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Show DIG IN CELLARS IN SEARCH FOR CRIME TRACES Over 700 Girls Hnvo Disappeared In Xow York City Slnco Jnnunry 1. d New York, Juno 20. Senatlonal allegations of a wide-spread traffic Jln girls In this city resulted In Police Commissioner Woods ordering a rlg-i rlg-i Id Investigation of the charges today. I Ills action followed tho announcement announce-ment that between 700 and 800 girls have disappeared from tbolr homes hero slnco January 1. This was tho most Important re-' suit thus far of tho belated discovery discov-ery by a woman lawyer and a prlvato dctectlvo of tho murder of Ruth Crugor, 18-year-old high school student, stud-ent, months af tor tho pollco had end-(ed end-(ed a superficial search for her. "Spare no one," was tho order given giv-en by Commissioner Woods to Inspector Inspec-tor J. A. Faurot, who was placed In charge of tho Inquiry, which Is oxpectcd to shako tho pollco department depart-ment from top to bottom. Faurot was directed to sift thoroughly tho avowal of Mrs. Graco Humtston, tho .lawyer In tho Cruger case, that white (slave traders aro responsible for the heavy toll of missing girls and to place responsibility on those In the pollco department whoso duty It was to find Miss Cruger's body. Mrs. Humlston today emphasized tho lmportanco of having Alfredo Coccht, who Is formally charged with Miss Cruger's murder, brought back from Italy, where ho fled after Miss Cruger disappeared. She declared that if tho authorities can get a statement from him "Ho will involve so many lmportnnt people that tho caso will bo one of the most sensational sensa-tional ever expo3od In this country." Search for possible victims who may have shared a fate similar td that of Miss Cruger was begun by tho police today In every shop or cellar occupied by CocchI since ho came to this country. For two hours today Mrs. Mario CocchI, wlfo of tho 'fugitive, was questioned at tho district attorney's office. She Insisted she knew nothing noth-ing that could throw light on Miss Cruger's disappearance or murder. T3he was not In his shop February 15, tho day tho young woman disappeared, disappear-ed, she said, and becauso of coolness between her husband and herself she did not visit his shop from September 8, 1916, until two daya after Miss Cruger was reported imlsslng and after her husband had fled. |
