind-the-scenes leaders, in particular perhaps the strongest,Sullivan.

Clingen had acted as a perfect cover for Le Caron. It was he who hadintroduced Devoy to Le Caron in 1881, when Devoy presented an introduction toEgan. Le Caron had hoped Clingen might assist his transition to the Chicagopolitical scene. Clingen's late troubles and early death put an end to that idea. Hewas a Chicago Harrison Street police court official and second-ward politicaloperative during the 1870s and 1880s, but his career was spoiled by scandal at theend of his life. The Chicago Tribune obituary maintained: In his official capacity hecame in contact with the dive-keepers and used them in the interest of theDemocratic party. ,63 Clingen was tried for swelling the registry in the 1884 electionbut was acquitted. t was later discovered that he had embezzled money from thecourt. The controversy at Clingen's passing-that he might have faked his dea thwas addressed in a letter to the Chicago Tribune on September 16, 1886, by LeCaron. His death was a great loss for Le Caron, personally and professionally.64

62 Dr. Le Caron as a Politician, Chicago Tribune, Feb. 7, 1889, p. 5, col. 1.63 Death of William]. C1ingen, ibid., Sept. 9, 1886, p. 1, col. 6.64 William]. Clingen Dead, ibid., Sept. 16, 1886, p. 2, col. 5.


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lO4 JO U R N L OF ILLINOIS HISTORY

The magnitude of the Special Parnell Commission is lost to the modern world,but in its time it was a sensation that destroyed the credibility of the London TImesfor its part in the commission,67 fractured the Irish movement, led to the demise ofone of their greatest statesman, Parnell,68 and embarrassed the Englishgovernment. 69 It pitted conspiracy against conspiracy. The trial culminated in theexposure of forgeries being used by the London TImes against Parnell. The manbehind the forgeries, Richard Pigott, fled to Spain in the midst of the trial, killinghimself in Madrid.

Piggott's exposure blunted the effects of Le Caron's damaging testimony againstParnell. Le Caron was declared the most remarkable witness called. 70 Dressedimpeccably and wearing a medal recognizing his service in the Union army, LeCaron revealed his career of spying on the Irish revolutionary movement in the

United States and abroad. Particularly damning was information from Le Caron'sconversation with Parnell. The implication of his testimony was that Parnell, whowould always proclaim fidelity to constitutional means, was and had been a silentpartner in the ongoing revolutionary conspiracy and terror campaign. While LeCaron was never able to produce a direct link between specific incidents related toParnell, his testimony created doubts about Parnell's motives.

Mter Le Caron's testimony, dissension among the Irish revolutionary factions inChicago was never greater. Members in the Triangle faction saw the dissension asan opportunity to settle an old score. During the trial, Le Caron had stated therewere other agents at work embedded within the Irish organizations in America.

Using his statement as a reason to act, a plot was hatched to assassinate Cronin,the Triangle's chief challenger. Cronin's opposition to Sullivan and that he oncehad an office below Le Caron's first Chicago residence was enough to brandCronin as a spy. He was gruesomely executed, his body dumped on the north sideof Chicago in a Lake View sewer. The murder trial was one of the most reportedcourt cases of the nineteenth century. 7

In the end, Le Caron's testimony helped bolster Parnell's standing with hissupporters, but damage had been done to the movement as a whole and Parnelllost his position of power. In 1890 the commission vindicated Parnell of most of

the charges, but he died within a short time of the commission's findings.72

67 Fall of the Times, Hornellsville T ieklY Tribune (N.Y), Mar. 15, 1889, p. 1, cols. 4-5.68Funchion, 104.69 Editorial Page, Joliet DailY Press, Feb. 25, 1889.7° For Twenty Years a Spy, Chicago Tribune, Feb. 7, 1889, p. 1, col. 1.7lHunt, 115-19; McEnnis.72T D Sullivan, Recollectionso Troubled mes n Irish Politics (Dublin: Sealy, Bryers Walker, M. H.

Giull Son, 1905),277.


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CHARLES STEWART PARNELL

Le Caron neve r returned to America. During th e trial the world press vilifi edLe Caron as a tra itor, an informer, and a viper . The Detroit News reported that LeCaron, acting as Doctor lVIorton, had a sh adow ca reer as a resurrectionist - abody snatc h er - and link ed him to the 1878 th eft of the body of John ScottHarrison. 73 The story was never sub sta nti ated. Le Caron assum ed the name

Doctor Howard and was accompan ied by a Scotland Yard bodyguard detailfrom then on.

Le Caron published his memoirs , Twenty-five Years in theSecreL Ser

vicen

1892.Because of his notoriety and threats against his life, he lived under a constantstress. His health was in continuing decline , and Le Caron died on Apr il 1, 1894.He was buried at Norwood Cemetery, Kensington , in London. The press inBritain noted he had kept secrets with superhuman power. 7+ The press inJoli etlamented that his reputation h ad not helped Will County.75

73 Le Caron; Spy's Career in M ichigan, Detroit ournaL Feb. 20 , 1889. John Scott Harri son w asth e so n of President W illiam Henry H a rri son, the fath er of President Benjamin Harr iso n, and th euncl e of Ch icago Mayor Carter H. Harri so n S ~

74 Obituary: Major Le Caron, London Times Apr. 2, 1894 , p. 6, co l. 3.Th e Spy is D ea d.


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106 J O U R N L O F I L L I N O I S H I S TO RY

Le Caron remains a mysterious figure. There are discrepancies about his trip toFrance his name the date of his trip to America on the SS Great Eastern the startof his service record during the Civil War his reasons for leaving Tennessee theamount of control exercised by his handlers and the possibility that he wasscouting for England from the outset of his arrival in the U.S. What is clear is thathe was legitimately engaged in his roles s physician pharmacist family head andpolitician in every community that he lived in while in Illinois.

spy who came in from the coalfields: a british spy in illinois

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