The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-12-09
ARRESTED FOR BURGLARY.

The Accused Men Say They Only Sought
Shelter from Storm and Cold, and Have
Already Paid High for the Accommo-
dation.
Deputy Sheriff Despeaux of Brunswick
telephoned to the police station yester-
day asking for the arrest of Frank and
Andrew Cooper of Portland, wanted in
Brunswick for breaking and entering.
There were three of the Cooper
brothers in the party, but the charge
was made only against two of them.
The Cooper brothers were found in
this city yesterday afternoon and arrest
ed by Officers Firth and Merrill The
story they tell is a remarkable one. To
a reporter of the PRESS the brothers
told the following story last evening.
They said they left Portland on last
Tuesday noon, the day of the heavy
snow storm. with their horse and fish
cart for Brunswick. They reached Free
port and peddled fish to customers there,
and at night started for Brunswick,
thinking they should get through all
right. Some miles this side of Bruins
wick the wind blew so fiercely and it
was SO piercing cold they sought shelter
at large house by the roadside that was
occupied by two families. TO their en-
treaties a deaf ear was turned One of
the brothers was not we'll, and he stuck
to the cart, thoroughly benumbed, while
the other two took turns leading the
horse, which kept breaking through the
icy crust and cutting his legs.i Al
ter passing through a long piece of woods
the horse gave out and could go no far
ther
Looking about them they discovered
an old barn, and one of the boards in the
side was Tapping in the gale. One of
them managed to get into the barn by
pulling the board one side, and then I'M
fastened the barn door and let the horse
into the shelter. Looking further they
found small house, to which the barn
evidently belonged, and which showed
no signs of occupancy. The door was
fastened with an old-fashioned wooden
latch, held by la case knife, and on rat
ting the door the knife fell out and the
door opened. Upon entering the house
they discovered, to their joy, stove and
a frebox with some wood in it. Looking
further, kerosene lamp partly filled
with oil was found. and downstairs in
the cellar, some potatoes and apples. 1t
took but few moments, that bitter cold
night, to start good fire in the stove,
which thawed out the sick man, and
some mackerel and finnan-haddie were
obtained from the cart and boiled with
the potatoes.
In the morning, after replacing every
thing as well as they could, the brothers
drove away. Four miles distant they
came to Mr.. Pratt's, where they obtained
breakfast and told Mr.. Pratt what they
had done. Then they drove into Bruins
wick and peddled their fish.
In the meantime, the owner of the
house and barn where they had passed
the night, Mr. James G. Rogers, dis
covered what had been done and saw
Mr.. Pratt, who told him that he had
been told by the Coopers all about it.
Mr.. Rogers got lawyer and an officer
and found the Coopers. They admitted
what they had done, and paid him $11.50
for whatever damage had been done to
his premises by their occupancy. This
is the receipt given them:
BRUNSWICK, Me-, Dec. 6, 1898.
Received of Frank Cooper eleven dol
lars and fifty cents, in full of damages
done to my premises by said Cooper and
Andrew Cooper.
JAMES G. ROGERS,
'By Barrett Potter.''
The Coopers then continued their ped
ding trip, going to Bath, and arriving
home yesterday, and were then, to their
astonishment, arrested on charge of
burglary. They show receipted bills for
the fish they bought before they left
Portland.
If the story told by the brothers is
true, and it bears every appearance of it,
and as they have borne always, as far as
the police know, good reputation, it
seems very singular that they should
be arrested on such grave charge.
knights of Honor.