Will County IL Archives News.....Le Caron's Life in the West February 8, 1889
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Deb Haines ddhaines@gmail.com August 25, 2007, 6:27 am

The Daily Inter-Ocean [Chicago IL] February 8, 1889
Joliet, Ill. Feb. 7.—Special  Telegram.—The Irish-Americans of this city were 
thoroughly aroused to-day when they read the dispatches in the morning papers 
relative to the Parnell Commission and the evidence given by the British spy, 
Dr. Le Caron. Sheriff Huston, of Will County, who was postmaster in Braidwood, 
was seen by your representative to-day. He knew the Doctor for twenty years. 
He ran for Mayor twice, got an appointment at the penitentiary from there, and 
was discharged for irregularities. He studied as a physician for two years in 
Lockport, and afterward practiced for a short time at Wilmington. He next 
settled in Braidwood, and in 1875 ran for Supervisor against Marsh, and 
finding that he was going to be defeated by the aid of a mob he raised a row 
and had the ballot-box broken, but he was defeated withal. His business 
increased and he established a second drug store in Lower Braidwood. At that 
time he was regarded as an energetic business man, as well as a clever 
politician, never failing to take the lead at the primaries and pushing 
himself to the front on all occasions. He professed to be Catholic, although 
his wife was a Protestant. He also ran for the Legislature and got every 
Democratic vote in Braidwood. He was doorkeeper at the Chicago Democratic 
Convention in 1884. Prior to that he was a member of all the Irish societies, 
a Mason, a Forester, and also of an Illinois Catholic order of the latter.

The reason assigned for his locating in Braidwood was that in so small a place 
he could always secure the position of delegate to every convention, which he 
could not do so readily in a larger place. He was tricky and always had his 
arrangements well made before every meeting. For the last six or seven years 
he was mistrusted and was accused of being a British spy, but his friends and 
himself claimed that the accusations came from the Republicans. This made his 
Irish Democratic friends stick all the more closely to him. He was a good ward 
talker and very diplomatic. He has a large family of children, and a son of 
his is at present in New Mexico on the Santa Fe Railway, about 25 years of 
age. Another son of 18 traveled with Haverly's minstrels, and when he died a 
friend in Chicago buried him at large expense. He left Braidwood four years 
ago for Chicago, he said, to get an office. He looked the ground over, and 
remarked that it would cost him $500 to get a position on the board of health, 
but it would be impossible for him to pose as a Mugwump. He tried to get from 
Cleveland the appointment to Bordeaux to gauge wine.

Editor Conley, of the Joliet Signel, says he knew Le Caron better than he did 
any man in Joliet. They had been co-workers for years in the Democratic party, 
and he believed him to be capable of doing the work required by the British 
Government to perfection. He was a polished gentleman, cool and  careful, and 
the only subject that he seemed to be outspoken about was in relation to 
Ireland. He advocated views more extreme than the most ardent Irish 
Nationalist at all times, and tried to direct those in sympathy with Ireland 
to look to no moans of redress for Irish wrongs except by force. His objects 
now are visible to the dupes he made.


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