New Britain herald., 1917-07-06
WOODS ON STAND
 IN POLICE PROBE
Commissioner First Witness at
 Grand Jury Investigation

New Ork, July 6.-POllce com missioner Arthur Woods was the first witness yesterday at the grand jury inquiry, ordered by Governor Whit man for the purpose of discovering whether the failure to find the body of Ruth Cruger and the escape or her murdered, Alfredo Cocchl, were due to wilfull negligence on the part of any m em bers of the police depart ment.
 Commissioner Woods, as the source of authority in the police depart D-vnt, was called first, to lay oefore the grand jury the directions given by him personally during the search for the missing girl. and to define the duties of the different policemen, detectives and police department of f1cials who worked on the case.
 The fact that the case was pressed upon Commissioner Woods attention within twenty-four hours after the disappearance of the girl and that he took direct personal control of the search was brought before the grand jury, when a letter was submitted to it which was written on Feb. II, the day after the girl disappeared, by George H. Olney, a friend of the Cru ger family. In this letter Mir. Olney described the hig6 character of the missing girl and begged that vtgor- ous search for her be started at once. Tho letter was among the papers turned over to Commissioner Wall- stein by the police department.
 Commissioner Woods refused yes- terday to say anything about his tes- timony before the grand jury, but when he was questioned in his office at police headquarters, he admitted that he had received this letter and had regarded it as such importance that. instead of of sending a written reply, he had telephoned at once per- sonally to MT. Olney and promised immediate action. On that same day Commissioner Woods said that he had sent Deputy Commissioner Guy scull to interview MT. Olney and had or. dered energetic detective work to find the girl or ascertain her fate. This all occurred on Feb. IA, the day after Ruth Cruger disappeared. and the day before Alfredo Cocchi took flight
 Commissioner Woods signed a wafv- CT of immunity, which will be re- quired of each of the many witnesses who go before the grand jury. He did not complete his testimony yes- terday and will go on the stand later, having been excused from appearing again today, because he is to attend the funeral of Policeman Flood, who was killed in the performance of duty.
 Deputy Commissioner Guy Scull is on the list of witnesses to be called today. Assistant District Attorney AL fred J. Talley, who is in charge of the grand jury inquiry. said yesterday that t1.~ F. ~r,{,, o1roox a full month.
 The grand jurors had not intended to meet yesterday and had to be called together by special messengers from the district attorneys office. Before the taking of evidence started Judge John F. Mcintyre of the court of general sessions read them the follow ing:
 Gentlemen of the grand jury, 1t
 has come to my attention during
 the last few days that the gov
 ernor of this state has taken off,
 cial notice of the Ruth Cruger
 case and, among other things, he
 says that is the duty of the dis
 trict attorney to conduct a thor
 ough, a perfect, and complete examination.
 I want to ask you to give the
 district attorney of this county all
 the aid that you can possibly,
 consistently, too, with the facts : that may be developed and dis
 closed before you. I want to
 say to you, in addition, that. if
 there Is any dereliction of duty on
 the part of any police official, no
 matter who he may be, in connec-
 ton with this case, 1t amounts to
 failure on the part of the po-
 lice department or some one con-
 nected with it to perform public
 duty and if you have evidence
 hereafter brought before you to
 establish the fact that I have just
 mentioned, 1t becomes your duty
 to indict.
 The statute under which indict- ments will be sought, if intentional negligence Is shown, Is Section 1,S41 of the Penal Code, which reads as follows:
 "A public official or person holding @ public trust or employment, upon whom any duty is enjoined by law, who wilfully neglects to perform the duty, is guilty of a misdemeanor.
 MURDER INQUIRY CONTINUED.
 Dedham, Mass, July 6.-Additional witnesses were on hand ready to tes- tify when the grand jury today re-