New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-05-24
THE MURDER OF DIR. CRONIN
CHICAGO POLICE SEARCHING FOR THE AS,
SASSINS.
THE ARREST OF THE LEADER PROMISED SOON
FRIENDS OF THE DEAD MAN MAKING MANY
CHARGES WOODRUFF INSISTS THAT
HE SAW cRoNIN ALIVE ON THE
NIGHT or THE CRIME.
IBY TELEGRAPH TO THE raIBUNEl

lBT TELEGRAPH TO THE rRIBUNEl
Chicago, May 23.--The friends of Doctor Cronin
are this evening confident that there viii be i'm
portant Developments in the matter within q very
short time. The police say guardedly that they
are confident they are working In the right
direction, and are hopeful OF success. No more
positive information is obtainable, but IT Is
hinted that the detectives have secured. or will
secure within twenty-tour hours the person who
is believed to have called at the COnkln resi-
dence for the doctor on the night Of his dis
appearance. sensation was created this fore
noon by the announcement that Mr.. Sullivan,
the Ice dealer, had been locked up in the Lake
view Police Station. Sullivan is the man who
retained Cronin month ago TO attend his family
| and employees for year, from whose place the
Conklins say the mysterious messenger came.
Sullivan was sent for early this morning by tho
police, and on going 10 the station Was closeted
with Captain Wing and others for more than
| an hour. After leaving the station he went to
his place of business, refusing TO talk with re-
porters. The police officers would not say what
they had been talking about, but stated thnt
the nport that they had information duplicating
Sullivan in the crime nonsense 1t is prob
was obtained from him.
Many friends Of Cronin viewed the swollen
and dishgurd body, and pronounced it beyond
doubt that Of the missing man.
Woodruff, alias Black, the originator OF the
trunk story, who is now in jail on the charge
OF horse-stealing, was indicted by the Grand
Jury this afternoon the latter charge He still
declares that the story told by him shortly after
the disappearance OF DR. Cronin is true.
Il know whnt l am talking about he said,
" and II given chance, ! think | can aid materi-
ally In clearing up this mystery. | am certain
that the body Of DR. Cronn waS not in the trunk
hauled that Saturday night 1t was the body OF
a woman, | am positive. / am also positive that
DR. Cronin was one OF the party at the Watson
barn, and was the man whom the others called
Doc II they viii take me out Of here in COM
pany with officers, will agree TO give them point
srs which will clear up the mystery IN forty-eight
hours provided that, II do succeed in doing this,
the DEMONSTRATING against me shall be
dropped
The chief OF detectives, when told Of this state
mcnt, said he could hardly bring himself 20 believe
that Woodruff is anything more than clever liar,
hut that he Is disposed TO work oil available cews.
and, therefore, will within day or two secure
an order TO take Woodruff from the Jail aud give
him an opportunity. II he really does know uny
thing, OF proving IT, State-Attorney Longnecker
places little reliance in woodruns assertion.
Il IbeReve,' said Mr. LongnecIer, " that he read
up on the cas and then made up his story. lie
Is deeper In the case than he cares 10 admit, but
bis reticeDce will not help him any lie has told
the truth only partially. ana that part Of his story
about the mnn with the black eye
whom be claims TO have Seen in thh
barn, and who, he says, was Dr.. Cronn put some
faith in examined the eyes this morning. and
there Is a black diScoloration under one OF them
From all the information the police have. we orc
convinced that there great conspiracy
Right at this moment officers are tho tack OF n
man who We know almost beyond the pcradvcn-
ture Of n doubt WAS o principal in the crime. In
twenty -four hours. hope and believe, hc will he
behind the bars, and then the whole hcllish busl-
ness will come OUT
When this rather sensational statement Of the
States Attorney was made public it created con-
siderable OF a sensation among Cronns friends,
but neither Mr. Longneckcr nor the police officers
would talk further
Since the discovery OF the body, a number OF
Cronin's partiSans have talked in:cmpcrutey about
the " Assassination plot and one or two Of them
have said boldly that they could place their hands
Oh the man, or men, who nsti gated the murder
Tho attention OF the authorities has been directed
toward these men, and an official IN the detective
department said tonight that every person VINO
has In any way proicssed knowledge OF a consplr-
acy ngainst Cronius life will he suOpOcnaed 10 the
inquest next Tuesday and compelled by the states
Attorney 10 put their vague accusations into spc-
CliC charges
IL is reported tonight that the police. acting
upon Il suggestion made to-day, VIII endelNOT 10
secure the arrest Of Long, the correspondent who
sent out the notorious Toronto fake purport,
ing 10 he An interview with CrOun II Is shld
by Cronin's friends that the statements made IN
the alleged interview show that Long IS familiar
with Cronin's affairs aud the trouble he was sup
posed 20 have had with enemies IN the lEsh move
mcnt, and that II Long IS secured, 1t Is possible
some valuable Information may be obtained
The posmortcm took place carly this evening.
The morgue was cleared Of all idlrrs and curl
tsty seekers The examination was most care
fully made, and kept half dozen doctors at work
nearly three hours DR. Todd, the county ply
sIcinn. and his assistant DR.. Egbert, directed the
examination. The skull was cut Opcn and the
brain removed. After the scalp had been taken
on the physicians discovered that the bones OF
the skull had scarcely been marked by the blows
Of the sharn instrument which IL was thouShI
caused the doctors death. There WAS no sign
of congestion in the brain, but the
lungs and pulmonary cavity were hlled With
blood cut onc-hhN an inch deep was found
upon the neck and several bruises upon tn" lower
limbs The theory that hc WIS chokrd 10 death
wos easily exploited: The passage through the
windpipc was uuobStructCd. Tho physicians
pns no fracture Of any of the skull bones small
bones about the face. Even the in
mrcd. Dr. Todd was of the opinion that
the cuts in Cronns scalp must have been
made by knife some lighter weapon than
an icc-pick or u hntchct,. but could not account
for the cause Of death, cNccpt from the con
tusionS resulting from severe blows. The other
phySicians could not ngrce rs 10 the cause OF
death, although all were OF the opinion that
Cronn might have been killed by the blow at
the outer corner OF his left eye. Even this blow
was not hnrd enough 20 fracture or splinter the
bones under the skin.
IRISH. AMERICANS HERE INDIGNANT,
Tho murder Of Dr. Cronin has cauSod good deal
NJ excitement among Irish Natinnaists IN this city