The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-05-03

part of town, ind t!iirrerit report was to
the effect that they were to be married
soon, but since his arrest it transpires
that he has a wife and daughter living
merry Rippey, Iowa. He Is man over
80 years Of age, gray haired and dark
complication. When taken to the hotel
after his arrest handouts and leg
shackles were placed on him by the
officer, much to his indignation and dis
gust. 1t was reported than an effort
would be made to release him by writ
OF habeas corpus, he having previously
employed County Attorney w. L. Liv-
lngston, of Corydon, to intercede with
GOV. Shaw for pardon. The officer
thereupon lost no time, but got livery
conveyance and took his prisoner to
Allerton and there boarded freight
train for the east. 1t was reported here
that he was intercepted at Seymour and
| taken from the officers custody by a
writ OF habeas,corpus, but it was an error.
Detective Hardin landed his man in TT.
Madison all right, as the following from
the Des Moines Leader of Sunday morn.
ing shows:
Ell Hardin, formerly on the detective
force Of the!city police department., re-
turned yesterday from Anamosa, where
ne landed +. z. Cooper, fugitive from
justice, in the penitentiary to serve an
eighteen months sentence imposed by
the Madison county courts for obtaining
money by false pretenses.
short time ago stock of clothing
Ill Woodland, Ian inland town in De-
catur county, was burned. 1t had been
insured for $1,000 in the Anchor Mutual
and the Des Moines Fire Insurance COM
panies Of Des Moines. Officers of the
company had reasons to believe the fire
was set for the purpose or defrauding
them and engaged Mr.. Hardin to work
on the case. He went to Woodland and
there learned that the stock had for.
msrly belonged to man named q. w.
Ray at Brownsville, Neb., and had been
sold to j. II. Cooper of Lineville, Iowa.
1t was brought to Lineyille and kept in
storage there for about two months,
when it was sold by j. HI. Cooper to
Charles Cooper. Cooper removed it to
Woodland, opened store and took out
two policies of insurance. Fifteen days
after the second policy was issued the
store was burned. MIR. Hardin, after
he had been in Woodland couple of
days satisfied himself that Q. w. Ray
and Charles Cooper was one and the
same person and after little inquiry
established the facts conclusively. He
commenced to trace Cooper or Ray up
and in few days discovered that he
had come from Rippey, Iowa. This gave
him direct, clue, for by comparison of
he became satisfied that @.
w. Ray of Brownville and Charles
Cooper of Woodland and T. p. Cooper,
sentenced from Winterset for cheating
by false pretenses, were one AMI the
same man. He went to Winterset where
he got Robert Cleland, the prosecut.
ing witness in the case from that county
and the sheriff, to 60 to Lineyille and
then arrested Cooper and brought him
into their presence. They at once
identified him as the fugitive and he
was returned to Winterset and from
there was taken to the TT. Madison pen.
itentiary. At first he denied his iden.
tity but in Burlington admitted his
guilt.
In 1893 he was convicted at Winterset
Of defrauding Cleland and sentenced to
eighteen months. He appealed and
furnished bond, but later was taken
into custody at Rippey, his home, be-
cause of the death of one of his bonds
men. He escaped from the sheriff in
this city and until arrested by Hardin
had not been heard Of. In 1895 the su-
preme court affirmed the decision of the
county justice court.
lance companies with the evil