Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-06-28
WOODRUFF'S LASTTALE.
HIS STORY OF THE DETAILS OF THE
ClsONIN MURDER.

CFouln murder, mas made announcer alleged
confession, in which he claims to tel the
whole story of the crime. Briefly told, his
story Of the Cronin murder is as follows:
He says he came to Chicago March 26 and
put up at the Merchants Exchange hotel,
South Watsr street. The proprietor got
him chance to work for German
gardener at IT'S Southport avenue. He
remained there four days, and becoming
sick, ON March so stared for the county
hospital, but drirted to p. O'Sullivan's
place in Lane park. Woodruff says he was
a volunteer on the Canadian side during the
Fenian raid and member of the gath Kent
battalion, whose headquarters were at
Chatham. He then had an opportunity to
learn great deal about Irishmen ard
Irish societies. As soon as he saw O'Sulli-
van he decided he was Fenian and COM
menced a conversation on the subject OF
the Fenian raid O'Sulivan told him he
wo:ld get him some work if possible, but
day or so afterward he (Woodruf) went
TO work at Deans livery stable.
He says he met Dan Coughlin first on
Wells street in a saloon, and the second
| time on April at the corner of Wells and
Division streets. They started down town
and had gone but two blocks when they
mat o Sullivan, the iceman.
Two days later april B Woodruff says
he went into the rear room in Sol Van
| Praag's saloon on Fourth avenue and
found Coughlin and man named Mel
Wills drinking there An introduction fol-
lowed and Melville gave Woodruff So and
told him he might have some work for him
to do. Woodruff says two days afterward
| april - he went to McCoy's hotel to see
Melville, but did not find him, and on the
way back, while going north, he met
| Coughlin and man named McDougall in
front of the Northwestern depot. Wood
ruff says he first met McDougall during
the Fenian rebellion, when the latter was
on the American side of the river at
Niagara. McDougall told Woodruff to
call him civilians"
After talk between Coughlin and Nc
Dougall the former went off and the latter
led Woodruff first on round through West
side resorts and then, late at night, to the
fiat at III South Clark street. They slept
together that night in the flat and in the
morning McDougall told Woodruff that it
van for work, intimating that the work
was Crooked" Accordingly the next
day he called at Alexander Sullivan's Of
fce but the latter gave him very cool
reception and told him that if he had any
work for him he would tell Williams NC
Dougall.)
The next day april y Woodruff says he
met Williams on grip car going north on
the North Side and told him how Sullivan
had repulsed him. They got off at Divi-
sion street, and had walked but a block
when tsey met Alexander Sullivan. He
talked with Williams and Woodruff, and
then took the former aside and talked to
him in low tone of voice and gave him
some money. Woodruff says that Mr..
Sullivan then asked his pardon for the re-
pulse of the day before and gave him to
understand that he might need him for
| | some work. Woodruff says he saw Wall
e Jams aad Coughlin on April co. and that
3 each asked the whereabouts of the other.
o On the afternoon of May 4, he says
9 Coughlin called at Deans livery stable ane
q hired him to carry trunk and paid owe
u $25.
i Woodruff then tells the story of the
9 night of the murder much as he told it to
Chief Hubbard. He says he drove out on
Lincoln avenue to Ashland avenue and met
civilians" and "Melville" He waited
} in front of the cottage while Williams and
Melville, and p O'Sullivan carried out
. the trunk. They drove to the lake shore
b with the trunk, leaving O'Sullivan behind
to clean up the house. After leaving the
body in the catch basin and the trunk on
Evanston avenue they drove back past the
, cottage and saw q woman, supposed to be
Mrs. Whalen, going out of the cottage in
: the rear.
: Woodruff embellishes the story with
many details. He says when P. O'Sulli-
van came out of the cottage with the
, | trunk he had paint brush in his hand.
8 He says McDougall was Philadelphia
blacksmith and that Melville was a me-
chanic of some sort. He says he was some-
times known as O'Shea.
Chief Hubbard says that he has thought
r for week past that Woodruff was the
> man who drove the horse which carried the
! trunk away from the Carlson cottage.
His opinion is not founded entirely on
t Woodruff's statements, as he believes
!, Woodruff to be polished liar. As re-
!; CARDS the other parts of the confession,
{ Chief Hubbard says he took but little
stock in them and he does not believe
; Woodruff knows anything about the de-
: | tails of the plot OF the identity of the
J people engaged IN it outside Of the man
, who employed him to carry the trunk
: away.
. States Attorney Longenecker relies
t upon the story of Woodruff as good evil
| dence.
| ruff has not told anything very new he has
], reaffirmed the confession that he made to
! Chief Hubbard and supported it by
l | many circumstances known to us before.
: On the whole think we may consider his
e. confession as pretty near the truth abou
this business. He tells us that he was sick
, | for two weeks with the old German at 175
Southport avenue; that he went to p.
;; O'Sullivan's for work; that he staid at the
American Exchange hotel and that he re-
ceived money from the American express
,, company. He tells where he met Coughlin
: and O'Shea and McDougall and in short
at every point in his narrative he supplies
those little details which when verified
prove the truth of large part of the
story"
"Do you know anything about O'shea
or McDougall?"
81 never heard of O'Shea. McDougall,
think is known to Dillon"
"What do you think Of what Woodruff
says about Alexander Sullivan"
''It is characteristic of Sullivan to have
told Woodruff that he did not know him
! and that he had no work for him to do,
but it seems improbable that Sullivan
! paid money to the murderers