It was the biggest funeral Chicago had seen since Lincoln's. On May 26,
1889, four thousand mourners proceeded down Michigan Avenue, followed by
a crowd forty thousand strong, in a howl of protest at what commentators
called one of the ghastliest and most curious crimes in civilized
history. The dead man, Dr. P. H. Cronin, was a respected Irish
physician, but his brutal murder uncovered a web of intrigue, secrecy,
and corruption that stretched across the United States and far beyond.
Blood Runs Green tells the story of Cronin's murder from the police
investigation to the trial. It is a story of hotheaded journalists in
pursuit of sensational crimes, of a bungling police force riddled with
informers and spies, and of a secret revolutionary society determined to
free Ireland but succeeding only in tearing itself apart. It is also the
story of a booming immigrant population clamoring for power at a time of
unprecedented change.
From backrooms to courtrooms, historian Gillian O'Brien deftly navigates
the complexities of Irish Chicago, bringing to life a rich cast of
characters and tracing the spectacular rise and fall of the secret Irish
American society Clan na Gael. She draws on real-life accounts and
sources from the United States, Ireland, and Britain to cast new light
on Clan na Gael and reveal how Irish republicanism swept across the
United States. Destined to be a true crime classic, Blood Runs Green
is an enthralling tale of a murder that captivated the world and
reverberated through society long after the coffin closed.
