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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 12, 1917)
inn timnriA rumAi nnn: auviloi iz, WW. 513 J. J. KRON SOLYED CRUGERMYSTERY Chief Detective on Mrs. Grace Humiston's Staff Was Man Who Found Missing New York Girl. BY FREDERIC J. HASKIW New York City, Aug. 10. With the Ruth Cruger case and the subsequent activities of Mrs. Grace Humiston, the missing girt has be come the leading figure in the sensa tional drama of the New York streets. Everybody is trying to find her; the newspapers are full of her; lawyers, philanthropists and policemen are making reputations out of her. But the one man who has probably put more time and thought on the missing girl problem than any other person, who solved the Rhuth Cruger mystery and a number of others, seems to have been barely mentioned. He is Jules J. Kron, chief" detective on Mrs. Humiston's staff, a former em ploye of the United States Depart ment of Justice and a detective whose originality of method and variety of adventures make him a fair candidate far Sunday newspaper publicity. Hungarian by Nationality. Mr. Kron, however, neither looks nor thinks the part. In person he is about five feet tour, a Hungarian by nationality, and modest by nature. His attitude toward life is intensely prac tical. Take, for example, the way he solved the Ruth Cruger mystery as .Mrs. HumCston's assistant, which is the only thing about the famous case that has never been told. When Mr. Kron sets out to solve a crime he not only goes back to the very beginning of the incident, Dut to the very birth of the criminal. His first step, there fore, was to trace Ruth Cruger's his tory from the day she was born. He discovered that she was, and always hail been, a girl of particularly strong and honorable character, the kind of girl who was not likely to be easily persuaded to run away from home. At that time the case was a complete mystery. Not a breath of suspicion had touched the Italian, Cocchi; the police believed the girl to be alive, and the general public was thoroughly convinced that she was bad. Mr. Kron, on the other hand, wast ed no lime on theories concerning a false sweetheart. He knew that he .vas on the track of a criminal of the worst order. The only other clew he nad was that the girl had taken her skates to be repaired at Cocchi's workshop around the corner on the day that she disappeared. Mr. Kron's perspective at once narrowed to the Italian. He made a house-to-house canvass of the neighborhood, ques tioning men, women and-children as to what they knew and saw of Cocchi, and finally he came upon a bjt of in formation that aroused his interest. Two men told him that at midnight on the two successive nights follow ing the disappearance of the Cruger girl they had seen Cocchi come up out of the cellar beneath his workshop yi a stealthy manner, his clothes cov ered with dirt. Case Practically Solved. From that time on Mr. Kron was firmly convinced that Ruth Cruger was dead and that her body was buried in that cellar. Kron recognized this type of murder; he had seen it often before. A few years ago Kron was called to Budapest by the chief of police of that' city to help solve a murder case. A woman had been found with her throat slashed in the kitchen of a farm house, and her daughter of J 5 h3d disappeared. Three months had gone by when Kron ar rived on the scene, in which time the father had gone insane, and the police had still failed to locate the girl. The detective made a thorough search of the premises. On the stoop of the farm house in the crevice of a rotteji piece of wood he unearthed an Amer ican dime. In the kitchen stove, un used during the summer months, he discovered handkerchief covered with blood unmistakably a product of the United States of America. The case was practically solved. All that Kron had to find out after this was the name of the American or the man who had been in Ameri cawho had frequented this farm house. He soon found him working as an assistant barkeeper in a vil lage not thirty miles away. The mur derer had been a former employe on the farm and had become infatuated with the daughter, whom he had known since she was a baby. He had gone to America, but his infatuation had brought him back. He had wait ed until all the men were away from the farmhouse. Then he had tried to carry