Morning journal and courier., 1889-05-23
THE MYSTERY SOLVED.


 i'm a Sewer-COmpletelY Identified
 Indications of Foul Crime-A Dozen
 Deep Cuts on the Head The Body
 Badly Decomposed.
 CHICAGO, May 22.-The dead body of Dr. P. H. Cronin, the Irish-American, who strangely disappeared from his home in ming some distance north of the city in 8 sewer on Evanston avenue.
 A bloody towel was wrapped about the head. The rest of the body was stark naked. A Catholic emblem, which the doctor all ways wore near his skin, suspended about his neck, was untouched. On the dead mans head were dozen cuts which had severed the scalp and indented the skull.
 It is the opinion of the police that Dr. Cronin was foully murdered and by some man who could not bring himself to disturb 8 Catholic trinket.
 The body has been completely identified by a number of the doctors friends. The finding of the corpse was entirely accidental, laborers working in the vicinity being at tracted to the catch basin by the emell of decaying flesh. The body had apparently been hastily pitched into the basin for the head was underneath and the feet and legs were up in the opening.
 The place where the discovery was made, 18th street and Evanston avenue, is 300 yards from the Argyle Park station of the Chicago and Evanston branch of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul road. It is but two or three blocks from the lake and nearly mile north from the corner of Sulzer street and Evanston avenue where the mysterious blood-stained trunk was found empty on the day after Dr. Cronin's disappearance.
 The body was removed to the Lake View police station, where it was examined and identified by over forty persons who had known Dr. Cronin. In the evening Dr. Brandt, president of the Cook county hos- pital staff, carefully examined the body. He discovered upon the head the following cuts and bruises:
 Over the left temple a out four inches long through the scalp and into the skull; over the left parietal bone 6 cut one-half inch long which also marked the skull; cut one and half inches long over the frontal bone at the junction of the left parietal; cut three inches long through the soalp and marking the occiputsl bone; another two large bruise back of the forehead on the right parietal bone and near it; two cuts each an inch long; bruises on the left leg and severe contusions apparently made by bludgeon on the fore- head The doctor said that the blows must nave perhaps an ice pick. Dr. Brandt examined the hair found in the trunk on Evanston ave nue and said tonight it was Dr. Cronin's hair. There are other evidences that Dr. Cronin's body was found in the trunk. There was cotton found about the feet and under the chin of the corpse, of the same quality as the cotton found in the trunk, and the threads of cloth found in the cotton found in the trunk corresponded in appearance with the threads of the towel wrapped about Dr. Cro- nin's head. When this towel was removed part of Dr. Cronin's moustache came with it, showing that decomposition was already far ! advanced The body was much swelled, owing to its long stay under water in the basin.
 Alexander Sullivan, ex-president of the | Irish National League of America, was hor- | TOT stricken when told of the finding of Dr. | Cronin's body. Being asked what he had to say in regard to the startling discovery, MT. | Sullivan replied: 'I am at loss to know ! what to say. I am horrifed-dumfounded for have believed all along that Dr. Cronin | would turn up all right in the course oi | time."
 Have you no theories to advance ss tc the probable cause of the doctors murderp
 "None whatever"
 Do you think that his promised exposure l of alleged crookedness in Irish national or. ganizatious had anything to do with hii | murderi"
 "Most certainly do not"
 "The Conklins, with whom he lived have said all along that if the doctors dead body were found that they would accuse you o | knowing a great deal more about it than yot would care to tell. Do you wish to make | any statement on that questionn ! "I treated it with utter contempt at tht time the statement was first made, and dt ! the same now. It is beneath my notice."