Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-06-25
PAPERS FOR EXTRAD|T|0N.
OF COCCH| COMPLETED
Inquiry Is Resumed to Place Re.
sponsibility for Police Laxity in
Cruger Murder Case.
By the Associated Press.


NEW YORK. June 25.-Papers re-
to bring Alfredo Cocchi, self-confessed
slayer of Ruth Cruger. from Bologna,
Italy. where he fled when he feared he
was suspected, were completed today
by Edward Swan. district attorney. In
the opinion of Mr.. Swan and lawyers
conversant with Italian law, Cocchi can
be extraditedA The present friendly re-
lations between Italy and the United
States. according to the lawyers. was
expected to. Ruse the Italian govern
ment to stretch a point by not inaisting
which prohibits the extradition Of
Italian citizens taking precedence over
its treaty providing for reciprocal ex-
tradition.
With records of the police activities
in the Cruger case before him. Leonard
NJ. Wallstein. city commissioner Of ac-
counts. today resumed his inquiry.
which was ordered by Mayor Mitchell.
to place responsibility for the failure of
the fourth branch detective bureau to
solve the mystery of the missing girl.
Mr.. Wallstein spent all of yesterday
digging into the records of the fourth
branch office. Although detectives
conducted a search for Cocchi after the
man had fed. they sought him as a
missing person" rather than as a
criminal. and closed the case. so far as
he was concerned. as soon as they as
certained that he was in Bologna. Italy.
according to records examined by Mr..
Wallstein. The principal witness called
today was Henry D. Cruger. father OF
the victim. 1t is expected that he will
be under examination all day.
Cocchi's Story to the Judge.
BOLOGNA, June 5.-Interrogation of
Alfredo Cocchi, self-confessed slayer Of
Ruth Cruger. is kept secret by law in
Italy until just before trial. when counsel
is allowed to examine the result Of in
vestigations made both by the police and
judge. According to unofficial informa-
tion. Cocchi recounted to Judge Zucconi
his history in America. He said: my
machine shop gave me a satisfactory po-
sition. l earned sometimes 500 week.
l had never seen Ruth Cruger before she
came to my shop to have her skates
sharpened. From the very beginning Ruth
did all in her power to attract my atten-
tion. 1 felt something strange when her
dark. penetrating eyes fixed on mine.
Il was still more disconnected when
she came again. February 13. to get her
skates. An overpowering attraction for
the young woman seized me. What hap
pened afterward seems like a dream. My
at this point fails me utterly.
I'm view Of the facts which have been
presented it must be true l attacked and
mean to. My will power could not re-
sist any more. When I returned home
was like person In a trance. l remem-
Der speaking Of this peculiar mental con-
dition and thought 1 was ILL.,
Il began to realize the gravity OF my
position the morning Of February Is.
when newspaper reporters came to my
shop to make inquiries and policemen
questioned me. 1 felt then as if 1 were
lost. My only anxiety was to escape. 1
my papers and succeeded in reaching
Italy. On my arrival was overcome by
l cannot myself believe that
my hitherto unblemished life has been
Tense. but 1t Is of such a nature that 1
believe it to be true. The great
punishment is to think what suffering
and agony my wife and children are
undergoing. as Notwithstanding our
misunderstandingS we love each other
most tenderly."
Cocchi is being carefully watched in
prison here. as he has several times ex-
pressed the intention Of committing
suicide ito finish 1t all" For this rea-
son he is not allowed to have in his
,ell towels. suspenders. bedsheets or
metal knives. forks and spoons. His
jailers assert that on one occasion he
attempted to dash his head against the
wall. although he soon became calm
when the keepers threatened to put
lim in a strait-jacket.
The State Department has requested
he Italian government to forward a
copy of the confession of Alfredo
-oochi in which he admitted that he
1ad killed Ruth Cruger.
Moves for the extradition OF Coochi
still are in a somewhat indefinite stage
italy heretofore has construed her
treaty with the United States not to
require such an extradition. but in
view of the new relations brought
about by the war, there is some likeli-
hood of success. There have been un-
official intimations from some men,
oers Of the Italian mission that
extradition might be accom-
,lished under; present circumstances