The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1879-10-24
THE FoRGER,s BRIDE.

Recollecti0ns Of william Ringold Coop
er's WeddinG-Fr0m Bridal Trip to Pris
Correspondence of the Philadelphia Times.
WASHINGTON Oct. 2.-The recent ar.
rest, in England, of William Ringold
Cooper, revives the memory of the so
cial, as well as political success in this
city of the daring, INSCRIPTIONS forger
and scOundrel. During the winter OF
1866 there appeared in Washington a
handsome dashing young man, who
represented himself to be the son of an
English nobleman. He made great
parade of his aristOcratic lineage, and
asserted that, impelled by a love of adj
venture, he had come to this country
and had done valiant service for the
Union by deeds of daring in the Navy.
Mr.. Welles was then Secretary of the
Navy, and was thoroughly imposed up
on. Cooper trumped up a plausible
reason for desiring clerkship in the
Navy Department, and obtained it with
out any trouble. This situation enabled
him to study the handwriting, as well as
the business, of paymasters. The gen.
tleman was too elegant for work and
passed his time driving fast horses and
counting the girls. Of course don't
know how many affairs he had on hand
at the same time, but l know of one
other than that of Miss MOthershead,
Mr.. Defrees's niece, not daughter,
as has been published, whom
he married. A retired army Of
ficer had an only daughter, who
was charming musician. Mr.. Cooper
devoted himself to her. He had styl-
ish team and the young lady shared his
rides. The couple became engaged,
and when Mr.. Cooper was laid up with
smallpox the romantic young lady wrote
the tenderest notes to him and daily
sent delicacies made by her own fair
hands. She believed him to be inn
mensely wealthy, and listened with de-
light to his Claude-MelnOtte descriptions
of the house and estates of his ances-
tors in England. The girl was really
refined, well educated and of good line
age, but he always impressed her with
the idea of her inferiOrity to him, and
that it was great cOndescensiOn on his
part to notice her. She, like SO many
girls, tamely submitted, and
did not evince the slightest spunk until
he deserted her and married Miss
Mothershead, whom he supposed to be
His fOrgeries were discovered
several days before his marriage, and it
cruel to allow the ceremony to
proceed when the detectives were out
side of Mr.. Defrees's house, and
followed him and the bride to the train,
taking passage with them and not
losing sight of him for one instant. At
Havre de Grace the arrest was made.
Cooper begged the detectives not to let
the arrest be made known until he
reached Philadelphia and placed his
bride in hotel. To this they agreed.
He returned to the poor unsuspecting
girl, sat beside her and entertained her
most agreeably all of the evening. The
party proceeded to the Continental HO-
tel, Philadelphia, where Cooper engaged
a room, escorted his bride to it, and
then, with the promise of returning
soon, left her. She never saw him
again. Vainly did she watch and wait
during the long hours of the night. In
the morning her uncle, Mr.. Defrees, ar
rived and told the dreadful truth to the
horror-stricken girl. He
brought her back to his home, which
she had only left the day before so
bright and happy. Before leaving this
lady, / will add that MIR. Defrees quick
ly obtained a divorce for his much-loved
niece, and Miss MOthershead returned
to Indiana. In few years she again
and, 1 believe, has been so
happy that, except for the frequent
up of the scoundrel who SO cru
ely deceived her, she would have for
gotten this dreadful episode of her youth.
When Cooper left his bride in her
chamber at the Continental the detect
ives were waiting to conduct him to
prison. His trial and conviction soon
followed. 1t became known that he
was the son of humble parents in Della
ware. His mother was a widow, and
testified that he was always bad and I'M
and used to invent false
hoods to suit his every purpose. She
had known nothing of him during or
after the war. Cooper received the mild
sentence of five years in MOyamensing
prison. He served out his term, and
has led the life of a fOrger ever since.
He deceived men with the same facility
that he did woman.
The Generals daughter, whom Cooper
tilted, of course, felt much chagrined
when she heard that Cooper had married
another, but the news of his disgrace so
quickly followed that she felt thankful
for her escape from worse humiliation.
She quickly dispatched her father to the
Navy Department to beg the Secretary
to give him an order for the delivery Of
her letters and souvenirs which might
be found among Cooper's papers, which
Of course had been seized. was pres
emit when the General. came in with the
package. The young lady sprang from
The sofa to receive them, when the
mother cried out: "Don't touch them,
they may be infected with smallpox!
take them to the kitchen and
put them in the range" but the daugh-
Ter would inspect the bundle first. Every
letter was folded and briefed like
4 business. document. Each letter
was numbered and his comments
upon the contents of the letters
we're recorded on the backs. One
read: "Dear little -, how she loves