The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1889-05-16
CLEARING GAMYSTER Y.
Arrest of Man Who Throws Light
Upon the Disappearance Of DR..
CrOnin of Chicago.

CHICAGO. May 10 The most startling In
formal alton in the mysterious case of the miss
ing lrtsh-Amercan, DR.. p II. Cronin, came
out tonight Frank G. Woodruff, the horse
thief arrested at Twelfth street, has made
full confession. He sneaked a horse and
wagon out of Deans barn early Sunday
morning and met DR.. Cronin, William King
and Dick Fairburn. A trunk containing the
body of woman was placed in the wagon.
Woodruff drove, King and Fairburn rode
with him. CroIin remained behind. Wood
ruff left the body and his two companions in
Lincoln Park and then drove with the empty
trunk to the place on Evanston ave-
nue. where IL was found. From CONVERSE
ttons between Cronln, King and Fairburn
which Woodruff overheard he judged the
body was that of woman killed by an
abortion, perhaps performed by DR.. Cronin.
Thursday evening the Twelfth street officers
arrested young man who was trying to
sell white horse and q wagon in livery
stable near the police station. The young
man offered to part with the RIG for $40 and
the suspicious of Foley, the livery stable
man, were Immediately aroused He teIe-
phored to the station and the horse trader
was taken into custody. He gave his
name at the station as John Brown, and alter
| answering the routine questions always ad-
dressed to prisoners, his face blanched. his
hands trembled and he fell in a dead faint.
| The officers wondered at the time that their
| prisoner should appear so much concerned,
! but the reason was apparent next morning
| when he sent for Capt O'Donnell and said
| he had something to tell him. He was taken
| into the captains office and, in the presence
of several officers, voluntarily unfolded the
| story of his connection with the trunk mys-
terry. To-day policemen investigated his
| story and found it corroborated by many
circumstances tending to show its truthful
| ness. Brown said his real name was Frank
| G. Woodruff, and that he was working for
Dean & Co., livery stable keepers.
! THE PRISONERS STORY.
Wed dnesday night a week ago was in the Owl
| saloon on State street, and met man there that
| had been very we'll acquainted with several
| years before. The man was Billy King. His
| real name, think, is William Fl. King, although
| when first met him he called himself Harry
| Bothworth. just before we separated he said
| that he would call me from the stable some
evening and tell me how we could make some
money. Saturday evening he asked me If
could get horse and wagon out of the stable
| without any one knowing it, and told me he
would give me $25 if l would do it. 1tod
| him could and we agreed upon place of meet
| ing l chose the white horse because knew 1t
| was good roadster. l found King waiting for
| me at a corner on State street. He got in with
| me and we drove together to barn in the rear
| of big house on State stree. We drove up the
alley between State and Dearborn streets to the
| barn doors. AS wheeled up in front of
| the barn. the door was pushed open by some one
| inside and two men came out One was Dick
Fairburn. l know Dick quite well, and have
| known him for number of years The other
| man. am sure was Dr.. Cronin. Although 1t
| was quite dark at the time had several Op-
| portunities to look closely at his face. He had
q mustache and little goatee, and answers
| DR.. Cronins description IN every way never
had seen DR.. Cronin to know that it was he, and
| did not hear any other men address him as
Cronin. They called him Doc. The three
men went into the barn together and
RETURNED WITH TRUNK.
They lifted it into the wagon and then climbed
| in. We drove straight through the alley to the
| first cross street, turned on that and then went
up Dearborn TO the park. AS soon as we reached
the park we turned into the Lake Shore drive
and started north. kept the horse on the run
all the time l heard several expressions in
| their conversation which convinced me that
there was body in the trunk. L noticed
that the trunk smelled, as if there was decay
| ing flesh in 1t, and when the horse
got whf he snorted We drove nearly to
the north end of the park, then stopped
a minute some bushes King and Fairburn
were with me. We left Cronin at the barn, and
l remember as looked at him that one of his
eyes was black as If he had been hit with fist.
At the bushes we lifted the trunk out and held
the horse while it was opened then saw that
nv suspicious were correct and that there was a
body in the trunk. They lifted it out in several
pieces. cannot say positively whether it was
the body of man or worlan except from one
|
we leave Allie. Fairburn answered. Yes, and
if you had let Tom alone we would have had Doc
in here with her" Those remarks passed while
they were carrying the contents of
the trunk back into the bushes.
noticed that each piece was carefully
wrapped up in cotton, or something that looked
like cotton. King lifted the trunk into the
wagon, took out his pocketbook and counted out
$25 from q large roll. After left the boys l
drove on a run. Finally dumped out the trunk
and turned back. 1 broke it open as it fell, but
l did not wait to see in what manner 1t lay or
just how the pieces were placed. | saw King on
Monday on Wabash avenue and talked with him
several minutes. From expressions that he then
used feel sure that Cronn is in the city and
that King knows his whereabouts, and that if
King can be found he will tell where CrOnln is.
POINTED OUT THE PLACE
The prisoner was taken out of the station
With Capt O'Donnen Thursday night and
again to-day. He pointed out the place
where he left the Trunk, and fixed the identi-
cal spot where it was fonnd. He pointed
out the barn, which proved to be in the real
of 52S North State street The officers
entered it, but could find no evidence for OF
against the story. Woodruff says he sus-
poets from the conversation he overheard
between Cronin, Fairburn and King that the
body in the trunk was that of q woman
whose death resulted from an operation per,
haps performed by DR.. Cronin. He draws this
conclusion not only from the words he
overheard, but also from the anxiety evinceG
by the doctor to get the body out of the way
and from the fact that Crouin had apparently
been recently struck by some one Wood
ruff first read of Cronin's disappearance il
Tuesdays paper, and also read the story re-
lating to the finding ofthe empty trunk. He
, was greatly frightened, and, thinking tha
the officers were certainly on his track. tool
means to get out OF the city He had some
Ii 1.
: King, but decided to obtain little more
The result was his arrest for attempting tt
sell the horse which happened to be the
, identical animal he used on the memorable
! night
FOUND CLUE
A pretty brunette named Allie or Alice
, Villavaso has been missing from the neigh,
| borhood near which is located the barr
where Woodruff is said to have met DR.
Cronin and the latter's companions Searci
has been made at the point in Lincoln Park
ON the lake shore, where Woodruff is said tt
have left Cronin and the others with tht
body Unusually heavy rains have in
, terfered with the work. Except OF
one side, the lake here stretches
r away for miles in every direction. Within
the park near by is large pond. Both tn,
5 lake and pond are being dragged. The resi-
4 dence to which belongs the barn, from wher'
> the trunk is claimed to have beer
| carried, belongs to well-to-do citi
e zen named WatrouS. He disclaims al
s knowledge whatever of the singular affair
$ Saoonkeeper Conkliu. with wdon Dr.
Cronn lived, was informed tonight o
: Woodruff's statement. Mr.. Conklin declared
s there could be nothing in. the story and one
8 more insisted hat the doctor had been mur
dered by certain Irish Nationalists, who &C
cording to Mr. Conklip, were enemies o
Cronin.
Q THOUGHT TO BE cRoNIN.
= TORONTO, Ont, May 10-A man alleged t.
be the missing DIR, Cronin of Chicago wa
' seen here to-day. He left town this after
Q noon in company with ahother man and
| | woman.
4 CLOSE FRIEND OF LIE CARoN.
q L u nNnnN Mnv III La Cnrnn The annn 'MhI