The Crime of the Century; Or, The Assassination of Dr. Patrick Henry CroninHunt, Henry M.
History
The Crime of the Century; Or, The Assassination of Dr. Patrick Henry Cronin
Hunt, Henry M.
Cronin, Patrick Henry, 1846-1889; Trials (Assassination) -- Illinois -- Chicago
Dr. Cronin is a fugitive. He has not been seen in Toronto since 10
o'clock this morning, when Long, his former Chicago friend, left
him under the surveillance of an amateur detective, paid for the
purpose. Cronin then was in a state bordering on terror, and begged
frequently that detectives should not be put upon his track, and
offered to give any additional particulars he knew about affairs
generally. Dispatches from Chicago newspapers had given the story
of suspicion against Cronin in respect to the trunk mystery. When
asked about this mystery he denied that he knew anything. This
morning, when the news contained in Chicago dispatches was
communicated to him, he stuck to that statement, though once or
twice threatened with exposure and the allegation that detectives
were waiting in the vestibule of the hotel and had a warrant for
his arrest on the charge of malpractice. He was next asked if there
was any truth in the other story about his going to London to
communicate with the British Government. His manner and evasive
replies tended to create this impression rather than that he made
his escape from Chicago over the trunk mystery. He said he intended
in a day or two to return to Montreal, where he had been to get one
of the Canada-French line boats to Paris. Then he said he might go
to England.
Cronin promised he did not intend to leave Toronto for a few days.
He was not registered at the hotel, and the scores of reporters who
called were informed that he was not staying there, and had not
been there. This was arranged by Cronin's occupying a room engaged
by another party, so the hotel clerk had no idea that the man was
in the house. The information contained in the interview was no
doubt intended by Cronin to mislead, and the interviewer was well
aware of the fact at the time. He got his amateur detective at the
end of the corridor and told him to keep his eyes open, and when
Cronin was left alone in his apartment to see that he did not leave
it. Some few minutes after, Cronin made a dash from his room and
went toward the stairs. He had evidently seen the man who was
watching him, and his action must have been taken after a great
deal of deliberation. When the detective saw him on the stairs he
walked to the staircase leading to the ladies' entrance to
intercept Cronin there. Cronin, however, had only gone half way
down the staircase. Then he returned and took the elevator,
descending to the ladies' entrance, where the detective, not
finding him, thought he had been fooled, and again returned to the
head of the stairs. Cronin had disappeared. At 11 o'clock a second
detective was at the hotel to renew the watch over Cronin.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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