The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-06-05
THE MYSTERY is SOLVED.
WOODRUFF TELLS THE WHOLE STORY
He Not Only Drove the Wagon But Knew
Exactly What He Was Doing and As
sisted In Placing Cronin's Body
in the Man-Hole.

CHICAGO, May 2S.-Frank Woodruff,
alias Frank Black, has been taken into
camp by Capt. Setback, and he has told
the whole story of his connection with DR..
Cronin's murder. According to the state
ments he has made to the captain he was
not directly connected with the murder
itself, but simply acted as the
driver OF the wagon. Woodruff has
been taken to the scene of Cronin's MUIR
der and also TO the sewer where the body
was found and the place where the trunk
was first seen. Woodruff himself gave
the driving directions to the detectives,
who held the reins, and in every instance
located the exact places where the chief
acts in the tragedy occurred.
According TO his confession, he was d.
rected by those who had charge of that
part Of the conspiracy, and whose names
Capt. Setback reserves for reasons that
are palpable, to 60 to Dinan's
livery stable, where he would obtain
horse and wagon. He had already
| been instructed to drive the outfit to the
neighborhood OF the Carlson cottage, and
he also knew for what purpose he was to
90 there. Woodruff arrived at the cottage
about twenty minutes before DR.. Dronen
was driven up, and placed his horse
and wagon at point near the
cottage where he could keep his eyes on
the front steps. He saw the white horse
rig containing DR.. Cronin and his con-
ductor arrive, and three-quarters OF an
hour thereafter the man who was known
as Williams opened the front door OF the
cottage and gave the signal by stamping
his foot on the wooden porch.
! Woodruff at once drove up, and assisted
by the third man, the trunk was loaded
into the wagon. The two men followed
the trunk and directed Woodruff, who
continued as the driver, to drive eastward
| to the lake TO certain point
| which Woodruff had designated to Capt.
! Setback. The wagon headed for the lake
and in its depths the trunk and
! its contents would have been de-
! posted had not the interrution
come from the Lake View policeman.
| This smashed the original plans of thetwo
men, and immediate steps were taken to
/ ECb Oub va tAiO OlllCCA way LUIS 40
| done by taking circuitous route which
again brought them to the Evanston road.
They had now been driving for nearly
an hour with their CHASTITY load, and one
| of the men suggested the sewer. A stop
was made at the Fhty-ninth-st. intersec-
| ton of the Evanston road. The
top was taken off the man-hole on
! the southeast corner and the trunk lifted
from the wagon. 1t vas then new and
unexpected difficulty presented itself.
While it was possible to drop
the trunk with the body
into the lake. il became a
! physical impossibility to thus dispose of
the load in the man-hole. 1t was resolved
to take the body out of the trunk, drop
the body in the drain-basin and to return
with the trunk to the cottage and burn
it. But when the trunk was to be un-
lockedit was found that the KEY had been
lost. Williams said there was no more
time to be lost and he kicked in
the lid of the trunk The three lifted
as it was found. The trunk was again
placed on the wagon 1t was intended to
90 south for distance and then to drive
north to the cottage and there deposit the
trunk.
Fright here" said Woodruff to Capt.
Setback, pointing to the exact spot where
the trunk was found, Eve heard a
noise of wagon wheels from the
south, and the two men, one of whom
had been sitting on the trunk, picked
up the box and threw it out OF the wagon.
/ was urged to whip up the horse and
drive west. When we reached Fullerton
ave. both men said goodnight to me and
left the wagon"
The remainder of the confession is de-
voted TO Woodruff's wanderings with the
horse and wagon in his at
tempt to sell them. He also
states in his confession that there
is nothing in the woman story he had told
The enormity of the crime never dawned
until he had taken part in it. When be
was arrested he knew he was in "baC
/ box"
The names King and Fairburn were
those of two old friends, and they came t.
him on the spur OF the moment. They
had nothing whatever to do with the case