The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1889-05-24
LOOMING FOR A MURDERER.
Chicago AuthoritIe- Searching for Dr
Cronin's SLAYER.

CroDins SLAYER.
CHICAGO. MAY 2S.-The coroner this af-
ternoon impaneled n Jury to make an in
vestigstion into the cause Of the death OF
DIR. CrOnin, then adjourned the hearing till
next Tuesday, pending the result Of iHves-
LEGATIONS by the police.
A post mortem examination on the body
of DIR. Cronin was held this evening. DIR.
Todd the county physician, and bis assist
ant. DIR. Egbert, directed the examination,
which was carefully made and occupied
nearly three hours. The skull was cut
open and the brain removed. After the
scalp had been taken of the physicians dis
covered the bones composing the skull had
scarcely been marked by the blows Of the
sharp instrument which IL WAS thought
had caused the doctors death. There was
no sign of congestion about the brain, bu,
the lungs and pulmonary cavity were filed
with blood. The physicians say this might
have resulted from the fact that the body
WAS placed head downward in the CATCH
basin A cut half an inch long WAS found
upon the neck aud several bruises
upon the lower limbs The theory tnat he
was choked 10 death was easily exploded.
The doctors found no signs OF suffOcAtion
and discovered no bruises about the neck
such as would result from strangiing a
man with a towel or rope. The physi-
clans were taken aback ON finding there
was no fracture of any kind OF the skull
bones OF small bones about the face. DIR.
Todd was of opinion that the cuis on the
scalp must have been made by a knife or
some lighter weapon than an ice pick or
hatchet, but could not account for the
cause, except from the contusions resulting
from severe blows. The other ply sicians
could not agree as to the cause of death, |
although all were OF the opinion that Gro
min might have been killed by a blow at
the outer corner OF the lett eye. Even this |
blow was not hard enough to fracture or
splinter the bones under the skin.
The dentist fully identified the plate sup |
porting the false teeth as one he made over /
year ago for DIR. CTOnin. he also identi- |
fed the gold filling in one of the upper |
teeth. John CronIn, brother of DIR. Gro 1
min, arrived from Arkansas this afternoon |
and positively Identified the body as that /
of his brother. The friends of DR. CrOnin i
funeral services Sunday and bury DIR. Gro /
min in Calvary cemetery.
w. +. Rend. prominent Irishman, had /
long talk with the states attorney to-day L
about the Cronin case. Before going he
said to a reporter that he could put his L
hand on the man who instigated the muir
der. Afterwards he refused to talk, but /
the states-attOrney said he hsd obtained
clues which would, he believed, soon lead
to the arrest of the murderer.
Woodruff, OF Black, who claims to have
nauled the mysterious trunk the night of |
CroDins disappearance, was indicted by
the grand jury this afternoon for the THEFT
of the horse. He still maintained he would
have cleared up the trunk mystery and the
Cronin my stery If he was sent out with two
officers.
VIM. B. HOtchkiss, a reporter for the
Inter Ocean, did little police work to-
night on his own account, and the result
may be the disclosure that another person
besides Cronin was murdered. Hotchkiss
found that the suburban police had ne
elected to search the catch basin after re-
moving Cronin's corpse. He decided To un-
dertske the work himself, and 8 little
patience and toll soon showed he was not
to go unrewarded. In the bottom of the
sewer basin, concealed in the water,
he found a bloody towel, exactly
similar to the one wrapped
around CrOnin's head. Further gr0pine
brought up human fiuger SO badly de-
composed IL was impossible TO determine
II IL was that of a man OF woman. The
recollection of WoOdrutf's story about the
body of a woman was brought up by the
lind, as well as the theory of a probable
light between Cronin and the other parties. |
The woman's body, Woodruff SAYS, was
cut up in pieces and the finding of finger |
Is taken as possible confederation of his
story. The doctors who examined Gro
nin's corpse say none OF his fingers were
missing.