Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-05-23

| About two weeks ago young man called
at the doctors lodgings and stated that he
was wanted in haste to attend a patient. DIR.
Cronin Immediately took his instruments and
medicine case, and getting into a buggy,
irove off with his caller, stating that he did
not know how long he would be gone. Henever
came back There was nothing aboutthe man
who came for him by which he might be identi-
fed and the doctor had vanished as if the ear tn
had opened and swallowed him The next
/ day blood stained trunk was found in the
north part of the city, with some cotton-bat-
| ting, few threads of some textile fabric. and
| A few human hairs in it. The hair was de-
clared to be that of Cronin by the people with
whom he boarded, and his barber was equally
positive that it was not
| woodruff's Strange Story.
Some days after the disappearance a man
/ named Woodruff was arrested for stealing
horse and wagon from Webster avenue liv-
| cry stable, and upon being pumped" by the
police told a yarn of going in com any with
certain others to a stable in the rear of res
idence on State street occupied by Mr.. Wat
rous, well known and highly respected cit
izen, and taking therefrom a trunk contain
| ing the body of a woman. He said that DIR.
Cronin was in the stable at the time and that
the doctor had something to do with the
woman's death in the nature of a criminal
operation. He said the body was taken from
the trunk at the north end of Lincoln park
| and thrown into pond and that he had
taken the trunk and thrown it out where it
was found. This man probably kno WIS more
than he has told of the real tragedy.
| Search for the Body.
As was supposed, every gutter, sewer, pond
or other body of water on the north side was
thoroughly searched but nothing found The
| friends of DIR. Cronin raised money and had
the lake dragged for a day or two, but with
out result Special correspondents of the
Chicago papers telegraphed from Toronto,
Canada, columns of story that he had been
seen and identified there, giving particulars
of an alleged interview with him and written
in such elaborate and detailed manner as
demonstrates, in view of yesterdays devel-
lopements, that the special correspondent can
sometimes be an awful liar For all this
time the CHASTITY corpse Of the unfortunate
doctor was slowly putrefying in a sewer
catch basin In the suburb of Argyle Park, a
few miles north of the city.
The Doctors Body Found.
Yesterday afternoon a gang of laborers in
the employ of the Lake View city govern
ment were cleaning the bitches along Evans
ton avenue. Foreman Henry Roesch and two
men were working north on the east side of
Evanston avenue towards Fifty ninth street,
/ in Argyle PARK. As they neared the catch
basin at the corner they noticed strong
smell of putrefying flesh, and Roesch pried
off the top of the catch-basn with his spade,
and uncovered the body of DIR. Cronin 1t
had apparently been thrown into the basin,
for the head was down and the feet and legs
were in the sewer opening A towel was
| wrapped about the head, but the rest of the
body was stark naked. The Roman Catholic
charm called the "Agnus Dei,' which the
doctor always wore next his skin suspended
about his neck, was untouched On the head
were the marks left by a dozen deep cuts
which had severed the scalp and indented the
skull 1t is the opinion Of the police that
| Cronin was foully murdered, and by some
| man who could not bring himself to disturb
la Roman Catholic charm.
Identified Beyond a Doubt.
Immediately upon taking the body out of
| the basin Foreman Roesch notified the Lake
View police station and summoned the pa
| troll wagon The body was stretched out in
the Lake View morgue, which occupies the
| front room in the basement under the sta
| ton Telephone messages were sent to the
| city police, and an hour after the finding Of
the body dozen of Cronin's friends were at
the station. John E. Seaman, Mortimer
/ Seaman and John F. Seaman were among
the first who arrived They identified the
body as that of Cronin upon first sight
Later it was more positively identified by L.
L. Conklin, the saloonkeeper with whom
Cronin lived, and by James Boland and Pat
| rick McGary. In the evening Dr. j. r.
Brandt, president of the Cook county hos
pital staff, carefully examined the body and
positively identified it as that of Cronin.
Terribly Hacked About the Head.
He discovered about the head the following
cuts and bruises: Over the left temple, a
| cut four inches long, through the scalp and
| into the skull; over the left parietal bone, a
cut one and half inches long, which also
marked the skull; also cut one and half
| inches over the frontal bone at the junction
of the left parietal cut three inches long
| through the scalp and marking the occipital
| BONE a large bruise back of the forehead
on the right parietal bone, and near it two
cuts an inch long, bruises on the left leg and
| severe Commissions apparently made by a
bludgeon on the forehead. The doctor said
| that the blows must have been made by some
sharp instrument, perhaps an ice-pick. He
| said If the instrument had not been sharp,
| the skull would have been fractured whereas
| it was only indented, or marked by the
| blows. DIR. Brandt examined the hair found
in the trunk on Evanston avenue and stated
last night that it was Dr. Cronins hair
The Trunk Contained the Corpse.
| There are conclusive reasons for believing
that Cronin's body was carried in the trunk
There was cotton found about the feet and
under the chin of the corpse, of the same
quality as the cotton found in the trunk, and
| the threads of cloth found in the cotton in
| the trunk corresponded in appearance with
| the threads of the towel wrapped about
| Cronin's head. When this towel was re-
moved part of Cronin's mustache came with
| it, showing that decomposition was far adj
| vanced. The body was much swellsd, owing
to its long stay under the water in the basin.
However, there can be no mistake as to the
Identification.
A Foul and Horrible Murder.
John F. Seaman said: Il believe he was
| the victim of the foulest of murders. / be-
! Iieve that the fact that the "Agnus Del" was
| untouched is most significant believe that
the suspicion we have all along entertained
IS to the manner of his death was well
grounded, and l expect to see the perpetra-
tors of the deed brought to justice. Cronin's
friends and fellow-workers will spare no
suit, and will not stop until the instigators
rs well as the perpetrators of the crime are
discovered.
PRESBYTERIAN ASSEMBLIES.