the girl away; the mother had screamed and so he killed her, and when the girl resisted him he had killed her too, and buried her body in the neighboring woods. How He Used Confession. When Kron had secured this con fession from his man by tempting him with enough money to get away, he phoned his friend, the chief of po lice, and together they excavated the girl's body. From Budapest Kron returned to the United States just in time to be employed by the police Tjf New Jersey in collecting evidence on a somewhat similar murder ase. In, this instance, the police had cap tured a German-American whom they believed to have committed the mur der of a little girl in a lonely stretch of woods, but they did not have enough evidence to construct a case. Kron immediately assumed the per sonality of a man of the underworld who by stealthy means had acquired i lot of money but was something nf a fool. He then hunted the German-American up and allowed him self to become his tool. They lived in the same room on the money sup plied by Kron, they dined at the same nlaces. and the detective soon knew the whole life of his man aH except the murder, which he scrupulously avoided. Then Kron decided to force the issue in what he considers a most practical way, but which sounds de cidedly theatrical to the average citi zen. He hired an Italian to go and stand bv a certain tree in a neigh boring stretch of woods, and then he, Kron, accompanied by the German- American, crept up on the Italian ana shot him. Then they fled. The revolver with which Kron per petrated his murder contained only blank cartridges, but the German American did not know it, and neither did he know that the two copies of newspapers which Kron showed him the next morning, containing giant 'leadlines of a murder of a certain Italian, were the only two copies in New Jersey which did refer to it. From that time forward Kron avoid ed his quarry. He pretended fo fear that the German-American was going to tell on him. Inasmuch as Kron had all the money, the man was anxious to reassure him. And at Irngth, in order to do so, lie confessed t the murder of the little girl. A dictaphone in the next room took down the confession, and the German-American was the first man to be electrocuted in the state of New Jersey. Two Classes of Criminals. Mr. Kron believes that criminals are distinctly separable into two classes those who are born criminals and those who are made so. The born criminal is the man who care fully plans his crime; the made crim inal is one who commits it in a moment of passion. Mr. Kron has no sympathy with the former, al though he occasionally permits him self to feel sorry fo the latter. He is particularly vindictive towards thieves. New York department stores, he estimates, lose between fifty and six ty thousand dollars a year on account of thieves. Rugs, parasols, furniture, lingerie, gloves, wearing apparel and other valuable articles disappear by the hundreds in the hands of shop lifting gangs. It is hard to imagine oneself running away with a good sited rug, but it is not hard for the experienced shop-lifter, who has been known to appear without a hat, note book in hand, and walk out with an expensive Persian rug under arm, leaving the impression that she is a salesgirl. Moreover, the shop-lifting habit is not confined to professionals. The wealthy have been known to amuse themselves with this fascinating habit. Mr. Kron says that he once followed and observed a New York society woman, accompanied bv her lover, steal several articles in a de partment store when she wore 1 .1. .. V 4 Jtl... ..J jv-wciiy wuii.ii a muudauu uuiidis anu carried a checking account of thou sands. The couple were subsequently arrested by the store detective, but they were acquitted upon returning the goods, the man claiming that he was the woman's physician and had ta,ken the shopping tour in order to study her. House Thieves His Quarry. Mr. Kron has also made a spe cialty of arresting house thieves, which he says are the cleverest and craftiest in the criminal world of New York. This type of thief we are familiar with on the stage. He or she usually gets a position as butler or governess in a wealthy household and then proceeds to rob it of its dia monds. Such a case as this was one Jane Kenyon, who was ladies' maid to one of the wealthiest society women of New York. Jewelry