Evening journal., 1893-06-16
MURDERED IN HIS SLEEP
Captain Cooper Brutally At
tackled Aboard His Own Vessel
HIS CREW SUSPECTED OF.THE CRIME

An Axe Had Evidently Been Used to
Commit the Dastardly Crime as There
Were Three Great Gashes ON the Head
of tho Victim-Every Possible Enort
Being Made to Capture the Murderers.
DEALS ISLAND, Md, June 1G-Cap-
tain j. Frank Cooper, of Carters Creek,
Va, was killed while his pungy, the
James V. Dagger, of Crisfeld, owned by
John ID. Laird was at anchsr Oft Deals
Island wharf. The crew Of the Dagger,
three colored men, have disappeared,
and they are suspected of having com
mitted the crime.
Wednesday morning early. party Of
crabbers saw the body dressed only in
drawers and undershirt near the shore
They secured ii and found three great
gashes on the top and at the side of the
skull. The wounds had evidently been
made with an axe.
The crabbers notified the authorities
DR.. Rowe held an inquest and a verdict
of murder was rendered, but the jury
failed to recognize the victim. A coffin
was made and the body was about TO be
buried when James C Causey, Of Deals
Island, who had interested himself,
brought neighbor to the spot who iden-
titled Captain Cooper
Then il was believed that CAPTAIN
| Cooper had been killed as early as Sunday
night and thrown overheard. 1t was
thought that the stir made by the wheels
of the steamer Joppa Captain w. f.
! Veasey, which went to Deals Island
/ Il. % L.. IL
the body to the surface
! II was recalled that a blood stained
mattress had come ashore Tuesday, but
it aroused no suspicion, for the crews Of
vessels occasionally toss such things
overheard in the bay when they have no
! further use for them.
1t was believed, also that Captain
Cooper had been killed in his bunk
aboard the Dagger. The body was re-
examined and bruise on the under part
of the forearm was seen. From this is
would appear that he was lying on his
back when attacked and had raised his
arm to protect himself 1t might have
been made by the handle of an axe,
| whose blade struck his skull.
Constable Gosley end others went
aboard the Dagger. 1t was deserted and
there was blood about the bunk and in
other parts Of the pungy and on the deck
was a bloody axe. The mattress was
gone. as were all of the masters clothes
and there was no trace of money on the
vessel though it was known that Captain
Cooper had at least $50 or $40 with him
Nobody knew the names of the mem
bers of the crew, but in the cabin was
found a narrow memorandum book with
alternating pages of advertisements and
blank pages, in which were jotted notes
believed to have been written by the
captain and to contain the names Of the
crew
First was an entry: "Jm, come, April
9. 'q3 " Under it was this: James Pom
ton. April 16. 1898" This surname,
somewhat hastily and illegibly written,
might be Penton or Pinton.
Under this was written John Body,
April 13, '93. D."
The other entry was Henry Taylor
May 1, '93
One Of the crew was a tall mulatto
one tall, stout man, darker and weigh
ing about two hundred pounds. The
third was a small, black man, who wa
very talkative when ashore. Crew anC
captain were in Ringgold's store las
Saturday night, and the captain, il
making purchases exhibited his money
The colored men, on that occasion, sale
they were from Csrter's Creek.
0 Captain Cooper was buried at Deal
a Island in the Methodist church yard. Hi
friends will probably disinter and TAX
him to Carters Creek.
Captain Cooper was about % years o
age He had been to oxford. Nd, to de
liver a cargo of railroad ties and had
{ stopped at Deals Island on his return
y trip He attended the Methodist Episcc
pal Church on the island on Sunda
evening last. This was the last time b
was seen alive
, The most intense feeling prevails Il
Somerset county, and every possibl
9 effort will be made to capture the mui
: darers "