Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-05-23
THE CRONIN MYSTERY.
The Doctors Body Discovered-Evf-
dence that He was Murdered.

The dead body of DIR. P. H. Cronin. who
strangely disappeared from his home recently,
was found last evening some distance north of
the city IN sewer on Evanston avenue. Chi
! cago. bloody towel was wrapped about the
head. The rest of the body was stark naked
Catholic emblem which the doctor always
wore next his skin suspended about his neck
was untouched. On the dead mans head were
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 dis
turb Catholic amulet.
Much excitement was shown at detective
headquarters when doubt to the identity
OF the body was finally removed. 1t was evil
dent from the expressions of the officials that
one OF the first objects of the police will be to
nave number OF suspicious associations ex-
planned associations made by supposed friends
OF CronIn. Lieut.. Elliott will have these people
at the inquest and demand an explanation full
ana complete. Lieut. Elliott said the detectives
claim that they have been handicapped from
the start by lack of assistance from those
who claim TO know all concerning the doctors
disappearance. Lieut.. Elliott said soon after
the finding of the body: i Will have this in
formation now there will be a number of
prominent arrests"
WHOLLY ACCIDENTAL CIRCUMSTANCES
brought the corpse to light gang of labor
ers in the employ of the Lake View suburban
government have been cleaning the bitches
along Evanston avenue during the week
To-day Foreman Roesch and two men were
working north on the east side of Evanston
avenue towards Fifty-ninth street As thew
neared the catch basin at the corner thew
noticed strong smell OF putrefying flesh and
ROesch pried off the top Of the catch basin. and
uncovered the body of DR.. Cronin. 1t had ap-
parentIy been hastily pitched into the basin
for the head was underneath and the feet
and legs were up in the opening The
place where the corpse was discovered
Is about three hundred yards from Argyle
park station of the Chicago and Evanston
branch OF the Chicago, Milwaukee and ST. Paul
railroad. 1t Is but two or three blocks from the
lake. and nearly mile north from the corner
OF Sulzer street and Evanston avenue. where
the mysterious biOOd-stained trunk empty was
found on the day after Cronin's disappearance
There are four catch basins at the intersection
OF the street, and the body was in one on the
southeast corner. 1t seems altogether remark
able that 1t was not sooner discovered for the
Lake view police started out to search all the
catch basins in the big suburb the week after
the trunk was found.
THE BODY IDENTIFIED.
Immediately upon taking the body out of
the basin Foreman Roach notified the Lake
View police station and summoned the patrol
wagon. The body was stretched out in the
Lake view morgue, which occupies the front
room IN the basement under the station Tel
ePHone messages were sent to the city police
and an hour after the finding of the body a
dozen Of CrOnns friends were at the sta
ton. The three ScanlOn brothers. who have
been Intimate with DR.. Cronin. were among
the first who arrived They all b8t nosi,
lively identified the body as that of Cronin
upon first sight. Later it was unuualifediv
identified by L. L. COnklin. the saloon-keeper.
with whom Cr0nin lived. and by James Boland
and Patrick McCarty. During the evening DIR.
j. IL. Brandt. president of the Cook county
hospital staff. who an acquaintance of
Cronlns. carefully examined the BODY. and
positively identified 1t as that of the missing
man.
Dr. Brandts examination showed that upon the
head were tine following cuts and bruises: Over
the left temple. cut four inches long through
the scalp aud into the skull: over the left pa
rletal bone. cut one and a-half inches long
which also marked the skull: also. a cut one
and a-half inches long over the frontal bone;
at the junction of the lett parietal a cut three
inches long. Among MANY Others the dentist
who last worked on CrOnin's teeth reached the
station late IN the evening and positively iden-
tl;ied the body. as did the man who for wears
has been CrOnin's tailor.
GREAT HUBBUB WAS CAUSED
in the suburb by the finding of the corpse.
Shortly after the body had been removed to the
police station, the street i'll front.was iammed
with vehicles, and scores of people were crowd
ing for admission to the basement where Law
the doctors remains. Officers were stationed
on the stairway and at the basement door, and
were once or twice obliged to use clubs in
forcing the crowds back. The tumuIt con-
Ilnued lar INTO the night. Long before mid
night at least forty men who had known Cronin
had identified the body. The police will keep
the body and the towel at Lake View until the
coroner orders otherwise
The man. Woodruff, or Black. who. after ar
rest fortnight ago, confessed to having helped
carry OH trunk containing corpse, that of a
woman he claimed. from barn in the city the
night of CrOnln disappearance. was interviewed
tonight IN jail. lie manifested no surprise or
dIscOmpOsure when told that the body of Dr.
Cronin had been found north of where the
trunk was discovered. But while he apparently
talked freely about the matter he seemed care
full not to go outside of the story he had orig
lnaiiy told. He repeatedly said that had he not
been locked up in Jail he could and would have
cleared up the trunk mystery before this time.