St. Paul daily globe., 1889-05-24
THE MYSTERY DEEPENs.

Inatl0n, the doctors say. snow thaI none
ofCronin's fingers are missing.
THE MYSTERY DEEPENs.
BY Whose Hands Did DIR. Cronin
Die?
CHICAGO, May 23.-To-night, thirty
hours after the discovery of DIR. .Cronin's
corpse, the mystery of his death had
deepened. net cleared. The manner Of
his taking off is now the darkest secret
of ALL, 1t has been almost conc1usively
shown atxcontrary to appearance, his
skull was notcloyen, or even fractured.
There is. absolute certainty that the
man was not strangled. The doctors are
Completely puzzled. The beginning of
the post-mortem took place early this
evening. In preparation the morgue
was cleared Of idlers and curiosity seek
ers, and the physicians commenced the
post-mOrtem examination of the body.
This examination was most carefully
made, and kept dozen doctors
at work nearly three hours. DR..
Todd, the county physician, and his
assistant, DR.. Egbert, directed the
examination. The skull was cut open
and the brain removed. After the scalp
had been taken off, the physicians dis
covered that the bones composing the
skull had scarcely been marked by the
blows of the sharp instruments which
it was thought caused the doctors
death. There was
y NO SIGN OF CONGESTION
about the brain, but the lungs and pull
monary cavity were. filled with blood.
The physicians say that this might have
resulted from the fact that CrOnin'S
body was placed head dOwnwardsin the
catchbasin. A cut half an inch deep
was found upon the neck and several
bruises upon the lower limbs. The
theory that he was choked to death
found no signs of suff0cation
ann discovered no bruises about
the neck such as would result from
strangling man with towel or rope.
The passage through the windpipe was
unobstructed. The physicians present
were taken aback Oh finding there was
no fracture of any of the skull bones or
small bones about the face. Even the
inner table of the skull was unfrac-
tured. DR.. Todd was of the opinion
that the cuts in Cronin's 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 of death except from the contu-
siOns resulting from severe blows. The
other physicians could not agree as to
the cause of death, although all were of
the opinion that Cronin might have been
killed by the blow at the outer corner
of his4Ieft eye. Even this blow was not
hard enough to fracture or splinter the
bones under the skin. The teeth were
carefully examined by Dentist Shay.
He said that there was no mistake in
the identification of the body because
the plate found in the lower jaw was
the one he made for Cronin over year
ago. It supported
4 SIX FALSE TEETH,
two in front and four on one eide. The
dentist also identified the gold filling in
one of the upper teeth; When the post
mortem was finished the physicians left
the station without concluding the
written statement, which they will
hand to the coroner at the inquest.
Meanwhile number of gentlemen and
friends of Cronin met in front Of
the station to arrange details of
the funeral. 1t was decided
to hold the funeral services
Sunday, and bury DIR. Croninin Calvary
cemetery. The other arrangements
were left to committee of ten, which
will meet tomorrow night. An under
taker took charge of the body when the
rpost-mortem was finished. John Cronin,
the brother oflDr. Cronin, arrived from
Arkansas, and reached the station in
time to see the remains before the ply
sicians commenced their work. He
positively identified the body as that of
his brother. r. T. Conklln and Mrs.
Conklin, the saloonkeeper and
wife with whom DR.. Crouln
has resided for years, alighted
from buggy in front of the station
this afternoon anc pushed through the
crowd. Mrs. Conklin took seat with
in the wire railing surrounding the ser
.geant's desk, and for over an hour
looked steadily
OUT OF THE WINDOW,
without once moving her head. She
sat with her back to the people
In the room. and did not speak
to any one except her husband.
Permission was not asked for her to
see the body of DIR. CrOnin. It was her
first visit to the station since the find
Ing of the body. Frank Black. alias