Evening journal., 1899-07-11

Nashville, Tenn. AS an evil
dence Of it's appreciation this associa-
ton presented to him handsome
watch chain and locket at Nashville.
For dozen years Colonel Cooper
was a member of the Democratic
County Committee. was treasurer Of
the committee, and stood high in party
counsels. He has been a delegate to
nearly every state and county conven-
tion Of his party since he has been able
to vote, and he was an alternate dele
gate to the national conventions in
1855 and 1896. In 1892 it was tie be-
tween Lewis c. Vandegrift and Cooper
for national committeeman, Vande-
grift being finally selected.
In the celebrated convention in 1888
Cooper was the choice OF the Dover dis
trict for the Legislature. He has
Travelled considerably, having been over
all this country, parts of Canada and
Europe. In the fall Of 1897 he visited
the Hawaiian Islands. During these
years Cooper stood well in all relations
of life. He never played cards or other
games, nor gambled on races nor spec
ulated, except to buy in margins five
or ten thousand bushels Of grain now
and then, and in which he was usually
successful. Early in 1896, what was
claimed to be inside information"
was industriously circulated over the
state that great profits would be made
by the purchase of Bay State Gas
stock. 1t became almost a craze down
the state, and men put up money who
had never yentured a dollar beyond
their sight before.
Then it was that w. N. Boggs, teller
Of the First National Bank Of Dover,
claiming, and no doubt thinking, that
he was in a position to know fully all
that was going on in the stock Of
fees, went to Cooper and stated that
he was connected with a syndicate for
the purchase of Bay State Gas stock,
and requested Cooper, upon his visit to
Philadelphia the next day, to buy that
stock and give his individual checks
for the same. which would be paid
upon presentation at the bank in Do
YER The syndicate did not hold to =
gether, but Boggs assumed the syndl-
cate investments, and upon every break
more stocks would be purchased by
Cooper and paid for as in the first in
stance. Instead Of the stock advanc.
ing as was promised, it went down and
down.
Other listed stocks were bought
with the hope that an advance in
them would make up for the losse.
suffered in Bay State Gas, with but
little better results. In April, 1897, tn,
account was closed out altogether.
DEFALcATIoN OF BoGGs.
About the first Of the following June
the state, and especially Dover, was
startled by the announcement that
Teller Boggs had departed the town
and that an investigation Of the
banks affairs showed a defaulting OF
100000. The community was filled
with rumors of various kinds con
Meeting the names of many prominent
citizens with the bank affair. Cashier
Bateman was discharged, and the cap.
ital stock Of the bank was reduced
one-half.
On February 10, 1898, Deputy Mar
shal Hawkins went to Milford with {
writ for Cooper. They came to VIII
mington on the next train, and founC
that Clark, Butler and Cole had beer
previously arrested, and that Boggl
had returned and was present to givi
testimony. They all postponed a hear
} ing for one week, Cooper giving Jo
{ seph L. Carpenter, Jr., as surety II
the sum Of $4,000.
Cooper employed Levi C. Bird a
counsel, Senator Gray, now judge, be
coming associated with him, givinl
his services gratuitously. Ex-Judg
= Howard Carrow, formerly of Della
ware, one of the leading lawyers o
New Jersey, also offered his service
free of charge, and was present on tn
day set for the hearing. but it wa
not Thought ludl duulllollol tounoe
3 was needed On the Saturday name
hearing was waived, in all Of tn
, cases. c. w. Lord, James Lord, an
i Franklin Temple becoming Cooper
r bondsmen. After several adjourn
D ments the trial began on Thursday
1 May g. 1898. Each side exercised il
: full privilege in challenges, the out
come being that the government wa
d said to have gained three and the de
n fendant only one friend in th
s changes.
s COOPER'S DEFENSE.
y Cooper's defense was that he aC
n mitted giving the checks as shown b
the books of the banks, and of th
brokers; that like the president an
e directors of the bank and the publ
generally he had the fullest conidenC
p in Boggs; that he represented
II Cooper that he was using his own an
I, not the banks funds; that he nev'
q told him that he had had dealing
l. with other people, and that he W;
T. short at the bank; that Cooper kne
,e he was meeting with losses in stock
but he said that he was making it