to the extent of $60,000 was stolen in this house hold, but no one thought of suspect-' ing lane. When Mr. Kron arrived as the agent of a prominent insurance company and asked to sneak to Jane, her mistress became indignant and in sisted that she would not have her maid insulted, that she would trust her with her life itself. Nevertheless, Mr. Kron did not trust Jane, He made some inquiries and found that, although it was the usual practice of the girl to go out with her friends on her day out, for four weeks following the robbery she had not left the house. He therefore stationed himself oo- posite the house and waited for Jane to appear. She did at last, late One night, running hurriedly down the steps, to the mail box where he mailed a letter, and then running back again. As it happened Jane s letter was the first to go in the box after the mail had been collected, so Mr. Kron left one of his assistants to guard the box while he went to the nearest postoffice for assistance. The letter proved to be( addressed to Jane's sweetheart, with whom she arranged a meeting place the following day. At noon the next day Jane drove, off in a taxi, followed by Mr. Kron. After riding two blocks, she discharged the taxi and boarded a downtown street car which she soon changed for an uptown one, and then took a down town subway. Thus she led the de tective a aimcuit cnase, our wnen she entered a cafe on the Bowery he was not far behind her. Ten. min utes later he was rewarded by being able to arrest Jane and her partner just as she handed him $60,000 worth of jewelry. Motion Pictures Selected With Care at Manawa The free outdoor motion pictures, shown every evening at MAnawa park, are selected with great care. "Outdoor crowds are peculiar in that they want to see action, and at the same time a clean story with a moral," said Operator Weatherley. "Comedy never fails to make a big hit with an outdoor crowd." Hun dreds see the pictures at Manawa every evening. George Green's concert band will play a concert at 2 this afternoon, lasting three hours, and one equally long beginning at 7 p. m. The mo tion pictures will be shown during a part of the concert. Manawa's dance pavilion is attract ing record crowds daily. While there was a let-up in the number of bathers during last week, the number was surprisingly high when the cool weather is considered. Although the weather was .cool, the water was warm. Green concert band programs for today, 2 to S p. m. March "The New York Hippodrome" Rous Overture "The Merry Wives of Wind sor" Nicola! Interpolations from "Her Soldier Boy," Clifford and Romberg-. Baritone solo "Rocked In the Cradla of the Deep," played by Joe Placeprttl Rolllson Patrol "Yankee" ...Meacham Grand selection "Marltana" Wallace Valse "Adlyn" ....Hall Medley overture popular melodies ISA .Remlck Reverie "Twilight Dreams" Thurban Grand fantasia on Scotch melodies Godfrey 7 TO 10 P. M. March "The Stars and Stripes Forever" Bousa Cornet olo "Souvenir de La Suisse," Pr. A. D. Laird Llberatl Dance "Oriental" , ...La Come Overture "A Queen for a Day" Adam Grand selection "Rlgoletto" Verdi Valse "Tojours ou Jamls" (fver or Never) Waldteufcl Selection "You'ra In Love" Frime Patriotic patrol "Spirit of America" Zamecntk Invitation to dance (by request). .Von Weber Fantasia on American melodies..... Hotmcr Kansas City Street Car Strike Ties Up Traffic Completely Kansas City, Mo., Aug. 11. Kan sas City got to work as best it could again today, the fourth day of the complete tie-up of all street car traffic which has resulted from a strike of employes of the Kansas City Rail ways' company, thebperating organ ization. The men, according to their spokesman, have struck because it was alleged their demands for the right to organize had been ignored. Persistent Advertising Is the Road to Succ- Have Been Married Sixty Years It V Wummm mm u, Mw , &&$tsk-o Atrisiiiwii 1 Mr. and Mrs. H. P. Coolidge of Columbus, Neb., celebrated their six tieth wedding antiivesary last Sunday. They have had thirteen children, twenty-three grandchildren and eight great grandchildren. Their living children are Henry P. Coolidge, born in 1835 at Little Maca naw. 111.; Theda Wheeler Coolidge, born in 1S4 1 at Malvern, la.; J. W. Coolidge, of Council Blurt's; Will Coolidge, of Rosalie, Neb.; C. B. Coolidge and A. L. Coolidge of Lead, S. D. Henry