The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1889-06-06
THE CRONIN CASE.
Captain Shack Discloses Some Startling
Comics ions.

Captain Shack Discloses Some Startling
Confes ions.
CHICAGO, June 4.-The many contradic-
tory confessions of the imprisoned horse
thief Woodruff, alias Black, regarding the
Cronin mystery were capped this after
noon by brand new article from him re-
garding the affair. During the inquest
Police Captain Shack, who was witness,
on the stand had testified as to the inves-
LEGATIONS which followed the arrest of
Woodruff for horse stealing, and retold
the whole of Woodruff's varied stories
| about men whom he claimed were named
King and Fairburn and the carrying off of
a woman's body in a trunk. The
| captain was asked if he had
had any recent conversations with
Woodruff and secured the consent
of States Attorney Longnecker before
replying. "Yes," he said, "Woodruff sent
for me the day the grand jury WAS in ses-
sion on this case, and we went together
into private room at the Jail. Wood
ruff went on to say there were great
many things he had not told about the
case. He continued by saying that he
was in a saloon on Division street near
| Franklin one afternoon with King and
Fairburn, when strange man entered
and took King aside. Woodruff said the
man had big roll of money, and that he
gave some to King and more to Fairburn.
They went out together and the stranger
left them at the door. After he had
gone, Woodruff said he asked King who he
was, and King said: "That is the great
lawyer, Alex Sullivan" Captain Setback
added in reply to jurors question that
the next day after Woodruff had been in
| dicted for horse stealing he sent word
that he would not talk any more.
The Daily News this evening says:
"Woodruff this morning declared: II amt
going to get the worst of it, although
there are people trying to give it to me-.
l amt Catholic and suppose they will
| try to give me the worst of it, but
| they had better look out. If l find
they are trying to do that, I'll make some
| of them think hades is not more than five
minutes distant" The inquest to-day,
aside from Captain Schaacks testimony,
| developed little that was new or interest
| ing. The morning was taken up in listen
| ing to the evidence of the policemen who
saw the wagon which carried the trunk
containing Doctor Cronin's body on the
night of the tragedy, and to that
of the physician who made the
| autopsy. Captain Setback was on
the stand over an hour and went
over the livery stable transactions of
| COughlin and similar events told in the
newspapers. The captain testified to TAX
ing the white horse and carriage to Mrs.
| Conklin, and that she could not identify
| them. Woodruff, the captain said. had in
his latest confession" declared that De-
tective Coughlin was the man who hired
him to drive to the Carlson cottage.
"Mal" Sampson, gambler, was the next
witness, and repeated his story that
Coughlin once tried to hire him to ''slug"
Cronin. The day closed with testimony
tending to cOrroborate Sampson, by one
of the latter's associates, Billy" Linn.
CAPTAIN scHAAoK SUSPENDED.
CHICAGO, June 4.-Capt.SChaack was sus-
pended from duty tonight by Chief Hub
bard for alleged dereliction of duty in the
Cronin case. This action was taken after
Captain Schsack's examination before
the coroner's jury and is announced to be
based on Schasck's neglect to summon
other than Mrs. Conklin to identify the
famous horse, and for not inquiring into
whereabouts of Detectivs Ccughlin on the
night of May 4. Chief Hubbard tonight,
in an interview after the suspension,
charged that Captain Schaack's course in
the Cronin matter was due to the fact that
in the efforts which had been made by
Schasck's enemies to oust him from Office,
Setback had found a powerful friend in
Alex Sullivan, and in one case at least Sui
liyan had saved Setback his rank and star
as captain.