Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-06-07

W. eeAAA> AAAesAA, uoSo DSSIl 1uOlCtcu ny
the grand jury on the
xNSS$N charge of numbering
Ek4s4 DIR. Cronin. There are
AX a three counts to each
]: !: ! ! !
WV y Indictment, but they
~ w. s refer only to the instru-
2az8 N|s2 ments used in the kill
"Hy@@ESA=. ing, and read, "a
\MSMAMFMN4AMs sharp Instrument, a
NVMIA. yfSSNg blunt instrument, and
IVY " NMNlS" an Instrument I'M
wv known" The first
witness was old man
| FRANK WOODRUFF Carlson, the owner of
! the cottage 1912 Ashland avenue,
| Lake View, where the murder took
place The old man was before the grand
jury but a very short time, when he was
led out and returned to the west-end wit
ness room.
7. 7. Conkln, the saloon keeper and
personal friend of the dead doctor, was
the next witness Remaining about
| twenty minutes he was followed by young
| Carlson.
John j. Cronin, brother of the MUIR
dered man, was led in after young Carl
son and next in order came the following
| persons: John Roesch, the man who
| found the body; Justice Mahoney of Lake
| View, and special friend of the iceman;
trunk and the hair on Cronin's head. pro-
| nouncing both the same; DR.. Belield, who
was at the post-mortem; Mrs Conklin,
Capt Setback. Lieut.. Schuttler, Frank
Seaman, Detectives Torch, Rohan, and
Hiatt, Willard j. Smith and his brother
John, Capt Oman, the liveryman, who
owns the rig which carried Cronin to his
death: Milkman Mertes who heard the
Doctors death-cry, young Carlson's wife,
and Capt Wing of Lake View.
OF the above list of witnesses the police
officers, the Carlsons, and Mr.. and Mrs.
| Conlllin were the only ones capable of fur
nishing testimony additional to what has
already been printed. There is, again, the
States attorneys word for it that the
Conklins went no further than to nanrate
| the familiar facts of Dr. Cronins appre-
hension of foul play and the incidents of
his fatal errand, including a description Of,
the man who called for him. Mr.. Longe-
nccker AYERS that DR.. Cronins private
papers in the hands of the Conklins' were
not introduced nor any knowledge in their
possession casting suspicion on others than
the three indicted
The Carlsors added to their previous
story enough to create the strong presump-
tion that Deteo tive Coughlin was familiar
with Iceman Sullivan and that they have
been seen at various times together. From
the policemen the best new evidence came
and that is found in the links that, for the
first time. clearly bind Woodruff to the
crime.
Frank Woodruff, alias Frank Back, has
been taken into camp by Capt. Setback
and he has told the whole story of his con-
nection with DR.. Cronin's murder.
According to the statements he has
made to the North Side captain he was
l xs.ith ,,rIa
: self, but simply acted as the driver of the
wagon which disposed OF the dead mans
> body in the catch basin where it wa
found.
At daybreak Sunday morning Capt.
Setback, in cab driven by a detective,
. arrived at Indiana and Dearborn streets,
and after waiting for several minutes
Woodruff, accompanied by Jail guard.
, arrived. He was taken into the vehicle
and driven to the sceno of DR.. Cronin s
murder and also to the catch-basn and the
place where the trunk was founl. Wood
ruff himself gave the driving directions to
the detective. who managed the reins, and
in every instance located the exact places
where tho chief acts i'll the horrible tragedy
occurred.
According to his confession he was di-
rected by those who had charge of that
part of the conspiracy, and whose names
Capt. Setback reserves for reasons that
are palpable to so to Deans livery stable,
where he would obtain a horse and wagon.
He had already been instructed to drive
the outfit to tie neighborhood of the Carl
son cottage and he also knew for what
pun pose he was to go there.
He arrived there about twenty minutes
before DR.. Cronin 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 DIR. Cronin and his
conductor arrive. and three tiuarters OF an
hour thereafter the man who was known
as Williams opened the front door OF tho
cottage and gave the signal stamping
his foot on the wooden porch
Woodruff at cncc 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 con-
/ tinued as the driver, to drive eastward to
the lake to certain point which Wood
ruff had designated to Capt. Setback.
The wagon headed for the lake and in
| its depths the trunk and its contents would
have been deposited had not the interrupt
ton come from the two Lake View police
men. This smashed the original plans of
the two men and immediate steps were
taken to get out Of the officers way. This
was done by taking a circuitous route,
which again brought them to the Evan
ston road. They had now been driving
for nearly al hour with their CHASTITY load
and one of the men suggested the sewer.
Williams said there was no more time to
be lost and he kicked i'll the lid of the
trunk The three lifted the body out and
deposited it in the sewer as it was found.
The trunk was again placed on the wagon.
It was intended to go south for distance
and then to drive north to the cottage and
then deposit the trunk. Fright here u
said Woodruff TO Capt. Setback, pointing
to the exact spot where the trunk was
found, eve heard noise of wagon wheels
from the south and. the two men, one OF
whom had been sittipg on tho trunk, pick
ed up the box ard threw it. out of the
, wagon and was urged to whip up tht
horse and drive west. Whan We reached
, Fullerton avenue. bath men said good niga