Coolidge is one of the seven teen of Troop I, Eighth Iowa Cavalry, remaining after the battle of Lookout Mountain. WOMEN VOTERS TO HOLD BIG MEETING Demonstrations of Vegetable Drying to Be Given at Central Park School Tuesday Night. The Woman Voters' Conservation league plans a big opening to be held Tuesday night at the Central 1'ark school, Forty-second and Grand ave nue, at 6 o'clock. A demonstration of drying vegeta bles, in raw form, hydrated, rehydra ted, and cooked, will be given by Mrs. Harriet McMurphy. These vegetables will be served as refreshments at the close of the meeting. , Mrs. Herbert Cox and Mrs. Kate Remington will assist Mrs. McMur phy with her demonstration. Edward A. Smith will address the meeting. Edward A. Sinnett will talk on the municipal drying plant in Cen tral Park school, most of the work on which has been done by him. The Woman Voters' Conservation league, desirous of saving the great amount of fruit and vegetables that is often thrown out by grocers, gar deners and truckmen at night, be cause it will not keep until morning, now announce that if any dealers in fresh fruit and vegetables will tele pone a woman on the following list, the league will call for the produce immediately and it will be dried at league expense. Their list of women who stand ready to come at a mo ment's notice to collect this produce is as follows: Mrs. Frances Follansbec, Harney 1836. Mrs. A. N. Evans, Harney 3730, Mrs. Herbert McCoy, Harnev 3055. Mrs. John Miller, Webster 3290. Mrs. A. C. Anderson, Harney 3715. Mrs. Herbert Cox, Colfax 2-128. Mrs. William Berry, Omaha phone, Douglas 4480; South Side phone, South 848. One Night Each Week. Henceforth, Tuesday night of each week will be known as Women Voters' Conservation league night. On this night members of the league are urged to make a special effort to bring to the drying plant one market basket of produce, prepared for dry ing. This does not mean that all others with vegetables or fruits to dry are barred on this particular night, however. On Monday afternoon at 3, in the South Side public library, the women of South Side will organize an auxil iary to the Woman Voters' Conserva tion league. Mrs. Mary Howe has charge of the work of organization. This will be a mass meeting and the general public is invited. Mrs. Har riet McMurphy will talk on the "Ne cessity of Food Conservation." Karl Schrieber of the welfare board will describe the operation of the drying plant at Central Park school. The work of the new South Side drying plant will be discussed. Mayor Dalil man will also give a short talk. South Side Plant. The South Side drying plant is now an assured fact, and apparatus will be installed Monday. An attendant from the welfare board will be in constant charge of the plant, which will be lo cated in the South Side llifih school. A third plant, to be installed in the down town section of the city, will begin operation as soon as the need for it becomes apparent. The fan and motors for this drying plant have already been donated. Since a total of three plants seems now assured, the idea of substations where produce was to be collected and later taken to the drying plants, has been abandoned. The uncertainty of teamster service is assigned as one reason for giving up this plain. Jazz Band is Popular At the Empress Garden The Empress garden announces that owing to popular demand, that the dainty Bell Sisters will be held over for today and ?.ll week. They are without a doubt the most popular en tertainers that haye thus far appeared at this beauty spot, and are pleasing the patrons even better than manager Philbin imagined at the time he booked thorn, altnough knowing they would register a distinct hit. They are. to begin with, pleasing to the eye ana nave attractive personalities. Their oices are sweet and their enunciation is splendid. They are al so graceful dancers, while their cos tumes further enhance their act. Their appearance is always greeted with ap plause and it has so far been neces sary for them to respond to numerous encores. The crowds continue to gather here and partake of their meals amidst restful surroundings, while graceful dancers e.njoy themselves to the strains of Adam's Jazz orchestra, A special table d'hote dinner is served on Sunday's that is meeting with es. pecial favor. Bee Want Ads Produce Results, f AUGUST, MONTH OF