Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1880-02-04

hood as speedily as possible. They took
refuge in the barn at the place where the
officers stayed, and while in the act of
going to sleep were aroused by the entry
of third person. This man struck q
match, and, shading it carefully from out
side view, took out package of bank
notes and counted them. The impress
sion seized both Jones and the peddler
that this man must be the murderer of
Cooper. They resolved simultaneously
to get the money, and, waiting an oppor-
tunity, they sprang on him. He resisted
and his leg was broken by fall which
the long armed peddler gave him. Then
the two men gathered up the money and
quilted the place. They were in doubt
as to what course to follow; but at
length, being short of funds, resolved to
appropriate the money and go to Lon
don.
In confederation of this strange story,
calico dress was found thrust into
drain in field adjoining Cooper's, and
this dress was identified by Mrs. Meek
as one which she missed from the line in
her yard the very day after the murder
AS to the man Strong, he stuck to his
original story, but remarkable fact came
to light. He swore that the two men
robbed him of all his savings, which an
entry in his pocket book showed were e27
15s. In leathern bag found in his jack
ct pocket that precise sum was discover
ed, and though he tried to explain this it
was signal failure. Strong was indicted,
tried for Cooper's murder, and convicted
of the crime. Before his execution he
admitted that his sentence was just. He
said his visit to Cooper was friendly, but
on reaching the house he found it closed.
There was
LIGHT IN COoPERs ROOM,
and climbing to the window which was
easy of access, he peered through and
saw the old man over his strong boxes
counting his notes. The idea seized
Strong to get the money. He climbed
the fence and walked about in the adj
joining field, considering what he should
do. Seeing a gown Tapping in the high
wind, the disguise was suggested. He
procured the dress, donned it, and, after
the light in Cooper's room had been ex-
for reasonable time, mount
ed to the window and entered. Cooper
slept heavily, and Strong, using a cotton
kerchief which lay at the sleeping mans
pillow, strangled him after a terrible
struggle. Then he took the money and
departed.
Though Jones and the peddler were
released on the charge of murder, they
were detained until the London authori-
ties could be communicated with, as it
was evident from the conversation over
heard between them by Cooper, and re-
peated by him to his wife, who in her re-
turn repeated it to the officers of justice,
that they had been guilty of some grave
crime. Though an expert detective, by
name Grover, was sent down, neither of
the men was identified, and as it was i'm
possible to detain them without some
specific charge, they were released, no
attempt being made to hold them for the
robbery of Strong.
THE SEQUEL.
In March, 1888, Detective Grover was
sent down to Wath, near Rotterdam, to
the mysterious death of
George Sandman, wealthy resident.
He had gone out shooting with his game
keeper after breakfast, and two hours
later was found dead in wood near by
with bullet through his chest. The
keeper said that he quilted his master
when he entered the wood, and that as
he was crossing the home field five min
utes later he heard the discharge of
gun, and supposed that Mr.. Sandman
had shot rabbit or a hare. The gun
lying by the side of the corpse had been
tha
animation ended in finding the bullet
embedded in the tissues behind the mans
left lung. The gun found was Mr.. Sande-
mans own fowling piece. The bullet
found in the corpse was peculiar, having
evidently been pared with knife.
Miss Sandman, Georges sister, gave
testimony. She said that
George had caused some new bullets to
be cast, and that she was present when
he tried them and found they were
trihe too large for the gun. Thereupon
she suggested pairing or scraping, but he
said it was too tedious job. Then she
took one of the bullets and clipped it all
round with a knife. Even then, how
ever, it was too large for Georges gun.
George said it would fit his old fowlng
piece, and Miss Sandeman, with her own
hands, loaded it and put In the bullet
which she had clipped. A few minutes
afterward the keeper came into the room
where George kept his sporting nipple
ments and asked his master whether he
was going out shooting. George replied
that he was and told the keeper to
TAKE THE OLD FowLINa-PIEcE.
and accompany him. He did so, and
the two men departed in company. Miss
Sandeman identified the bullet in the
body as the one she had clipped.
This remarkable testimony resulted in
the arrest of the keeper, and almost at
the same time it was ascertained that
George Sandeman had only the day be-
fore his death executed will by which
he left the sum of 95, 900 pounds to his
" faithful keeper and friend, John Ridg
worth.
When Detective Grover reached Wath,
these facts were narrated to him. On
seeing the remains of George Sandman,