The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1889-05-30
cRoNlN WAS KILLED.

CRONlN WAS KILLED.
The BODY Or tho Missing Chicago Irish
Agitator Found In y Sewer IN . subur-
ban Town - Although BADLY MangIed
snd Decomposed, Friends Readily Iden.
tify the Rmnains-No Traces Of the MUIR
dcrer~ discovered = Theories ~ 20 the
Cause Of the Crime Are Plentiful
CHICAGO, May 23 The body of DR.. r. H.
Cronin, the Irish agitator who disappeared
from his home two weeks ago, was found
Wednesday afternoon at ) o'clock in q
catch basin on Evanston avenue. A towel
was wrapped about tho head, but
the rest Of the bOly was stark
naked The Catholic charm called
the "Agnus DEL" which tn Q doctor
always wore next his skin, suspended about
his neck, was untouched On the head
were the marks left by dozen deep cuts
which have 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 Catholic charm.
A gang OF laborers In tho employ Of the
Lake View city government have been
cleaning the bitches along Evanston Av-
cnue during the week. Wednesday Fore ;
man Henry Roesch and two men were
working north on the east side OF Evanston
avenue. towards Fifty-ninth street
As they ncared the catch-basin ut
the corner, they noticed strong
smell of purifying flesh, and Roesche
pricd of the top of the catch basin with his
spade and uncovered. the body of Dr.
cronin. It had apparently been thrown
into the basin, for the head was down and
the feet and legs were i'll the sewer OPEN
Ing
The corner of Hfty-ninth street and
Evanston avenue Ii about 3OU yards from
the Argyle Park station on the Chicago l.
Evanston branch of the Chicago. Milwau-
kee 4 st. Paul railroad. 1t Is but two or
three blocks from the lake an,,
about nine-tenths OF mile north from.
the corner of Sulzer street and Evans
ton avenue, where the empty trunk
was found on the day after Cronin
disappeared There are four catch-basins
at the intersections of the street, and the
body was found in the one ON tie southeast
corner. It seems altogether remarkable
that it was not sooner discovered for the
Lake View police started out to search all
the catch basins in the city the week after
the blood-stained trunk was found.
Immediately upon taking the body out Of
the basin Foreman Roesch notified the
Lake View police station and summoned
the patrol wagon. The body was stretched
out in the Lake View morgue, which occu-
pies the front iii the basement under the
station Telephone messages were sent to
the city rolice, and an hour after the
finding of the body a dozen of Cronins
friends were ut the station.
John E. Scanlan. Mortimer Scanlan and
John +. Scanlan were among the first who
arrived They identified the body as that
of Cronin upon first sight. Later 1t was
more positively identified by l. L. Conklin,
the saloon keeper with whom Cronin lived,
and by James Boland and Patrick McGary.
DIR. Lewis the dentist who last worked
ON Cronin's teeth reached the station late
In the evening and also positi:ely identified
the body, as did 4. G. O'Keefe, who for
many years was Cronin's tailor Mr.
Scanlan intended at first to send for Mrs
Conklin, but later it was thought un-
necessary.
In the evening DR.. J. r. Brandt, president
Of the Cook County Hospital staff, carefully
examined the body and positively identi-
fled 1t rs that of Cronin. He discovered
upon the head the following cuts and
bruises: over the left temple. cut -four
the skull: over the left parieta
bone, o cut one and halt inches long, which
also marked the skull; also cut one and q
Calf inches long over the frontal bone al
the junction Of the left parictal; Gu,
three inches long through the scalp aud
marking the ocipital bone; another two
inches long, also marking the ocipita
bone; large bruise back OF the
forehead on the right parietal bone and
near 1t. two cuts each an inch long; bruise.
on thu left Les, and severe Commissions ap
parently made by q bludgcon on thu
forehead The doctor said that the
blows must have been made 10y some
sharp instrument, perhaps an ice-pick
He said II the instrument had not beer
sharp the skull would have been fractured
whereas it was only Indented, or marked
by the blows. DIR. Brandt examined thu
hair found in the trunk on Evanston ave-
nue. and stated last night that it was Dr
Cionin's hair.
John +. Scanlan was led to give his feel
ings on the case and the search which had
been made by the police for the body o
the missing doctor. He hooted tho ide:
that any sane man could ever have though
that Cronin had run away Ills first remarI
was meant to connect the name Of the ice
man Sullivan in some way with the DOCTOR
removal
what iceman in Chicago" he exclaimed
would ever have made such contract will
doctor! What was the necessity for any
such contract? What under heaven causet
Sullivan to go out OF his way and make tina
contract with Cronin to come at any tim,
and attend to his men. Did that look q
though he had run away"
Mr.. Scanlan said he expected Go see th,
perpetrators of the deed brought TO Justice
Cronin's friends and fellow workers will
spare no money OF pains To bring about srcl
result and will not stop until the insti
gators. as well as the perpetrators OF tn
crime, are discovered.
The police are carefully watching tn,
house OF Sullivan. the proprietor OF the ic
house in Lake View, apparently with tn,
intention Of arresting him He had no
returned home ut q late hour last night
report that he had already been arreste,
could not be verified
Fifteen thousand copies of the Celtic
American, the weekly paper of which DR.
Cronin was the editor, and which had no
been issued since his absence, containing
a full history OF the physicians life ant
the part he had taken in disclosing Ger
tain evidence concerning alleged mis-
appropriation of Irish relief funds
were to have been mailed to the prominen
Irish voters of the city next Monday. Tn,
object OF this was to stir up the Irish peo
pie to realization Of their duty, and t,
urge on the work Of exposing certain
frauds, which work the doctor had bee,
engaged in and which, it is still thought
had much to do with his being removed
This sudden turning up OF his body i
thought by the police to be the first step il
unearthing as mysterious and great crime
as ever went down in the police annals o
Chicago. It will be their first object to have
number of suspicious assertions explained
assertions made by supposed friends o
tho murdered man. Lieutenant. Elliott will
have these people at the inquest and de
mand an explanation full and complete. ]
will be no surprise ii number of well
known Irish citizens should be arreste,
before night on suspicion 1t will b,
remembered that Thomas F. OCon
nor, an employe in the city Law
department, said to u reporter: ''Shov
me Cronin's body and I'll point out hi
murderers." This sensational statemen