The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-01-25
state positively how long time had elapsed

state positively how long time had elapsed
| since the blow was struck.
Doctor kier said last night that it was
1880 o'clock when he was called up by tele-
phone. His servant. who awakened him, Is
| also certain of the hour Immediately upon
receiving the message Doctor Kier tele-
phoned for cab, which was in front of his
door by the time he had dressed and gotten
his instruments ready. He reached the
bathhouse at 1 a. m. Doctor Hoge was all
ready there. and it was decided to telephone
at once for Doctor A. C. Bernays.
when I arrived at the bathhouse," said
Doctor Kier. II saw that it would be Inn
possible to do anything for Mr.. Cooper un-
til after an operation had been performed.
1t Is absolutely impossible to say how long
before my arrival the blow had been in
fiicted. The blood On the sheets and about
the wound had CONCEALED. This. however.
could have happened In fifteen minutes, as
the atmosphere Of the room was very hot
and dry.
CANNOT TELL WHEN
ASSAULT WAS MADE.
1.-The wound might have been inflicted
fifteen minutes or an hour or two hours
before I saw it. No, cannot say definite
ly in what position Mr.. Cooper was
when the blow was struck. My opinion is
that he was reclining. but he might have
been standing and fallen on the cot with
the force of the blow, and his limbs COM
posed as We found them on our arrival"
Doctor Bernays says that tha total ab-
sence Of any signs Of a struggle leads him
to believe that Cooper was asleep when
the fatal blow was struck. The bed.
clothes were SO orderly. he said, that the
ftyv,n hor how
was hit. From his position when found
and the location of the scalp wound.
Cooper must have been resting on his side.
Had he suspected violence it is certain he
would not have laid quiet.
These things said Doctor Bernays
'are simply deductions from the circum-
stances. and I am not prepared to say that
Mr.. Cooper was asleep, or even lying down,
when he was struck. 1t was impossible to \
determine what period had elapsed between
the time the wound was inflicted and when
I saw 1t. 1t might have been twenty min
utes or two hours. Upon my arrival 1
called for a razor and shaved Mr. Cooper's
head about the wound. Particles of the
brain had oozed out and mingled with the
hair.
sTROTHER HELPED DOCTOR
DRESS THE WOUND.
when the scalp was cleansed, I OBJ |
served that a portion Of the bone had been
driven into the brain. This I removed I |
was assisted in the operation by the negro. |.
Strother. He got me hot water, held the |
Instruments and performed other services. |
He was calm and appeared immensely |
srieved that the thing should have hap |
pened. He was the last man In the world |
1 would have suspected Of the crime until |
after the finding OF the blood-stained /
Even now. I believe there
is possibility of his being innocent Of |
the murder. though he likely knows a good
deal about it that he has not revealed"
H. A. Hall. proprietor Of a drug store in
the Vista block. the corner of Grand !
and Franklin avenues. stated yesterday
that at 1l:35 o'clock Wednesday night, Just
As he was about to close. William Strother |
entered the store and purchased two cigars
from him. The negro was carefully dressed |
and appeared to be perfectly calnl He re- |
mafned about five minutes eonversing with |
Mr.. Hall. then, lighting cigar, remarked
hat he would have to be getting back to
the bathhouse. and sauntered out the front
1oor.
Mr.. Hall knew Strother well, having fire.
luently sold him articles of various kinds
for the bathhouse. AS a rule the negro
charged these things to Mr.. Cooper. A
few days before Mr.. Hall had asked
strother for Mr.. Cooper's address 50 that
ne might send him bill which had been
lue for several weeks. Strother asked for
he account, saying that he would get the
money from Cooper for it, which he did
he following day.
The druggist says that -Strother ap-
peared in a good humor when he came in
Wednesday night and joked with him
lbout a slight mistake he Lad made in
irving him his change. During the con-
Strother spoke affectionately et
he murdered man, saying that he was as
square q man as could be found in st.
louis. I
II was greatly shocked" said Mr.. Hall. /