Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1899-07-13
EZEKIEL 7. COOPER DEAD
Expired Tuesday Night, in the Hospital
Of the New Jersey State Prison.
DEATH WAS DUE TO HICCOUGHS
Was Greatly Worried byClark's
Misconduct.
FEARED IT MIGHT AFFECT HIS RELEASE

Cooper, an Inmate of the New Jersey
State Prison, died in the convict hos
pital as the result of three days at.
tack OF the hiccoughs.
Col. Cooper was serving an 49,
months sentence, charged with COM
plicity 10 the abstraction of S107, 600
from the First National Bank Of Dover,
and would have been discharged on
August 25th next, with the regular de-
duct ion of time for good behavior, un-
less recent attractions of the prison
regulations were laid at his door.
On Sunday last, when the first inti-
nation that the rules of the peniten-
tiary had been disregarded by Thomas
S. Clark, Col. Cooper's cellmate, and
others Of the Delaware people serving
sentences in Wing 4, Cooper made an
application at the prison dispensary for
dose Of medicine to allay nervousness,
and later in the day form of nervous
hiccough developed. Drs. Bruere and
Mackenzie Of the prison staff were
called in and made careful examina-
tion Of the case, but after prescribing
for the sufferer announced that he was
not dangerously i'll and would come
around all right.
Monday afternoon the hiccoughs had
not ceased, and yesterday morning it
was thought best that he should be re-
moved to the convict hospital For
some time during the day there was an
hour or two in which the hiccoughs
ceased, but relapse came on during
the evening and he sank constantly
until IL. 80 O'Clock, when he died.
James Lord Of Camden, Dell, Col.
Cooper's partner in the management of
his Milford newspaper, and State Sem
ator Stephen Slaughter of Delaware
have been notified.
AFFECTED BY oLARK's FOLLY.
II is believed the recent scandal at
the State prison, for which TWO keepers,
Yard and Bergen, have been suspended
pending an investigation, brought on
Cooper's nervousness that ended in
death, for it is given out here that
Cooper had many influential friends in
Delaware and expected to get a pardon
from President Mckinley before the
expiration Of his term. A petition had
been signed in his hehalf by all the
living former governors of the State.
He feared that the exposure of his cell
mate, Clark, and his acceptance of the
favors, surreptitiously secured by the
latter, might initiate against the good
work of himself and friends and result
in the deduction Of time for good con-
duct.
The trouble was in the smuggling of
goods. Thomas S. Clark, who was SEN
fenced to five years in the penitentiary
for completely in the bank abstraction.
is said to be the man to whose cell the
goods were struggled. He has been at
the prison for nearly year and for the
several days ago, he was an attendant
at the PRISONS main gateway and was
under the care of Major Yard. 1t is
supposed that he cultivated the
acquaintance of one or two of the team
sters who have business within the
prison walls, oarting thither groceries,
provisions and stores, and taking away
for shipment goods manufactured at
the penitentiary. Through this means
he passed out a nun Der of CROOKED"
letters, term applied to letters sent
out without the knowledge of the
officers These letters were to friends,
and Clark has acknowledged that he
scot out % of them. In these missives
he evidently gave implicit instructions
as to how the game should be worked.
1t is not definitely known whether or
not he received any sums of money in
reply to these letters, but it is said
that he sent out some fancy homework,
SbSh ho poHo DpAC5 duO Obu0T
to be scld, and that he received some
money in this way. With this money
as well as that which he is supposed to
have received from his friends on the
outside, Clark was enabled to carry
on quite little trade with the drivers
and in this way be received number
OF boxes of groceries and delioacies.
Other goods, it is said, were also sent
to him by his friends. At any rate he
is known to have had contraband goods
In his cell and to have furnished por-
tion of them to others in nearby cells.
CLARK DID RUSHING BUSINESS.
Clark carried on quite Furnishing
business for time among favored
few having cells near his. They pro-
cured money in some way, probably
through the same means employed by
Clark, and he became the middle
man." The convicts enjoyed high
living for time, their irregularities
having existed, it is thought, for about
three months. Sugar was usual thing
with them, Clark having filled orders
for as much as 10 pounds at time for
some of his fellows. Broiled shad,
packed in ice, was another toothsome
morsel enjoyed by Clark and his friends.
Another dish which they ate with nc
little relish was cherry roly poly, canned
chicken and other canned goods of the
best variety. 1t was impossible, vi
course, to have stove upon which to
cook the articles that required cooking,
but this difficulty was easily sur.
mounted. A small piece of gas pipe
was secured and bent into circular
form. This was then fastened over the
gas burner with wires, and when in
position it served as capital stand
upon which to rest the tin vessels used
in cooking or warming their food.
Col. Cooper, the deceased, was Clark's
cellmate. He was IN exemplary prisoner
and since his incarceration had given
the authorities no trouble. Naturally
he knew of Clark's misdoings and
helped make way with some of the
good things Of life procured. But When
Clark became reckless and was taking
orders for goods from those in the sur.
rounding cells, Cooper became alarmed
and warned him to be cautious.
Cooper was employed in the prison
ware men in the gallery of Wing No.
who mixed up in the Dover bank case,
and who have been sharing Clark's
good fortune in having goods struggled
to them. These men are Cotter,
sentenced to IS months, and Boggs, the
principal, five-year man.
Pending an investigation, Clark ha6
been taken off the gate and locked VI
in his CELL Whatever privileges he
may have earned through good behavior
have been taken away from him and hi
will likely forfeit all chances of securing