Morning journal and courier., 1888-11-13
Am7DN7GHT mURDER.

A Wife Killed In Portland by Her Mad
 dened Husband He Gives EA1mSe1f
 Up Jealousy the Motive of she
 Bloody Deed-The Fatal Letters-H1s
 WIfess UnfaIthf0lness-The Husband
 WOrked1n Meriden.
 M1DDLETowN, Nov. 12.-George Cooper, aged 52, walked into the police office this morning and announced to Chief Chapman that he had murdered his wife with an axe and gave himself up to the authorities. He spoke in tones of satisfied revenge, as he told of the bloody deed and freely acknowledged himself as solely responsible for the crime. The police st once clapped him in jail, we'll satisfied at being spared making desperate search for an escaped murderer. From Cooper's story and investigation made by the authorities, it appears that Cooper killed his wife at about 3 o'clock this morning. Cooper's wife was about 30 years old. and the family dwelt in Portland. Cooper was the woman's second husband. When she became his wife the couple lived in Hart ford. She bore him three children. In April last they removed from Hartford to Portland. He worked of late at @ harness shop in Meriden. Two weeks ago he came home and said he was out of work as there had been . strike at his shop. Mrs. Cooper doubted his word, and wrote to the shop receiving reply that there was no strike, but that Cooper had been discharged because he was lazy and ir- regular. She upbraided her husband then, and accused him of lying and shiftlessness, and begged him to resume harness-making, saying she was utterly unable to support him and the children. Last Friday and Sat- urday Cooper was drunk and quarrelsome. He sobered up Saturday night and packed up his tools preparatory to going back to Meri- den to seek work. Soon after he had a vio- lent quarrel with his wife and Mrs. Cooper afterward was told by neighbor that Cooper had threatened her life, and had said that he would ''ix her" before Monday morning. Mrs. Cooper gave the neighbors to under stand that she did not fear Cooper nor his threats, and that she could take care of her self. The first hint of the tragedy came from SWede servant girl this morning. She discovered enough to satisfy her that a horri blescrime had been committed. Mrs. Cooper was found in her bed. A large sized hatchet, that some would not hesitate to call an axe, was placed alongside of her head on the pillow. One side of her head had been crushed in by blow or blows from the axe. It was horrible, siokening spectacle. The pillow and bed clothes were covered with the woman's life blood. It was evident to those who looked upon the mutilated corpse that Mrs. Cooper had been dead several hours.
 Cooper was nowhere to be seen and at once suspicion that he was the guilty man became general. Information was sent to the police office in this oity by Constable Hill of Port land that Mrs. Cooper had been murdered and that no sight of her husband could be had.
 The police telegraphed to Meriden to learn if Cooper had been there, and had not gone far in their Investigating before Cooper walk ed into the police office. His face was l. | Al L Al. his story. He said to the chief of police: "Pm the man you're telephoning after; 'tTn' Cooper and I murdered my wife" Cooper then explained why he did the ghAstly deed. He said he was jealous of his wife and that she was unfaithful to him and submitted two letters to the chief in confirmation of his statements, one of which he and was written by we'll known East Hampton business man. The other was ad- dressed to Cooper himself and warned him that his wife was unfaithful. This letter was an anonymous document poorly written, full of repetitions and replete with errors in spelling. It warned Cooper that his wife was very irregular in her habits, had many male friends calling upon her, and among these was mentioned c. O. Sears, 8 merchant at East Hampton. He is brother of Dr. O. A. Sears, medical examiner of this place. When questioned to-day about the allega- tions in the anonymous epistle, Mir. Sears denied most emphatically the charges. It was for the Bond Harness company of Meri- den that Cooper worked. This is the same firm that employed Dixon R. Cowie, who was arrested for the murder of LiIla Hoyle in Webster, Mass.
 The letter which Cooper handed the chief was one which his wife received last Satur- day night and which she took back to the postoface that night and showed the post master. She made quite scene at the post oface, declaring that the letter had been opened before she got it. The postmaster told her that it was unopened when delivered and that 1t was delivered to her boy.
 The other letter was in his wife's hand writing and was addressed to O. O. Sears, the East Hampton merchant. East Hamp- ton is a part of the town of Chatham and is located some eight miles from Portland. This letter appeared to be written fin reply to letter from Sears chiding her with accept ing familiarities from other men to freely. Sears used to be the postmaster at East Hampton.
 Cooper after he had been locked up to-day fell to denouncing in violent terms the busi- ness man whose letter he had found on his wife, and charged Sears with being the au- thor of his domestic unhappiness. Cooper alleged that he was sober when he committed the deed. He went to bed with the axe handy and waited until his wife was asleep. He then got up, struck her blow that stun- ned her, and then finished the work with the edge of the axe. When he was satisfied that she was dead he fled the house and was ar- rested in MiddIetown, as before statee. The Baird harness company's shop, Meriden, at which Cooper worked, removed to that place from North Wobum, Mass., last spring. Cooper left because of some misanderstand- ing as to his work. When he worked in Hartford it was at Smith, Bourne & Co.'s, and Foreman Doty, of the latter shop, says Cooper was sullen, disagreeable man, and his committing a murder was not surprising Medical Examiner Sears took charge of the