, 1889-05-11
HIGHLY SENSATIONAL.
Another Chapter in the Cele-
brated Cronin Case.
Capture of a Large Band of
MoOnshiners in West
Virginia
Indians and Cowboys Have a
Battle in New Mexico.
A Highly Sensational Chapter in the
Cronin Case.

CHICAGO, May l0.-The most startling
information in the mysterious case OF the
missing Irish-American, D. III. Gro
min, came out tonight. Last night an
officer from the Twelfth street station ar
rested a young man who was trying to sell
a white horse and wagonin a livery stable,
near the station, for asmall sum of money.
When taken to the station the man gave
his name as John Brown, and when
asked routine questions always addressed
to prisoners, betrayed much emotion and
asked for Capt. O'Donnell. He wa
taken to the captains Office and in the
presence of several officers told a startling
story OF his connection with the mystery.
To day the police investigated the story
and found it corroborated by many cir
cuInstances which tend to show its truth
fulness. Browns real name is Frank G..
Woodruff, and he has been working for
Dean Il Co., livery stable keepers at 4O4
| by authorities is that a week ago Wednes-
day, in talking with a man named Will
iam King, he Woodruf) had complained
Of being out Of money, having lost con-
siderable at PLAYING cards, and said that
1t was necessary for him to secure some
thing better than working in a livery
stable. King said he could put Wood
ruff in the way of making money easily.
Saturday evening, just at dusk, King
called Woodruff out of the stable, asked
if he could get a horse and wagon out
without anyone knowing it and said he
would give Woodruff $25 if he would do
it. Woodruff said he could and the
place of meeting att o'clock in the morn
ing was agreed upon. Woodruff left the
wagon out doors in the alley before going
to bed, and when all other employees had
retired, he stole noiselessly down stairs
and meeting King, they drove to a house
on State street. As they wheeled
up in front of the barn, two
men came out; one was a
man whom Woodruff calls Dick Fair
burn; the other man Woodruff feels sure
was DIR. Cronin. The men put a trunk
into the wagon. Although 1t was quite
dark at the time, he had several opportu-
mites tn look closely at the mans face
and he asserted that he answers Cronin's
description in many ways. The other
man addressed this person as Doc" The
three men drove straight through the
alley to First street, over to Dearborn and
up Dearborn to Lincoln park. l heard
several expressions in the conversation
between the men and Woodruff, which
convinced me that there was a body in the
trunk. In the first place | noticed that
Cronin was very anxious for us to hurry.
Two or three time he said get out Of
here, boys, get out of here quick" |
noticed the trunk smelled as if there was
decaying flesh within it. We drove
nearly to the north end of the park, then
stopped a minute near some bushes. King
and Fairburn were with me; we left
Cronln at the barn and | remember as |
looked at him one of his eyes was black as
if he had been hit with a fist. At the
bushes we lifted the trunk out and | held
the horse while it was opened. | then
saw that my suspicious were correct
there was a body in the trunk. They
lifted it out in several pieces. | can't say
positively whether it was the body of a
man or woman except from one circum-
stance, | heard King say, here is where
we leave Ale" Fairburn answered, yes,
and if you had let Tom alone we would
have had Doc in here with her." These
remarks passed while they were carrying
what looked like a corpse. King gave me
S25 and told me to drive on, get rid of the
NiNhh "hN NV u Va nv Il AaliOp. 1
don't think | was over fifteen minutes on
the run, finally dumped out the trunk and
turned back. 1t broke open when it fell
but | did not wait to see in what manner
1t lay or Just how the pieces were placed.
| then returned to the barn.
Woodruff says he suspects from the
conversation he overheard between Gro
min, Fairburn and King, that the body in
the trunk was that of a woman whose
death resulted from an operation perhaps
performed by DIR. Cronin. He draws
this conclusion not only from the words he
overheard but also from the anxiety
evinced by the doctor to get the body out
of the way and from the fact that Cronin
had apparently recently been struck by
some one. Woodruff first read
of Cronin's disappearance Tuesday, aud
also read the story relating to the finding
of the empty trunk. He was greatly
frightened and thinking the officers were
certainly on his track, took means to get
out of the city. He had some money re-
naming, but decided to obtain a little
more and stole the identical horse and
wagon which he had used last Saturday
night. The result was his arrest and con-
fessioh.
A pretty brunette, named Allie or Alice
Nillavason, has been missing from the
neighborhood near which is located the
barn where Woodruff is said to have met
DR.. Cronin and the %latter's companions.
Her parents are in rather humble circum-
stances and heretofore little attention has
been paid to her disappearance. Several
personals" addressed to her, or relating
to the girl, have appeared in the papers
of late, but the advertisements contain
little or nothing definite. Saloon Keener
Conklin, with whom Uronin lived, was
informed to night of Woodruf's state
ment. Conklin declared there could be
nothing in the story, and once more in
sisted that the doctor had been murdered
by certain Irish Nationalists, who. accord
ing to Conklin, were enemies of Cronin.
Woodruff is of the opinion that Cronin
IS IN the city,, that King knows his