Omaha daily bee., 1889-05-23
DR.. CRONIN'S BODY FOUND
In the Catch Basin OF a Lake View
Sewer.
A BLOODY TOWEL ON HIS HEAD
The Remains Stark Naked and Putri-
fying-A Dozen Cuts on His
Scalp and His Skull
Cracked.
A Horrible Sight.

CHICAGO, May 22.-The dead body of DIR.
Cronin was found this evening some distance
north of the city in sewer on Evanston
avenue.
A bloody towel was wrapped about his
head, but the body was stark naked A
Catholic emblem, which the doctor always
wore next his skin, suspended about his neck,
was untouched. On his head were a dozen
cuts which had severed the scalp and IN
dented the skull. 1t is the opinion of the
police that Cronin was foully murdered.
Much excitement was shown at detective
headquarters when all doubt as to the iden-
tity of the body was finally removed by
definite messages from Lake View. 1t was
evident from the expressions of the police
that one of their first objects will be to have
explained some expressions made by sup
posed friends of Cronin.
Lieutenant Elliott, chief of the detectives
will have these people at the inquest and
demand an explanation, full and complete
The detectives claim they have been handi-
capped from the start by lack of assistance
from those who claimed to know all con-
cernine the Doctors disappearance.
81 will have this information now," said
Lietenant Elliott, "or there will be a number
of prompt arrests"
Wholly accidental circumstances brought
the corpse to light A gang of laborers who
were cleaning the bitches along Evanston
avenue, noticed near the corner of Evanston
avenue and twenty street, strong
smell. One of the men pried of the cover OF
| the catch basin at the corner, and discovered
the corpse. 1t had apparently been hastily
pitched into the basin, as the head was un-
derneath, and the feet and legs IN the open
| ing. This basin is located nearly a mile from
where the mysterious blood-stained trunk
| was found on the day after Cronin's disap-
pearance.
| 1t seems altogether remarkable that It was
| not sooner discovered, for the Lake View
police started out to search all the catch ba-
| sins in that suburb the day after the trunk
was found. One of the searchers said to-
| night that they had missed the basin where
The body was Immediately taken to the
| Lake View morgue, and within an hour a
dozen of Cronin's friends were in the sta
tion. They We're quite sure it was the body
| of the missing doctor, and their opinion was
verified by T. r. Conklin, with whom Cronin
| lived, and also by others.
| Dr. Brandt, who examined the body, said
| the blows on the head must have been in
| flicted by some sharp instrument.
| There would seem to be no possibility OF
| doubt rs to the Identification of the body.
| Among many others who expressed posi-
tive opinion in regard to It, was the dentist
| who recently worked on Cronin's teeth, and
also man who for many years has been
Cronin's tailor 1t is thought that Cronin's
body was carried in the mysterious blood
stained trunk. There was cotton
| found about the feet and under
the chin of the corpse, of the same
quality as that found in the trunk, and
threads of cloth found in the cotton cores
pond in appearance with threads of the
towel wrapped about Cronin's head. The
| body was much swelled and in an advanced
under water, in the catch basin
The man Woodruff. or Black, who after
arrest confessed to having helped carry of
trunk containing corpse, which he
claimed was that Of a woman, from
barn in the city on the night of Cronin's
disappearance was interviewed tonight in
Jail. He manifested no surprise when tolt
of the discovery, but while talking freely
about the matter, seems careful not to &c
outside Of the story he had originally told
He repeatedly said that if he had not beer
locked up in Jail he could and would have
cleared up the mystery before this time.