trunk had been broken by two sharp blows with a
blunt instrument. The marks of these blows were on both sides of the
lock. In their haste to remove the body the murderers had thrown the
cover back with such force that one of the sheet-iron hinges was broken.
Captain Villiers picked the cotton out and placed it upon his table. He
had formerly been a doctor and his examination of the cotton led him to
the belief that the murder must have been committed some time after
midnight. Some of the absorbent material was still soft with blood and
there was a pool of fresh blood in one corner of the trunk. Careful
examination of the cotton revealed other things to the officer. He found
a lock of dark-brown hair, which was almost as fine as a woman's but not
so glossy.

[Illustration: THE SPOT WHERE THE TRUNK WAS FOUND.]

[Illustration: THE BLOODY TRUNK AND ITS CONTENTS.]

This was the only possible tangible clue to the identity of the victim.
The lock of hair was placed under a microscope. It was found to be
filled with blood and particles of cotton.

More closely examined; it looked as though it had been chopped off with
a blunt instrument. It had not been pulled out of the scalp but the
hairs were all of uneven length and looked as though they might have
come off the cranium near the forehead. The inside of the cover of the
trunk was bespattered with blood. Some of the life fluid had trickled
down the exterior; presumably when the body was dragged out upon the
ground. There were no marks on the trunk and aside from the lock of hair
there was absolutely nothing left for the officers to hold for
identification.

SEARCHING FOR CLUES.

Captain Villiers had not yet heard of the disappearance of Dr. Cronin.
He was quickly satisfied, however, that a diabolical murder had been
committed and at once issued orders to his subordinates to institute a
thorough search for the body, which he believed to be somewhere in the
neighborhood of the spot where the trunk was found. A patrol wagon
filled with officers was out the entire afternoon. The men searched all
the brush, prairie and vacant houses for a mile around, but could find
no trace of the corpse. So many persons had trampled the grass at the
spot where the trunk was found that the officers could not discover
tracks of any vehicle. Evanston Avenue is so well paved that search
along this much travelled highway would have been useless. The officers
scoured the grass, examined t