Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1891-09-24
'SAW HIS MOTHER MURDERED
Little Leslie Cooling Tells of
His Fathers Crime.
THE WOMAN'S NECK WAS BROKEN
leila Cooling's Death Re-
suited From asFall.
Tho Blow From Mustard Bottle Thrown
by Her Husband Caused the Fatal Fall
The Husband Must Answer for the
Crime.

q
Sunday night drunk. His wife returned
from church about the same time She
made some remarks to him about his
condition. Angered by her words and
tnfurlated with rum he snatched I'M q
mustard bottle and threw it at her. She
fell and broke her neck dying almost
Immediately.
These are all of the facts that can be
exactly stated. Two children of the un.
fortunate couple are the only witnesses
to the tragedy. The eldest is Leslie
Cooling, not yet IL years Of age, and the
other is Mabel, aged seven.
1t seems that the alteration took
place in the hallway between the kit.
chen and sitting room. When the blow
was struck Mrs. Cooling fell just at the
entrance TO the latter apartment. The
remains were carried in to the sitting
room and placed upon sofa just within
the doorway.
The spectacle of what he had done
sobered Cooling up and in the widest
excitement he ran down town to
the office OF DR.. Josephine M. r. White,
No. S02 King street.
DIR. WHITES STATEMENT.
DR.. White is the family physician.
Cooling was informed that she had re
tired. He insisted that he should see
her Immediately and sent up the mes
sage that Mrs. Cooling had an apoplectic
fit.
DR.. White was not inclined to humor
the man, as only week ago he had
called in similar hurry and was drunk.
The physician overheard his loud, ex-
cited talk from her bedroom and Judged
that he was drunk and that this was
only a repetition of what had occurred
before.
Cooling then went away" DR.. White
related to THE GAZETTE reporter ON
Monday. "Almost Immediately after
the bell rang again"
"Oh, DOCTOR he exclaimed, i've
come back to tell you the truth. have
struck her on the back of the head, and
she's fallen unconscious and bleeding at
the mouth"
Or. White then accompanied the man
70 his house. lie was very much ex-
cited. In reply to the physicians ques-
ton, Cooling said that he struck her
with mustard bottle.
On arriving at the home DIR. White
ound Mrs. Cooling lying on lounge.
She was purple in the face; her arms
were thrown out to either side, and she
was quite dead. A neighbor, BENJAMIN
Downing, was standing at the side of
the lounge. In reply to his question,
Dr. White replied: "Nothing in the
world will revive for her. She imue.
diately requested to go for DIR. Winner.
Dr. White states that the body was
still warm, but the tips of the fingers
were cold.
DR.. White says there was nothing to
Indicate a struggle. She considers the
supper tagging story as nonsense. Cool
ing told the physician that the bottle
truck his wife at the back of the head
and knocked her hat off. She then fell
forward. DIR. Whites theory is that the
blow struck some vital point, causing
immediate unconsciousness, when the
unfortunate woman fell forward and,
her neck was broken by the fall. Blood
was oozing from the mouth, and the
tongue obtruded fixedly between the
teeth
81 think" said DR.. White, she was
too drunk and too excited to make IN a
story. He did not say she fell against
door The mustard bottle was almost
full and quite heavy"
While Downing was away searching
for DR.. Winner, Cooling suddenly ran
down into the cellar. Dr. White heard
some rafting of bottles down in the cell
lar. She called TO him to come up i'm
mediately. DIR. White was alone and
feared that the man in his intense ey-
element might do something adding
another incident to the tragic story. He
came up and seating himself begged the
physician to tell him what to do. He
was wringing his hands and crying,
apparently" DR.. White said, mot for
his own safety but for fear his wife would
not revive" He was advised to STAY
quiet until the officers arrived.
subsequently Cooling made up his
mind to give himself up and accom-
panied BY Benjamin Downing and
Thomas Anderson Captain Francis i'm
mediately locked him up in a second
floor cell.
The remains have been taken charge
OF by Undertaken John B. Martin.
Dr. winner made a superficial ex-
animation only, his reason being that 1t
was coroner's case. There was no
evidence of any blow upon the head.
He found that the neck was broken.
There is an abrasion on the right side
'f the mouth near the upper lip. This
probably gives rise to the theory that
he bottle struck Mrs. Cooling in the
mouth.
The past history of the unfortunate
couple is one of incessant ill-treatment
of Mrs. Cooling by her drunken hus.
band. More than once she has had to
go to her parents on account of it. His
record is one of continuous intemper-
ance. He has been drinking since
Brandywine Camp, at which time an
effort was made to arrest him, but he
escaped.
The two children have been taken
charge of temporarily by Mrs. BENJAMIN
Downing at No. 1114 Walnut street
Howard Cooling, the perpetrator of
the nights terrible crime, is a carriage
finisher by trade. He is about 80 years
OF age and has been married 10 years.
THE POST MoRTEM.
Coroner's Physician Dr. Joseph r. |
Smith, assisted by DR.. ]. Q. Fahey, con
Quoted post norton examination Mon |
day morning over the remains of Mrs. |
Cooling. The report of the physicians |
is that death was caused by dislocation
of the neck.
The abrasion on the lip turns out to |
be myth. The physicians washed the |
blood off and beneath there was dis
covered not the slightest scratch or dis
coloration, Undoubtedly the story that
Mrs. Cooling had been struck In the
mouth was based on the appearance of
blood there. But this had come from
the bleeding at the mouth The physi-
clans state that If she had received
blow anywhere in the face it would have
been readily observable. But after a
careful examination nothing can be