St. Paul daily globe., 1889-05-25
HAVE FOUND The KEY
Not Only to. the Bloody Trunk,
But to the CpOnfn
Mystery.
A Gore e-Bespattered Cottage
Where the Murder
Was Done
Furnishes a Rapidly Growing
Chain of Mute Evil
dence.
The Murderers Supposed to
Have Skipped a la
McGarigle.

CHICAGO, May 24.-The Key to the
Cronin mystery was in most literal
sense brought to light this evening. In
the blood-smeared cottage, which the
police had already decided was the
scene of the murder, there was found by
detective tonight brand new key.
The officer decided at once to try it in
the lock of the mysterious trunk found
by the roadside the morning after
Cronin disappeared. The key fitted ex-
actly. Ali doubt now seems to be re-
moved of a genuine connection between
the prisoner Woodruff. the doctors dead
body, the trunk and the blood-stained
cottage. 1t has been ascertained
that detectives were sent out of
the city during the day to a point
where it is thought at least one of the
assassins would be located. They were
accompanied by man, whose identity
the police would not divulge. but who
is believed to be John Carlson son of
the owners of the blood despatched
house. A son-in-law of the Carlsons,
John A. Lindgren, was interviewed to-
night and told the following story con-
the Carlson cottage: "Mr. and
Mrs. Carlson are very old
people," he said, ssand depend upon
the rent of the cottage for their living.
Notwithstanding their best efforts it
was empty all last summer. One day
last March a man came to the house,
went around the back way and called
out Mr.. Carlson. He asked if the cot
tage in front was empty, and Carlson
told him it was. He then asked if it
was for rent, and Immediately struck
bargain. offering $12 month. The
old gentleman asked him for money.
and he took out pOcketbOOk
which seemed to contain number of
bills, counted out the first months rent,
and passed it over. He went away say
ing that next day he would send up
some furniture. Mr.. and Mrs. Carlson
came over to our house that night to tell
us that they had rented the cottage. l
asked what kind of man the fellow
was, and they said he was apparently
not a working man, being more like a
clerk or salesman. l remember that
Mrs. Carlson said that his hands were
very soft. l asked her what his
name was, but she said they for
got to ask him. The next day 1
think it was the 10th day Of March. a
wagon drove up in front of the cottage
a
loaded and carried in. There was hard
Iy enough altogether to furnish the
house. and if remember rightly, Mrs.
Carlson said she saw only bed, bureau
and some rugs. The man who had
rented the house came again in the
evening and told them he was not quite
ready to move in. He said his sister
was in the hospital, that she had
been taken suddenly sick, and was
thought to be in danger of death.
He said before moving in he would
wait until she was able to leave the i'll
stitutiOn, or was taken away altogether.
A few days after the man returned, ac-
companied by another. They went into
the house they had rented, walked
around to the rear and talked to old
Mr.. and Mrs. Carlson. 1t was then that
they told the old folks they were
brothers. They said their name was
Williams, and that their sister was still
sick. but that the physician thought she
would recover. While they were in the
room one of them called the other
"WiH." They went away and neither
of them returned until the Goth of April.
The one who had first called upon
the old folks, came again and paid S12
for another months rent. He said that
old folks are not well posted in the
stories the men told about the sister in
the hospital and the rest until one day,
about two weeks ago, one of the neigh
bOrS told the old man that he had seen
lights in the cottage in the evening.
N ow that the story of the murder is in
the papers, l am very sure that
the man saw lights in the cottage
on that particular Saturday night. At
any rate we all talked it over and de-
cided that there was something wrong;
that nobody would pay S12 month for
the house and not use it either for stor-
ing furniture or for anything else. We
decided that the best thing we could do
would be to have them get out if they
came around to pay any more rent. Last
Thursday man came to the house to
pay the rent. Mrs. Carlson was alone,
but invited him into the sitting
room and gave him chair.
He said that he had been sent
by Mr.. Williams to pay the rent.
Mrs. Carlson told him that they did
not want to rent the house any more.
but intended to sell it. Don't do that
he said, for know that Williams wants
it the worst way next month. because
Hio oioooi Will O0 out Vi Guc hospital III d
short time.' Mrs. Carlson insisted. and
the man asked her whats she would take
for the house if she wanted to sell IT.
She said she would take 5000.
He told her that was entirely too
much, that he would not give over
$4,000. He picked up his hat and went
off and said he would be back probably
the next day to take the furniture away.
The strange part of it is that the man
called to pay the rent almost two weeks
after Cronin's disappearance, and Mrs.
Carlson is positive that he was not
one of the men who had called
before. The man did not come for the
furniture the next day, and it is in
the house yet. We talked about
the matter good deal to the neighbors,
but did not say word to any of the pO-
licemen and Mrs. Carlson was greatly
surprised when Capt. Wing walked into
the house and said he wanted key to
the cottage" ''Can you describe the
three men or any one Of them?" Lind
gren was asked. NO." he said, 81 did
not see any of them and all know about
it is what Mrs. Carlson told me. / hardly
think the old people would be able to
describe the men because they only saw
them the times l have mentioned"
Olu tuO OdlIoOuS 0V6I SO lutO tIc
house and find the the blood stains on
the floor. or Cronin's clothes, or any
thing of that kind?" ssNO; l don't
think they ever went In there. The
old folks thought that because they had
rented the cottage they had no right to
go inside Of it."
BLOODY FOOTPRINTS
And Other Clues Found in the