Evening journal., 1899-07-12
HANDY AND COOPER.
The Former Tells Of His
Visit 10 the Latter.
THE COLONEL wAsIN GOOD HEALTH
HE WAS FULL OF THE IDEA or
OBTAINING A PARDON AND
WOULD TALK or NOTHING ELSE.
THE FORMER CONGRESSMAN
EULOGIZEs THE DECEASED.

THE FORMER CONGRESSMAN
EULOGIZEs THE DECEASED.
Intelligence OF the death of Colonel
Cooper was both a surprise and shock
to the people Of Wilmington, and on all
sides expressions OF sorrow and SYM
pathy were heard. Ono of those most
affected was former Congressman L.
Irving Handy, who saw the colonel on
Friday. An Evening Journal reporter
called at Mr.. Handys Office this morn
ing and asked him for some particulars
connected with that visit. and especial
ly in reference to his state Of health.
"Zeke showed some physical effects
of the Imprisonment" he said He
had the usual prison pallor, and l no.
ticed particularly the whiteness Of his
fingers. But his eye was clear, his step
Vigorous, and he said that he was in
good health and had the best Of treat
ment there. There was nothing to
give me the least impression that his
health had been broken down by his
confinement He was deeply impress
ed by the news Of the failure Of his ap-
plication for a pardon, and his inabil-
ity to get it before the president.
Colonel Enoch Moore and reach
ed the prison in the neighborhood of
l.3O o'clock in the afternoon. We were
then in the prison over two hours.
When we first went in, after only a
= few minutes delay, we were ushered
behind the bars at the central office
for prisoners, but before the attendant
that was to be with us reached IFS
'zeke" Cooper came walking into that
lroom, with a book in his hand a bright
depression on his face, and his right
hand outstretched, exclaiming: Why
where did you fellows come fromg AZ
ter an exchange of greetings, "Zeke'
asked us If we could not sit down. W.
were taken by an attendant up I
flight of stairs into a reception room
1t was not elegantly furnished, bu
there was a good breeze blowing
through it, The four of as, Colone
Moore, Colonel Cooper, myself and thu
prison guard, sat there and talked fol
an hour or more, 1 should say. Th'
warden had previously shown us the
letter from the Department Of Justice
Informing the colonel of the failure o
2 lhis application for a pardon. We re
. lQuested that this letter, containing th'
t, bad news from Washington, should no
If be shown "Zekc' until after we wen
-taway. Our talk with "Zeke" was al
o most exclusively about his pardon, AM
d about the people who had written ia
IS lvoring it, and those who had not IA
vored it. His mind was so full of /
" and occupied so fully with it that h
# would not talk much about anythinl
i else; although he was, Of course, inter
"a tested in all Delaware news.
Is I'VE did what we could to prepar
his mind for the letter which we kneY
Ie was awaiting him. Afterwards We wer
n conducted through the prison, and re
sr turning to the centre desk again, foun
Is that they had given Cooper the lette
i which had been withheld at our re
quest He at once approached wit
le this letter in his hand and showed it
Of lus. Of course we were not surprised a
arlall. and he seemed to think that
was in full accord with our converse
D. ton which we had had with him. W
IN then had another conference with hin
NJ which 1 guess lasted half an hour. Dul
ing that time Colonel Moore. who ha
known Mr. Boggs well before he ha
gotten into this trouble, sent for hin
il, Colonel Moore had an interview wit
he Boggs, in which l did not participat
n because 1 was not at all well acquainte
L. with Mr.. Boggs. and did not feel Ill
4. introducing myself. Boggs told Col
r. mel Moore about Clark's business ente
Ic- prise in the grocery line. We then le
+. the Jail.
Il; "The most marked thing in Cooper
es mental attitude, in my mind, was u
L. kindly spirit with which he talk
N about Judge Bradford, Mr.. Vandegri
the members of the jury who had co
victed him, and about Boggs, who hi
been the chief witness against hi
he There did not seem TO be the lea
I'll malice or in-will anywhere in his hea
rec toward anybody. He seemed to me
ng have met the condition Of the pray
ON Forgive us our sins as we forgive tho
her who have sinned against u.s.
The "He requested both Colonel Moe
W. and myself to do certain things looki
toward the possibility Of getting
application for pardon up for consid'
/. .tion. Colonel Moore was requested
the see Mr. Vandegrift and plead for recc
int, sideration on his part, and | was