Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-05-11
In the Case of the Missing DIR. Cronin-
Ride with a Cornse

oiludtlou III lne mysterious case oil the
missing Irish American, DR.. P H. Cronin
| came out tonight. Last night an officer
| from the Twelfth street station arrested a
| young man who was trying to sell white
! horse and wagon in a livery stable near the
station for small sum OF money When
| taken 10 the station the man gave his name
| as John Brown, and when asked the routip q
| questions always addressed TO prisoners
| betrav ed much emotion and asked for Cap-
tain ODonnell, He was taken 10 the Cap
| tains private office, and in the presence of
several officers told startling story of his
| connection with the Cronin mystery. To-
day the police Investigated the story, and
| found 1t corroborated by many circum-
stances which tend to show its truthful
| ness.
Browns real name is Frank G. Wood
ruff, and he has been working for Dean &
Co., livery stable keepers at 404 Webs. er
avenue. His story, as reported by the
authorities. is TO the effect that a week ago
Wednesday in talk with a man named
William King, he (Woodruff) had COM
planned of being out OF money, having lost
considerable at playing cards, and said that
it was necessary for him TO secure some
thing to do that would pay better than
working in livery stable. King said be
could put Woodruff in way of making
some money easy. Saturday evening, lust
at dusk, King called Woodruff out OF the
stable and asked if he could get a horse aud
wagon out without anyone knowing it and
said he would give Woodruff $25 if he
would do it. Woodruff said he could, and
a place Of meeting at in the morning was
agreed upon.
Woodruff left the wagon outdoors in the
alley before going 10 bed, and when all the
other employees had retired he stole noise
iesslv down stairs, took out a horse, hitehed
up and, meeting King, they drove together
TO barn in the rear of a big house on
State street. as they wheeled up in front
OF the barn two men came out. One was q
man whom Woodruff calls Dick Fairburn,
the other man Woodruff feels sure was DR..
Cronin, although it was quite dark at the
time. be had several opportunities to
look closely at the mans face 1t appears
that he answers Cronin's description in
many wsys.
The other man addressed this person as
Doc" The three men drove straight
through the alley to the first cross street,
over TO Dearborn and up Dearborn 10 Lin
coin park. II heard several expressions in
conversation between the men," said
Woodruff, which convinced me there was
body in the trunk. In the first place l
noticed that Cronin was very anxious for
us to hurry. Two or three times he said
Get out of here boys; get out of here
quick
- / noticed the trunk smelled as if there
was decayipg flesh within IT, We drove
nearly to the north end of the park, then
stopped minute near some bushes King
ana Fairburn were with me. We left
Cronin at the barn. and | remember as |
looked at him that one of his eyes was
black as if he had been hit with fist. AT
thah hr,c !, tod al, l. 7
the horse while II was opened. / then
saw my suspicious were correct. There
was body in the trunk. They lifted it
out in several ieces. l can't say positively
whether it was the body Of man or of a
woman except from one circumstance.
heard King say, Here's where we leave
Allie
"Fairburn answered Yes, and II vou
had letTom alone we would have had Doc in
here with her.
These remarks passed while they were
| carrying something that looked like
corpse. King gave me Twenty-Five dollars,
! and told me to drive on and dump out the
trunk, and get the horse into a gallop. /
don't think l was fifteen minutes on the
run. Finally l dumped out the trunk and
turned back. 1t broke open as it fell but
did not wait to see in what manner it Law.
or just how the pieces were placed, and |
returned 10 the barn."
Woodruff says he suspects from the con-
versation he overheard between Cronin.
Fairburn and King that the body in the
trunk was that of woman, whose death
| resulted from an operation, perhaps per-
| formed by Dr. Cronin. He draws this con-
clusion not only from 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
| been struck by some one. Woouruff first
read of Cronin's disappearance Tuesday,
| and also read the story relating to the find
| ing 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 remain
ing, but desired to obtain little more, and
| stole The identical horse and wagon which
| he had used last Saturday night The re-
! suit was his arrest and confession.
| A pretty brunette named Allie or Alice
| Villarosa has been missing from the neigh
borhood near which is located the barn
where Woodruff is said to have met DIR.
| 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 papers of late,
Out tDe advertisements contain little or
| nothing definite. A saloon keeper named
Conklin, with whom Cronin lived, was in
formed tonight of Woodrufi's statement.
Conklin declared there could be nothing in
the story, and once more insisted that the
doctor had been murdered by certain Irish
Nationalists, who according to Conklin
were enemies of Cronin
Woodruff is of the opinion that Cronin
| IS In the city and that King knows his
| whereabouts, and that if KING can be found
| he can tell where Cronin is
Search has been made at the point in
Lincoln Park where, on the lake shore.
Woodruff is said to have left Cronin and
the other man with the body. The un-
usually heavy rains have interfered with
! the work. Except on one side, the lake
here stretches away for miles in every di-
rection. Within the Park, near by, is a
large pond. Both lake and pond are being
dragged. The residence TO which belongs
the barn from where the trunk is claimed
to have been carried belongs to well-to-
do citizen named Watrous. He disclaims
all knowledge whatever of the singular
affair.