The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1917-03-14
RUTH CRUCER
CONE 4 MONTH,
CLUES USE:L-E SS
Disappearance AS Much 8
Mystery AS at
First.

ago Ruth Cruger, g years old, a re-
cent graduate from a high school and
a teacher in a Sunday school, disap-
peared from the comfortable home of
her parents at $50 Claremont avenue.
Since that time public and private de-
tectives have given their best efforts in
search of her, the face of the girl has
been flashed on motion picture screens
and displayed in newspapers through
out the country, and a reward has
been offered for information concern
ing her, yet not single trace has
been found. She has dropped out
of sight completely, leaving not one
tangible clue on which the police can
work
In the period since the girls dis
appearance several clues have engaged
the attention of the police, many of
them. leading to other states. All Of
them on investigation have proved
valueless. Two hundred letters have
arrived at the Cruger home from per-
sons who were sure they had found
the missing girl or some trace of her,
and as many more have reached the
public officials charged with an in
vestigation of the strange case. Though
the letters have been gone over with
painstaking care and their contents
checked up with the facts in the case
they have hardly been worth the pa
per on which they were written.
month has gone and the police
confess the mystery is as battling as
on the day the girl went away from
her home. In turn theories Of for
chile abduction, elopement and drown
ing have been considered by the po-
lice and the District Attorneys office,
but no definite facts have been de-
veloped to support one theory to the
exclusion of the others.
Where Theories Clash.
Henry D. Cruger, a public account
ant and father of the girl, is inclined
to blame the police for their failure
to solve the mystery, while he express
es the conviction that his daughter
is dead. On the other hand, the po-
lice and Assistant District Attorney
John. T. Dooling have pronounced 1t
their belief that the girl is remaining
away from home Of her own accord.
Several days before Feb. 13 Mr..
nd Mrs. Cruger went to Boston, the
wife accompanying her husband on a
business trip. Three daughters, Hell
en-, Christine and Ruth we're left at
home. Helen went to business every
day and Christine was just recuper-
ating from an illness. It was the du-
ty of Ruth while her parents were
away to stay at home to minister to
the wants of her sick sister.
Ruth, the youngest of the Cruger
girls, was fond of skating and on the
pevious day, a holiday, she had been
to the lake at Van Cortlandt Park,
while her elder sister Helen, remain
ed at home with Christine.
On Feb. 13 Ruth went out and
cashed a check for $25. After pay
ing some bills she returned home and
gave her sister the receipted bills
showing she had paid out SO and $22
remaining from the check which had
been cashed. After luncheon Ruth
told her sister that she was going to
a. shop to obtain skates which she
had left to be sharpened. She left
her house clad in old clothes which
she wore around the house and with
only 25 cents with which she intend
ed to pay for her skates. Her sis
tiers and her parents have heard moth
ing from her since that time.
Sisters Begin Search.
When her sister did not return home
in two hours Christine became wor-
ried and telephoned to Helen. The
eldest sister left her business imme-
diately and hurried home. Learn
| ing the facts from Christine Heller
set out to find the shop where the
skates had been sharpened. Late ir
the afternoon she came to the motor
cycle shop of Alfredo Cocchi at 54f
West 127th street. COcchi told Heller
that a girl answering the description
| of her sister called for her skates ear
| ly in the afternoon and after recelv'
| ing them walked east in an opposite
direction to her home.
That evening Helen called in FranE
Bennett, Corporation Counsel of Mount
Vernon and a friend of the family
and the two decided to summon Mr.
and Mrs. Cruger home. They arriv-
ed that night The next morning the
disappearance of the girl was reported
| to the police.
| Cocchi, of course, was the first per-
son to be questioned. Learning moth
ling of Importance from him the po
| lice eliminated the Italian proprietor
| Of the motorcycle shop and turned
their attention elsewhere. The mex
morning Mrs. Cocchi came to the de-
| tectives and asked them to find hel
| husband She told them he had Dor
rowed IS from her and disappeared
Then the police realized Cocchi might
be important and they conducted ar
exhaustive search of his premises
which however, revealed nothing.
Still Seeking Cocchi.
From that time extraordinary eff
forts have been put worth to fine
Cocchi.
Find Cocchi and you will find my
daughter the father of the girl says
/ He is so convinced the Italian knows
something of his daughters disap
pearance that he has offered $500 fol
| his return.
The police still insist they are moi
seeking Cocchi as Ruth Cruger's alb
ductor. They say they are looking
for him simply as a missing person
Since the disappearance of Cocchi il
has been learned he was friendly with
a number Of motorcycle policemen. I
has even been limited that a policeman
| persuaded" Cocchi to go away.
| Four DAVIS ftor Ruth CY11oar,'S die