Columbus Democrat. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 18??-18??, 1877-10-19

money transferred was being addce
to it, the objection was withdrawn
Between these transfers, Cooper
D presented checks at the National
Gold Bank and Trust Company.
and handed tho passbooks over for
settlement. The transaction APP
pearing regular, the checks were
.--al-va.va- a-i,ls..ss-o-l -l,--sslr-,lss.,t tl,a.as
tlemenC was made the cancelled
checks were surrendered. In this
way Cooper got possession Of tie
evidence Of his crime The gold
account in Salhers Bank was suc>
cessfully transferred to the Ma
tional Gold Bank and Trust Com
pany, and absorbed And s14,5OO
Of the 5000 on deposit in the lat
ter bank was also drawn, leaving
only $500 in that institution to the
credit of ]. P. Treadwell. After
finishing the transfer Of the S50, 900
gold coin from Sather's Bank to the
Trust Company, Cooper arranged
for the transfer cf the Sl8,000-spe
cial deposit Of silver-to the Trust
Comp&ny, but an objection was
raised this time by the Clearing
house. Tho objection was, how
ever, overcome, and the arrange.
ment successfully carried out. But
before Cooper had time to COM
mence drawing on this silver de-
posit, Treadwell returned from the
East. Soon after Tread wells re-
turn, Cooper pressed upon him to
accompany him and Mrs Cooper to
the country. For some reason or
other Treadwell declined the press
ing invitation. The invitation was
pressed upon him subsequently,
but with the same result. Thosame
evening Cooper visited Treadwell
in his rooms, and after some con
versation offered to mix a couple Of
lemonades. To this IRE ldwell as
sented While mixing the cooling
draught, Cooper remarked: "Tread-
well, | take mine about half and
half, suiting the action with the
whiskey) to the word, chow do
you take yours ?" "Oh, about a
spoonful is enough for me, f" replied
Treadwell. Both men then drank
But soon after Cooper loft, Tread.
we'll was taken suddenly sick with
fearful gripings and vomiting,
I passing {elriblelnight Of j. The
I next morning Cooper called Zen
him, when Treadwell told him how
sick he had been through the night,
attributing the trouble to the lem.
onadc, "Why," replied Cooper, 81
was troubled in the same way; you
must keep awful bad whiskoy." 1t
is now believed that Cooper delib
erately attempted to poison Tread
well, as, if the latter had died at
that time, there would have been
no evidence, whatever, of the for
mer's crime in robbng the bank
accounts.
About eight or ten days ago,
Treadwel wanted some money, and
got a boy TO draw a check on Sa
| theirs Bank. A statement of his
account was returned W hen he was
surprised to find that there was not
a dime on their books to his credit
This statement, of course, brought
about an investigation, and tho rev.
elation Of the facts already stated.
The "Stock Exchange" has inter
viewed a naval officer, a resident of
this city, who is fami ar with Coop
er's antecedents. This gentleman
says Tho whole thing comes to
me now like dream. / never was
moro astonished in my life than
when | learned that the Cooper who
has been cutting up these didoes
here is the same handsome, dashiHg
little fellow We sent to the poniten
t,ary from Washington in 1867.
Cooper came TO work in the Navy
Department as a 81, 400. clerk, /
think in 1866. He had been an act
ing ensign on the staff Of Admiral
S. P. Lee, who at the close of the
war commanded the Mississippi flo
tilla. Lee, who knew his family
they were all from Tennessee-got
him into the Navy Department,
where by his elegance of manner,
his frank open-hearted way, and
his marked talents, be became
favorito with everybody. He was
one of the smartest fellows / ever
saw, wrote a magnificent hand, and
was quick Of comprehension and as
active as a steel trap.
One of Cooper's duties was to
enter Paymasters' acquisitions for
money in a big record book, and in
this way he got perfectly familiar
with the method of drawing money
on Navy Pay account. One day the
Chief Clerk wss drawing some
money acquisitions, when in came
Paymaster Spalding, who was then
on duty, l think in Philadelphia.
The Chief Clerk and he exchanged
compliments, and the former went
on looking over the acquisitions.
All at once the Chief Clerk said
"Why, Spalding, what do you want
of any money! You had 500, 900
only couple Of weeks ago" Spald-
ing said be hadn't drawn for any.
The Clerk said "Whv, here is q
requsitiOn signed by you for s75,-
000." "Guess not, said Spalding
"let's sec it." Spalding looked at it
a moment and said: "Well that's
funny. That's my signature, and
that's my clerks writing; aud
there's the eOmmandant's approval,
and vet I'll take my oath that l