FUR SAVINGS Dresher Brother Quote Reduced Price On New Fur Piece Made in August, a Welt a Price Cut on Fur Repairing, Etc. KISH HAS RETURNED Mr. Antone Kish, the expert Fur Man in charge of the fur making, repairing, remodeling and storage departments of Dresner Brothers' vast Dry Cleaning and Dyeing plant, at 2211-2217 Farnam street, is just back from a lengthy eastern trip. Kish has brought with him a num ber of ideas which will beeomo pop ular among Omaha ladies during the coming winter, and, if any of the lady readers of this announcement have in mind new fur pieces, they would do well to have Mr. Kish de sign and make up something for them right now, during the slack season. By having furs made up now you will effect a considerable savings. It's only natural, because furriers arc not so busy in summer and offer you inducements to busy their shops. The same applies to all fur repairing, remodeling and cleaning done at Dreshera now. If you have any work along these Jines have it done now and reap the price benefit. Remember, you'll save greatly by having any sort of fur work done at Dreshers during August. Just phone Tyler 345 for a man, leave your work at the plant, at Dresher The Tailors, 1515 Farnam street, or at one of the Dresher branches in the Brandeis or Burgess Nash stores. Dreshers pay express or parcel post charges one way on all shipments. I 1 ipl'-'M The Home of the Chickering Piano The World's Best Pianos and Player Pianos PIANOS AND PLAYER PIANOS that have proven their worth they have been and are leader in their respective lines. Instruments that are indorsed by the world's best musi cians. They are conceded to be of superlative quality and ex ceptional durability, therefore you can make no mistake in your selection of one of these Pianos or Player Pianos if you want the "World' Bet.M. Prices and Terms This Month We are exclusive representatives in Omaha for the fol lowing instruments: CHICKERING Ivers & Pond Haines Bros. Behning Schaff Bros. Kohler & Campbell Armstrong Smith & Barnes Brewster Huntington and the celebrated Auto Piano. Burgess-Nash Company. "EVERYBODY STOKE" Special You are invited to attend the OPENING Wednesday August 15th of the finest, largest and best appointed bakery and lunch room in the west. To 3Te OmaHiia Better It is with a great deal of pleasure that C. W. Ortman an nounces to the people of Omaha and vicinity the opening of his new bakery and lunch room, occupying the entire first and second floors of his new building, at 214-16 North 16th street. No expense has been spared to make this the most com plete and up-to-date establishment of its kind in the state. The kitchen arrangement, bakery and equipment are the most sanitary and complete ever installed in any bakery. The moderate prices will be a surprise to those who are not acquainted with our service. Our facilities are such that we can cater to hundreds of people during the noon hour, in a manner satisfactory to all. Come Wednesday, and Every Day in the Week : TRY OUR SPECIAL ? ': PLATE DINNER AT 9C toitil: l.i:i.it!iiiilt:i'l!i:i:ili!iiiiii:iiiiilt'li!!.ll'll'!l,'l:.:.ri.ilMii ORTMAN'S New -England Bakery 214-16 North 16th Street Opposite Loyal Hotel Aditorial No. 1. A. ' tit y Hi 9 GUARANTEED on the Preferred Stock Participating Cumulative of the AN OMAHA INSTITUTION FOR THE PEOPLE OF OMAHA People of Omaha and Nebraska should invest their dollars at home, since every dollar put into a home in dustry means greater prosperity for the community and for each individ ual. Especially is this true when the investment offered is in a staple and growing industry dealing with one of the great food necessities. "Make and sell things that are 'et' up," said P. D. Armour, the great packer, when asked for his recipe for success. Especially is it true when the in vestment carries with it a guarantee of 7 1-2 per cent dividends. The Alfalfa Butter company is an industry, of, by and for the people of Omaha's trade territory situated in the world's biggest butter making , center guaranteeing 7 1-2 per cent on its preferred cumulative partici pating stock. We are producing over $100,000 worth of butter a month and need more capital for new buildings. Write for sixteen-page booklet ex plaining our proposition, telephone Douglas 3903, or call at our office, Eleventh and Capitol Avenue. ALFALFA BUTTER CO. OMAHA, NEBRASKA
