The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1917-06-20

ATTACK upon
GIRL WIT NESS
IN NCRUGERCASE
GAVE THE TIP THAT
LOCATED THE BODY
Board ofAldermen Investigate
Alleged lncapacity of the =
Police Department. =,

NEW YORK June 19.-Three I'M
portant developments in the inVestiga
tion into the murder Of 1S:year old
Ruth Crugcr. Wadleigh high school
graduate. divided the attention of city
officials today.
A woman calling herself ."Sounzelc
La Rue, who fell or jumped from a
window of her apartment and. who
said she gave the tip" that led 10
the discovery of The body, declared
she had been threatened with death
for her connection with the case.
Investigation of the police depart
ment by the board Of aldermen fol
failure Of the detective bureau 10 find
tho girls body that had been buried
for four months in the callar OF Al
.fredo Cocchi's bicycle repair shop was
demanded by the institute for public
service.
Search was begun for accomplices
in the crime after il was disclosed
thai the tool chest which hid the glrls
grave was too heavy for one man 10
move
Attorney Complains.
Miss la Rue" : Il prisoner
charged with attempted suicide.
in a hospital where clash be-
tween the Police and Mrs. Grace
Humiston. attorney for the Cruger
family...is reported TO have occurred
when she visited the injured woman
Mrs. Humiston complained to Police
Commissioner Woods that she had
been ordered from the room in the
hospital by detective captain. but
the captain denied that this was true
when taken before Deputy Commits
sion Small II was through Mrs. Hum
iston's persistence that digging was
continued under Cocchi's shop until
Miss Crueer's body was found. after
the police had shown Indifference TO
the theory of murder.
Assistant District Attorney Rorke
visited Miss LA Rue" in the hospital
tonight. He said she is still unable
to tell a coherent story. but that her
statement early today that she had
been attacked in her apartment and
had jumped from the window through
fear Of her life may he true as there
is a mark. on Der throat as Y she
had been choked.
Will Be Probed.
Failure Of the police TO find a trap
door that had been Cut 10 lower the
body into the cellar Of CocChi'S shop
strengthened the belief that an OH
cial Investigation. Of the detective
bureaus methods Will he ordered. -.
Several policemen who are said 70
have been. acquainted with Cocchi and
TO have been seen In his shop. were
questioned in the districr. attorneys
office today. Among others interro
gated were three girls who had been
ont driving with Cocchi. One OF
them. fourteen years old. said Mrs
Cocchi had upbraided her for so no.
ing.
Three chauffeurs whose names
werc. furnished by man under ar
rest in connection wit hthe crime are
being sought by the police. In the
tunnel with Ruth Cruger's body the
police found three chauffeurs' uni.
forms of khaki and two other suits OF
clothing.
The fact that The girls grave was
stuffed with clothing in order 10 allow
the replacement of the concrete floor
establishes, the police believe. that
the murderer removed the earth from
the building before putting the body
In the hole and discovered later that
he had taken too much earth away
Five lockers in the basement OF the
Cocchi cellar, APPARENTLY used by young
men who kept motorcycles in the
shop. we're stripped of their contents
to provide filling material for the mole
in which the body was buried. An
effort is being made 10 trace owner
shin of the recovered articles: The
police know who held keys to the
Cocchl lockers and are anxious to de,
termine why the loss Of the missing
property was not reported.