Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-06-21
300 GIRLS DISAPPEAR
SINCE FIRST OF YEAR
Sensational Allegations in New York
OF Widespread Traffic in
Young Women.
SEQUEL OF RUTH CRUGER CASE
Police Commissioner Woods Orders
Rigid Investigation Of Charges,
With Orders to Spare No One"
Involves Many Important People.

NEW YORK. June 2o-SensationaI
allegations of a widespread traffic in
girls in this city resulted to-day in
Police Commissioner Woods ordering i
rigid investigation OF the charges Ills
action followed the announcement that
between 700 and 500 girls have disap-
pcarcd from their homes here since
January !. This was the most i'm
portant result thus far of the belated
discovery by woman lawyer and a
Ruth CruGer. eiEhteen-ycar- old high
school student. months after the police
had ended a search for her.
spare no one" was the order given
by Commissioner Woods TO Inspector
J. a. Fsurot. who was placed in charge
Of the inquiry. which is expected to
shake the police department from top
10 bottom.
Faurot was directed to sift thor
oughly the avowal OF Mrs. Grace
Humiston. the lawyer in the Cruser
case. that white slave traders are re-
sponsible for the heavy toll of missing
girls and to place responsibility on
those in the police department whose
duty II was to find Miss Cruger's body
EMPHASIZES IMPORTANCE
Or GETTING CoCCHI
Mrs. Huiniston to-da: emphasized the
importance Of having Alfredo Cocchi.
who is formally charged with Miss
Crugers murder. brought back from
Italy. where he fed after Miss CruEer
a II,
authorities can get a statement from
him, he will involve SO many i'm
portant people tina, the case will be
one OF the most sensational ever ex-
posed in this country"
Search for possible victims who may
have shared Il fate similar TO that of
Miss Cruger was begun by the police
to-day in every shop or cellar occupied
by Cocchi since he came TO this coun-
try. Further search to-day in the cell
lar where the body was discovered dis
closed Two bladed jackknife with
stains on it and not far away another
knife. In the furnace room was 4
cigar box containing woman's purse
For two hours to-day Mrs. Marie
Cocchi. wife Of the fugitive. was ques-
toned at the district attorneys Office
She insisted she knew nothing that
could throw light on Miss Crugcr's dis
appearance or murder. She was not
in his shop on February 10. the day the
young woman disappeared. she said.
and because OF GOODNESS between her
husband and herself she did not visit
his shop from September S, 1915. until
two days after Miss Cruser was re-
ported missing from her home and
after her husband had fed.
NUMBER OF INCIDENTS
PARALLEL CRCGER CASE
The reports regarding the missing
girls arc on file at police headquarters.
it was learned. II was conceded that
tho police were without accurate fg-
urcs as to the number OF these which
mad returned home. More detectives
have been attached TO tho departments
bureau Of missing persons Mrs.
Humiston has been quoted as saying
She knew OF number of incidents. in
NolvinG missing girls, which parallel
the Cruscr case.
investigators working on the Ruth
Cruger mystery today continued their
efforts to locate persons believed TO
have been accompliccs In the murder
I
! that District Attorney Swan is in
Nes'isa,inG rumors that Miss Cruscr
might have been murdered by woman
| in mistake for another. The district
attorney yesterday expressed the be-
| lief that the girl was killed in Alfredo
| cocchi's bicycle repair shop, and not
! in the basement below, where the body
/ was found.
Importance is attached TO the state
! m"nt made by Miss Consuelo La Rue
| that she had jumped from window
! OF her apartment yesterday to cscape
| being Killed by two men who attacked
| her because she had given information
which resulted in Miss Crugcrs BODY
! being found.
PREPARED To MAKE
STARTLING REVELATIONS
whether Miss La Rue had apy
| cehnitc connection with the Cruger
| case has not been finally settled to-
day she is said, however to be in
possession Of much valuable informa-
| u,h oil