New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-06-21
Three Detectives
Under Suspicion
In Cruger Case
Continued from page l

who is preparing to leave with his regi-
ment for France. Mr.. Snow explained
that the suit had been left in locker
at the cycle shop two years ago, when
he gave up motorcycling. The hand
kerchief marked al. G. Smith" found
in a pocket of the suit was traced to
one of Cocchi's former customers of
that name, who said he had left it at
the shop.
Mrs. Cocchi was questioned for three
hours by the District Attorney and his
assistants yesterday. She appeared
willing enough to talk, her questioners
said, but seemed TO have difficulty in
remembering essential details and in
understanding their importance.
Tells of Husbands Sweethearts
She declared, in response 20 ques-
tions, that she had not been to her hus-
bands store from September 8, 1915, TO
February 10 of the present year. She
purposely abstained from visiting the
place, she declared, because of the re-
lations of her husband with girls and
the ouarrels which generally grew out
Of such visits. She declared that her
husband had been in love with girl
named Florence Emeletti. and later
with another named Propst, whose
father was a "boss baker" in the build
ing in which the Cocchis formerly
lived, at POP West Eighty-third Street
This girl, questioned by the District
Attorney. said that she was fourteen
years old and had been in love with
Cocchi for fifteen months.
Thus corroborated, Mrs. Cocchi ad-
mitted that she had ouarrelled con-
stantly with her husband because OF
/ his relations with young girls. She de-
clared she had intercepted letter ad'
/ dressed to the Propst girl by her hus-
/ band, and found inclosed in 1t S25
which she confscated for the use OF
| herself and children.
! Told bv Detectives Not to Worry
/ As her examination was about TO be
concluded the woman suddenly recalled
the visit of the detectives to her home.
! She had been asked if she had worried
over the disappearance of Ruth Cruger
"They told me not to-" she replied
"The police told me not TO worry-not
/ TO bother about the girl" Then. in re-
/ Spouse TO persistent questioning, she
told in detail the conversation she had
had with the detectives. They had Wis
/ tied her at different times, she said
/ about a month after Cocchi went away;
/ they had succeeded in allaying her fear
/ that he had anything TO do with the
+ girls disappearance. Then she re-
called the visit of man 20 her hus-
band at their home on the night of
February a. The man had come al
/ supper time, she said, and after the
meal her husband had left the house
with him. The identity Of this man
was not made public by the District
Attorneys office.
Blady's Testimony Valuable
Victor Blady, the chauffeur of Edge
water, y. j., who worked at the Man
haitian Dye Works, near Cocchi's shop,
told Of seeing this man in conversation
with Cocchi in the latter's shop later
on the night in question. Blady's tes-
/ timony was described by Assistant Dis
trict Attorney Dooling as "straightfor-
ward and valuable" 1t was not made
public in full, the identity of Cocchi's
visitor being closely guarded.
/ Blady said he was sure he had visited
the cycle shop on the night of February
/ IL, and he thought he was there on the
previous night also. Throughout this
period the body of Miss Cruger was
/ somewhere in the premises occupied by
/ Cocchi. That il was concealed in the
closet at the back of the shop is the
belief Of those who discovered II finally.
This belief is supported by Blady''
/ testimony. He declares that on very
cold night" the date Of which he can
not recall, but which may have been
either February IL or Ia, he tried "a
open the door of this closet. IL was
locked, and whey Re asked Cocchi the
reason the Italian told him that the
pipes inside had frozen and needed re-
pairs. Assistant District Attorney
Dooling believes that Ruth Cruger's
corpse was behind the locked door when
Blady tried to open it.
Sure Cocchi Had Accomplish
+ During the nigh. Cocchi and his &C.
complete the authorities are now
convinced that he had .one or more-art
believed 10 have dragged the body from
its place of concealment, lowered IL
through the l7-inch aperture provided
for the heating register in the shop
floor TO the cellar buried it, replaced a
massive tool chest weighing several
hundred pounds over the hole in the
concrete. and done everything else pos.
sible 70 conceal the crime.
This. they believe. occupied Cocchi
throughout the night Of February IA,
and the morning OF the following day,