New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-06-17
Remains of 1S-Year-Old
Girl Buried Beneath
Cocchi's Cellar Floor
Police Reserves
Halt Morbid Mob
Woods Will Investigate De-
partment's Apparent De-
linquency in Search


e,rthed yesterday afternoon in the
cellar of Alfredo Cocchi's motorcycle
shop. 542 West 127th Street. 1t was in
mi. shop that the girl was last seen
alive on February IS. Cocchi has fed
to Italy.
Ruth Cruger had gone TO his shop to
have her skates shsrpened. Four feet
below the concrete floor Of the machine
.bop. in which the emery wheel for
sharpening skates still stands, the
diggers employed by Mrs. Grace Hunnis-
ton. counsel for the Cruger family. came
upon the body.
Fifteen minutes before these men ex-
humed the body detectives Of the 4th
Branch Bureau had been laughing at
their efforts, as they have laughed ever
since the determined woman lawyer be-
gsn her excavating last Tuesday.
Ruth Cruger had been killed by
blow on the skull, just above the right
ear. Her murderer had bound her arms
and legs and had jammed her body head
first into the hole in the cellar hoor'
Above the body clothing had been
hacked. On top of this there had been
dumped about quarter Of a ton OF
scrap iron. The dirt at the top OF the
hole had been smoothed level and the
hoard flooring had been replaced.
Body Found by Accident
The body of the eighteen-year-old
Girl was not discovered in the hole
unon which Mrs. Humiston's employees
have been working for the last four
davs. The woman lawyer was hot upon
the trail, but it was almost by accident
that she actually achieved the solution
of the mystery. If Mrs. Cocchi had not
sold her husbands shop at 2 o'clock
Yesterday afternoon the case of Ruth
Cruger might have remained forever
As much of an enigma as are those OF
Dorothy Arnold and Charley Ross.
Since her husband deserted her Mrs.
Cocchi has been trying to sell the one
story little shack in which he had run
his business. Yesterday afternoon she
completed the deal and Edward LIND
and Charles Greenbaum, OF 1896 Broad
vav. became owners of the place.
Lind Immediately turned over the
KEYS Of the place 70 Mrs. Humiston and
Detective Sergeant McGee, who was
supervising her work at the direction
Of Commissioner Woods. While Peter
McAntee and John Spittle, the two Dig
gers. continued their work upon the
excavation in the street side Of the
cellar the others determined TO inves-
,icste the machine shop at the other
erd which has remained locked since
the las, police inspection of the prem
ises.
Peter T. Solon, superintendent Of the
Grand Central Terminal, where MI
Cruger has his Offices, was aiding Mrs
Humiston in her search yesterday. lie
began a careful examination Of the ma
chine shop.
The air Of the room was stale and
lifeless. Dust lay thick upon the skate
sharpening machine. Other tools were
scattered about the place, filmed with
the rust Of neglect A workman's bench
was fastened 70 one wall Of the dark
chamber. Near it stood two tool chests.
Solon noticed that one Of these was
pushed out little from the wall; that
the two cabinets did not sit quite level
upon the floor.
Metal Lay Above Body
lie called Mrs. Humiston and Jules
James Kron, the private detective en-
ployed BY the Cruger family. With the
ard Of the two diggers, they lifted the
chests away. They had been covering
hole in the floor, about 2 by feet.
The boards had been sawed away and
then replaced. But something beneath
had kept them from lying regularly.
That was Why the two chests had not
ttood in alignment.
Beneath the boards the concrete
hoonng had also been hacked away,
exposing hsrd-paeked dirt. McAntee
and spittle brought shovels and picks
and set % work. II was hard digging,
'or the hole. which slanted downward
al an angle Of about co degrees toward
'he centre Of the cellar floor, was
ehoksd with scrap iron, broken tools
ana old motorcycle parts. The men
pulled Out about 300 pounds Of metal.
Ihen clothing began 20 appear, en-
Deadsd Ia the packed earth. Two pairs
u knAki motor cycle trousers, a pair Of
sKYh2s' sheet Of rubber, eighteen
neess square; pair of knee pads,
sg~, and vest Of gray plaid, a pair Of
esn Hcgseys, tWO caps, one Of canvas
no ns other Of cloth. pair Of tennis
.nosf ard heavy tan leather shoe
were uncovered.
me workmen began % cough and
he N them swore and scrambled
sDiy from the hole, that vas now
agost Tour feet deep. Kron and eolon
- baehed away and shouted for
"syse T,e 70 bring his fashlight.
me yellow ray Of the electric Iarop
,h'' o'"n through the dsrkne,s and