The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1889-05-30

WR%@&AM
ure. Occupying the front part of the lot
Is large frame house of one story and .
half and high basement
1t IL almost positively established that In
the front room of this large house DR.. p n.
Cronin met bis death after q desper to
struggle with two or probably three hired
murderers. This important discovery and
the bloody evidences accompanying it were
kept secret in the breasts of States Attor-
ney Longenecker, Lieutenant Herman
schuttler and Captain Wing until three re-
porters forced an entrance into the house
after discovering blood on the steps leading
to the front door. A policeman who had
been detailed to guard the premises had
gone away on some little errand, but re-
turned In time to make the Investigations
proposed by the newspaper men very brief.
He returned very much excited, and with q
drawn pistol drove the intruders from the
house.
But In the little time granted them start
ling facts had been learned There was a
large pool of blood on the floor of the
front room near the door leading into the
next room. Near the center of the floor of
the second room was another pool of blood
Both of these stains had been
painted over with yellow ochre. The
paint was daubed ON in q hurried and
clumsy manner The man who did the
work went about it in his barred feet, either
TO accomplish the work noiselessly or, for a
still better reason, to prevent his boots or
trousers from being splashed with the ma
terial employed in blotting out the tell-tale
blood; That he did SO was shown by the
imprint of q human foot made in the fresh
paint, evidently by accident.
The police were convinced that the floor
was stained with the blood of DR.: Cronin.
They were startled shortly afterward by u
remarkable confederation of this impress
sion, when a detective found in one of the
rooms new key. It proved on trial to ex-
actly fit the lock of the trunk found on
Evanston avenue the morning after
Cronin's disappearance.
The cottage Is an unassuming structure,
but there were neat curtains visible II the
front windows, although neighbors have
for months believed it untenanted There
is a little tiower-patch In front, which has
been we'll kept by old Jacob Carlson and
his wife, who must have wondered at the
they had rented their house early in the
spring.
The police are looking for these tenants
They can tell who killed Cronin and why
they did it, and can unfold the details of q
plot which probably took months to ma
!ure The Carlstons can identify these two
men, who were the accomplices of the man
with the white horse who lured Cronin to
his death
The story of this cottage is strange one.
On March 20 two men called on the Carl
sons and offered to rent the vacant dwell
ing: The Car1sons are not particularly Oh
servant people, and the best general de-
scription they have offered of their ten
ants says that both were heavy set, OF a
medium age, with dark complexi ons
And smooth faces. One of them
1T least Mrs Carlson is positive, wore
the clothing Of a working-man. They
represented about the neighborhood that
they were going to work for Sullivan, the
ice man, and that their sister would act as
their house-keeper. These people were not
seen In the house again for several days,
when they went there with bolts Of carpet
ing and also moved in all the furniture
there is now in the house-a yellow wash
stand and bureau and bedstead.
After getting these few effects moved in
to the house the two men again disap-
peared for week or more, only to turn up
again on April 70, when they paid $12 in ad-
vance for another months rent They ex-
planned their delay in occupying the house
by saying their sister had been seriously ill
in the hospital and was unable to
begin her housekeeping duties 1drs
Carlson noticed that the men on
all their visits to her came from the west
On Roscoe street and departed in the same
direction Only once since the visit of
April 20 has there been observed sign that
would indicate the presence of anybody
about the house. That occasion was at
| night about the time of Dr. Cronin's disap-
pearance, when lights were seen fitting
bout the rooms
MI. Iindgren, sOn-in law of the Carl
sons. gives the following version OF the
renting Of the cottage to the mysterious
strangers: He says the house was first
rented in March by a young man giving the
name of Frank Williams, but no one occu-
pied it. On April 20 another months rent
was paid by the same young man, who said
his sister was sick in the hospital. He and
his brother had expected her to keep
house for them, but they expect
ed her out soon and would then
move into the house. The same man
called on Mrs. Carlson on both these occa-
stons but on the last one he had another
man with him whom he said was; his
brother. She did not see any thing more
of them and was beginning to think they
did not mean to take possession of the
house at all, when. two or three DAYS
before May 70. when the third payment
would fail due, a man came whom she had
never seen before, but who said he was one
Of those who had taken the house and vented
to pay for another months rent The old
lady, so L1ndgren says, was suspicious
OF him In some way, and refused to rent to
him any more, saying she was going to sell
the cottage. The man asked her what she
wanted for it, and when she said 81, OO0
he said it was too much money: He then
went away and did not return.
The basement or half cellar of the house
was not used by the mysterious tenants.
But small part of it, used as q coal bin. II
tioored over. Leaning against this bin wa
found spade, which gave the police m
idea that the dead physician's case and
clothes might have been buried In the Gel.
lar: Officers dug away all day In the cellar
and In the lot surrounding the house, but
they found nothing.
Z, All the efforts of the detectives Friday
were directed from the Carlson house. and
their most earnest work seemed devoted t.
keeping the press in ignorance of what wa
found or what was going on in the house,
Operatives from both the Pinkerton and
Mooney 4 Boland agencies were 1T worh
on the case. What appeared to be 8
very important conference between States
Attorney Longenecker, Inspector Ebersold
Captain Wing, Lieutenant Schuttler and
supertntendents Robinson and LonerRan
of the two detective agencies named vi,
held at the Lake View police station during
the day. The results were withheld from
thepress. 49,. ~. ...-... s-,-.- ~.
Lieutenant schuttler said last night: II
am expecting message from officer,
whom sent out of town to make what II
accomplished, viii prove an important ar.
rest can say nothing more now" The
lieutenant admitted that the officers were
accompanied by some one who could render
great assistance in making an indentifca,
ton II it proves necessary: The lieutenant
was asked: 50
II that arrest is made will it implicate
FL NJ 49, 80