Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-05-31
A DETECTIVES THEORIES.
Two Plausible Conjectures as to Why
Oronin Was Murdered.

CHICAGO May 30.-An old detective OF
the city hall, who has been keeping tab
in the Cronin case pretty closely, was re-
viewing the evidence today. He said:
The three men now in Jail know all
about the murder and could give the
police the right clues which would result
in the arrest of the actual perpetrators of
the crime, but these prisoners can never
be convicted of murder on the evidence the
states attorney now has in his possession.
One of them, therefore, must squeal and it
will not be Coughlin. 1t lies between
Sullivan and Woodruff. The states
attorney would prefer to give
the ice mans story. and l think he would
promise to iet Sullivan off easy if he gave
the whole plot away..-sIf he did give up
everything. think 1t would be something
like this: Coughlin made all the arrange
ments in the first place for the murder;
he made out the plans OF course he
knew his men before he approached them
To Sullivan he entrusted the work of fix
ing up contract with DR.. CrOnin. The
hiring of all horses and rigs. Coughlin at
tended to himself. He first met Wood
ruff. whom be knew to be a crook and al
ways ready for any shady transaction.
He did not confide anything to
him, however, merely showing him that
he wanted him, that he wanted some
work done at an early hour in the morn
ing. Then he made the dicker,with Oman
about the rig which his friend was TO call
for the night of May 4. The Williams
brothers did all the Cronin work. the hir-
ing OF the Carlson cottage and the buying
of the furniture. / think that although
there were at least twenty persons in the
conspiracy but two or three, besides the
actual murderers, knew that Cronin's life
was to be taken. viii the murderers
ever be brought to justice? The
chances are rs five to one against
the police. With the evidence thus far
obtained there can be no convictions. 1t
is not at all likely tislt the mtn who COM
mitted the crime itself-did the actual
declare in Chicago, or even in the
country. They had a good warming
and got out of the county after
the report of the finding of the body
Il have another theory which, however,
is not as tenable as my first one. 1t may
have been thai there was no Grammatical
conspiracy. 1t is possible that Sullivan
got some woman into trouble. That
woman may have been a relative of Cough
lin. DIR. Cronin became acquainted with
the facts in the case which We're
very damaging TO the ice man. The latter
knowing the strict moral and religious
a
fear that the physician would inform the
authorities that Sullivan WAS guilty OF a
grave crime, made the contract with the
doctor which carried him to his death. |
can but think that Woodruff's
story about a woman has some foundation
In the fact The police ought surely, it
seems to me- 10 look up Sullivan's history
OF the last year and see if he was not in
volved with some female"
Chief Hubbard, in an interview regard
ing the above quoted remarks of detect
i've about woman IN the case. said: "Yes.
we have been working on that
feature of the murder. Sullivan is
a bachelor and 1t Is not at all
unlikely that he got some woman in
trouble. If such is the fact, we do not yet
know whether there is any connection be-
tween the circumstances and the murder
of DR.. Cronin. Ii is being thoroughly
looked into"
DO you put much faith in it?''
Il do not"
The police have been making an active
search for Cronin's clothes and medicine
case. and the thirty-two yards of ingram
carpet which were tackled on the floor of
the Carlson cottage. Lieutenant Schuet-
tier and his men went through the ice
mans house today, but did not discover
anything which could be used as evidence
They looked under the carpets, and
ripped up the flooring in one
or two places and searched every
room and closet in the dwelling. One offi-
Ger examined every possible hiding place
in the attic and another looked through
the cellar. The barn and house were also
searched
Before giving uD the search the officers
win look through all the catch basins and
under the sidewalk on School street and
Belmont avenue from Ashland avenue TO
aha ripar