New-York tribune., 1917-06-23
Police Failed to Follow
Leads in Cruger Murder
Cooper at Wastein Inquiry Says Detectives Concluded
Woman Seen in Taxi with Man Was Ruth-Dld
Not Examine Cocchis Record Closely

"He said Rubian didn't know her as
Ruth Cruger.'
Asked Il he accepted as well founded
the conclusion that the girl in the taxi
cab and Ruth Cruger were the same
person, Captain Cooper said ne accept
ed 1t as possibility.
He admitted also that one Of three
detectives, Lagarenne, Dillon or Nc
Gee had informed him that a member
of the Cruger family had accused
Cocchi as being responsible for the
girls disappearance, but he was unable
to state the source Of his subordinate s
information.
He said ne became suspicious OF
Cocchi after the latter's disappearance
and again on Saturday last. when the
body of the girl was unearthed in the
Cocchi shop.
Commissioner Wallstein's questions
were sharp when he touched on the
reputation OF Cocchi, which was known
to the police previous 20 the disappear
ance OF Ruth Cruger.
The Commissioner then read an oili-
cial report signed by Lagarenne stat
ing how a certain woman, whose name
was withheld. had gone 20 CocchI'i
| shop to have a tire put on carriage
wheel, and that Cocchi put his hands
upon her back and asked her to kiss him
| Her husband later went 20 Cocchl's
shop, and the Italian denied that be
was the man. According 20 Lagarennc
the woman asked that the matter be
| kept quiet. as she wanted no publicity
ana merely desired the police 10 know
what kind Of a man Cocchi was
Captain Cooper admitted that this IN
cident did not come TO his attention
until several days after Cocchi had dis
appeared. He said he thought this
lead" came from a member Of tho
force, but was not certain.
Having received that lead asked
the Commissioner, was there any ef-
fort made to find out if any other
woman had been similarly treated
Did your investigation at any time take
that particular line?
I he captain said an investigation
had been made by the three detectives
and that all reports were favorable g
Cocchi's conduct.
Excluding the last forty-eight hours
and the last ten days, were women who
resided in the neighborhood of Cocchi's
shop interviewed for the purpose of as
certaining whether Cocchl had insulted
any women who came into his shop?'
Il recall giving no such orders"
The witness admitted that notwith-
standing the information concerning
Cocchi that had come 10 him within
the forty-eight hours following Ruth
Cruger's disappearance he did not con-
slider the importance of following a line
of inquiry relative 10 Cocchi's reputa-
tion and gave no orders for such in
quiry.
Commissioner Wallstein adjourned
the investigation until Monday, when
he will probably call Ruth Cruger's
father.
II is understood that Mr.. Cruger will
state that he and his family had urged
the widest publicity when the case was
first reported and will deny the con-
tentions Of the police that the family
had requested a secret Investigation.
"The present inquiry" said Commits
sioner Wallstein. "is largely prepara
tory examination for the purpose oi
acquaInting myself with the proceed
ure of the Fourth Branch Bureau and
10 throw light on all the facts that
NAV reach a conclusion as TO whether
the procedure was adequate. In add
ton. | desire 70 obtain for the record
the earliest information concerning the
records and the activity OF that bureau
with reference 20 the Cruger case.
MY experience IN investigating de-
linquents leads me 90 know that the
first work on a hot trail Is the most i'm
portant work of the investigation. The
general points Of the inquiry to-day
were: What was the trail? How no
was IL? And what was done with ref.
crence 20 following it?'