The New York herald., 1876-11-06
AN ATROCIoUs MURDER.


HALF wTTrED SON SHOT BY HIS rATHEn-
STRANGE INDIFFERENCE or THE NEIoHBoRs-
TESTIMONY OF THE MOTHER AND GRAND
MOTHER OF THE vIcTIN-A VERDICT OF
PREMEDrTArED MURDER.
PouGHkgEPsIs Nov. 8, 1874
Incarcerated in the jail In this city is an ignorant
mouniaineer named Stephen Cooper, sged Hfiy-6ve
years, who is charged with clcarest and
bic Of murder that recorded IN Dutchess
county He was not legally committed until late yes
terday afternoon He s resident of tho locality in
the town Of Dover known as Cooperstown, and was
tho head OF a family composed OF his wife and his
mother, the latter eighty years Of age, and
son, Stephen Cooper, Jr., aged about .twenty-nv
Like many other families in the mountains OF Dutch
this one was OF low, ignorant character
and the members thereof supported them
selves by doing odd jobs for the farmers
thereabouts and by picking berries In their sea-
son. Some time ago the son, stephen, Jr.,
became partially insane and at times
abusive 10 members OF the household and in other
ways was very annoying and troublesome Last
spring he violently assaulted man named Duel
prominent citizen, and arrested and sentenced
the Albany Penitentiary Tor three months being
leased some time in August last He had had several
quaScls with the father and Monday had another,
the result beng death him al the hands OF the old
man, who shot him on his doorstep. For
unaccounlabe reason the father arrested Tor
the crime, and the victim was buried day two al
terward without even post-mortem examination
being made. Hearing OF all the above facts Coroner
Richard Bayley, Of this CITY, proceeded TO tho Of
the murder on Friday, had the body exhumcd and
made post mortsm examination and held coroner's
inquest and tho following evidence was taken:-
TESTIMONY OF THE MOTHER.
Il
Cooper the father OF the whose body
thar Of young his age he little Bit
oinsT the boy and myself lived here in the h"uss my
came TO The honse Sunday and was sewing his
the head my husband ,old him TO go ous, and thsa
would shoot him; the boy said Me ~on's You
Il.
sna ss % 70 % shs s sos w a in
'.Oh, no., the boy said, Il coming in aud
some elo.hesS my husband turned and vent into the
house and bis IN %"tse. said said e h Now @ dom get the m
begged me 50 n.ra tina. turned e 60 little stephen
got inside lhs hous. me cnchsd, and We
father took down the gun ana "a. in the doorway and
~ vsas have him .rsana; vii blow him him .hssusS:
sr q c d sss Ss oa inc ns s
a5sa OF and Il. mo.aer ssld glad you aTsd
il would not shoot him then he took il and loaded it again
rods of nc could shoot him hs the doorway
s' III s wSS @ alter % hi s
Os ana s.i ss,s he aoo damn him ~
and caught tho boy around tho waist, and
My e. s % ssa ss ,aa nay ns
band told me TO get out OF the way; my son says NE 90
i. father when lo father ses1ed 1ea
the sss ana So-sd S him snre"sh @ attended tho boy end
boy went toward father hs did not appear though he
the boy SAID o6 dear ashsr You have shot me-. aud
10 % $ .s ss % ya ana % % S
it: don't be fool and mourn for him"
TESTIMONY OF THE GRANDMOTHER
Abagail Cooper, the poor old grandmother, totterea
TO the witness stand and swore:.
SS an and about
been Dad feeling between the two men Tor four months the
boy came her, Monday and wanted some cider and did
doing the y. boy s shortly after Tor Daniel coops ste
Is house - took 4, % his vest, huns !; md SAID
this time the father down his guns took hold Of
s11 soa asss cd
to ~ on ss
lower step whn shot he never spoke after except to
old stephen said go aae give myself to justice
and let him do as he plesses with me " old Stephen Is my
coud work.
Edgar Denny testified that be heard Stephen Cooper
say that he had shot his son aud was not sorry.
The jury returned a verdict OF prcmcdtated murder
The murderer was taken from tho Jail yesterday
afternoon to Coroner Bayiey's Office where
the were stated to him. When he was told that
the coroners jury had returned verdict OF premed-
tatcd murder lie was completely overcome with emo
ton ana sank back helpiessiy into bis CHAIR He
fused TO answer all questions except as TO age and
dence and occupation, and was rcmanded TO jail 70
await the action Of the Grand Jury He Is heavy
man, full SIX feet IN height, has gray hair and blue
eyes His countcnancc rather pleasing than other
In the vicinity where the tragedy occurred the
people strangely indifferent 10 IT, the murderer
and his victim had social standing whatever Tho
charge in tho run was buckshot and II tore away
the victims groin