The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-06-23
THE RNING NEWS,
ESTABLISHED 1850. INCORPORATED 1883.
J. II. ESTILL. President.
CRONIN CASE WITNESSES.
A NEWS AGENT ON A TRAIN VOL
UNTEERs INFORMATION.

he Claims to Have Seen the Men
Loading the Trunk at the Carlson
Cottage and Later to Have Seen
Them Dumping the Body Into the
Catch-Basin.
CHICAGO, June 22.-A man who claims
to be an important witness in the Cronin
case turned up last night. He is George E.
Brooks, a news agent, running on one of
the railroads coming into the Union depot
His story is to the effect that on the night
of May he was driving in Lakeview with
his sweetheart, and happening along Ash
land avenue he saw three men loading
a trunk into wagon at the Carlson cot
he saw the same men dumping the contents
of the trunk into the catch basin in which
the body of Cronin was found. He also
says he saw the men distinctly and will be
able to identify them, and that his female
companion also saw them and that she.
too, will be able to identify them. He is
ready to produce the young woman as soon
as the authorities want her.
WHY HE DIDN'T TELL BEFORE.
Brooks explanation of his failure to tell
his story before is that he was afraid of
losing his life, as he believedsthe men con-
cerned in the murder were so desperate
that they would kill anyone who they
thought might turn up as witness against
them. He said the knowledge he possessed
bad so weighed on his mind that he could
not keep it to himself any longer, and be-
lieving that it was duty he owed himself
and the community, he at last decided to
tell all he had seen. He first stipulated that
he should be given protection This was
promised him. Brooks told his story to
Chief Hubbard, with whom he was closeted
for over two hours last night. He described
the three men whom he saw, and his de-
scription of one is said to fit Burke, the
Winnipeg prisoner.
"a cablegram from the solicitor of the
London Times" says the Daily NsaUS. ''was
received at the office of Attorney Frank
Collier this morning, requesting him to
procure as soon as possible, certified copy
Of the evidence taken by the coroner in the
Cronin inquest. For what purpose the
Times wants the evidence is not known.
Mr.. Collier is now on his way to England y
FRIEND OF BURKE ARRESTED.
Anew arrest was made this afternoon
The prisoner is Michael Walsh, a plumber,
who has been working at Joliet. He knew
Burke, the Winnipeg suspect, in Chicago.
Burke, it is reported, turned up in Joliet
the day after the Cronin tragedy
and remained with Walsh, prac-
tically penniless, until June 9,
when it Is thought money order came
to the Winnipeg man from Chicago. The
natural inference would be that Walsh's
arrest was due to desire on the part of the
police to elicit anything of value he may
know regarding Burke.
This afternoon Frank Woodruff COM
menced in the city court suit for $19,500
damages for libel against the proprietor of
a dime museum. who has on exhibition q
wax "fgger" of the horse thief as one of
the accomplices in the murder.
The grand jury will resume the con-
sideration of the Cronin murder mystery
Monday morning, at which time the testi-
mony of G. E. Brooks will be received.
DETECTIVES AT BRUNSWICK.
BRUNSWICK, GA, June 22.-Two de-
tectives arrived on the o'clock train this
morning from Chicago, and Immediately
sought prominent lawyer. They are look
ing for an important witness in the Cronin
murder case, who is thought to have been
spirited to the coast by the conspirators.
By the merest accident their presence and
the object of their visit was learned, and
a reporter Immediately started to inter-
view one of them. The detective was
thunderstruck when he learned that he was
known, and claimed that he was member
of the Macon Guards. He evidently thought
his words would be swallowed and the re-
porter would think a mistake was made
and he was attending the encampment, but
the reporter knew there was no such COM
pany as the Macon Guards and told him So
This cornered him and he gave in. The
witness was not found here and they took
the z o'clock train for Savannah.