The Saint Paul globe., 1902-01-24
MILLIONAIRE SLAIN
A. DEAN COOPER, OF ST. LOUIS. 10
DRAINED WITH A SLEDGE In
A BATH HOUSE
NEGRO ATTENDANT ARRESTED
Dead Mans JeweIry Found seoreted
In the Place, and Police Have
the Blood Stained In
strument of Murder

ST. LOUIS, Jan pa. Dean C,ooner
the millionaire treasurer of the Graham,
Paper company, died at his home TODAY
as the result Of an assault in which his
skull was fractured while in the 4coolfnr,
room of the Vista Turkish bathhouse. ar
Grand and Franklin avenues, Iastynight.
Wliham Strother, the negro attendant
at the bathhouse, who was on DUTY Last
night, and who notified Mr.. Cooper 8
family shortly after midnight of the as
sault, is held as prisoner.
diamond ring, valued at 81, 500. and a
diamond pin worn by Cooper when he en-
tered the bath were found in the bsse-
ment Of the bathhoUse this morning.
Ihey had been concealed under the floor
ing In a. crevice above the top of a sioist
a siedge manner bearing fresh blood
stains Was found in the basement soon
after the police had been summoned tn
the scene of the assault. The hammer
was one which is Used in the basement
for breaking up coal
Strother told the police at the time OF
his arrest that two women and a man
had called to see Mr.. Cooper, who was
proprietor of the place, shortly after II
O'Clock last night. They came, in "a car
rage, and We're preceded by a boy with
note The colored man said that 5he adj
mltted then. to the cooling room and re-
turned to the basement He did nor
Know, he said, when they departed
Strotner also said that two eolored
Women-Josie Hcrston and Florence
Banks-had visited him in the basement
earlier last night.
Police Are Skeptfcal.
Erastus Fountain, janitor of thea ista
block, says that the two women were in
Strother's company at $50 o'clock when
he made his last visit to the premises.
The police say there is no other evidence
than Strother's statement to prove the
visit Of two women and a man to the
bathhouse
A few minutes after midnight Theodore
Cooper, known as ''Tcd," son of A.. Dean
Cooper, answered the door bell at tha
family residence. Strother was tat the
door.
Your fathers been hurt said the ne
gro to young Cooper. Hes over at the
bathhouse now"
Without stopping to question the man
closely, Cooper hurried to the ! Vista
block. In the cooling room of the bath
house, on cot in tae middle of the long
compartment, he found his father covered
by sheet.
Doctors were Immediately called5 and
the police notified. The latter made an
investigation and discovered the blood
stained hammer. Young Cooper told the
police that the ring usually worn by his
rather was missing and they made an
other search, finding the ring and pin
in the cellar as already stated
For some time the physicians worked
over Mr.. Cooper, who did not regain con
sciouSnesS. They decided to perform an
operation and remove the pieces of bone
from the jagged wound in the skull that
were pressing on the injured man S brain
This was successfully performed but Mr.
Cooper passed away about Il o'clock this
morning
Strother stoUtly maintains his inno-
cence. Fountain, the janitor, was taken
to the police STATEN. but was released
after telling about the presence OF the
two colored won en- in the bathhouse
when he left.
Tod Cooper stated to the police that
his father had practically closed deal
for the sale of the bsthhouse property,
and that the transfer was to have been
made today, but did not state the name
of the pre- spective purchaser.
Sensational Developments.
Developments in connection with the
murder as the day progressed were sen
sational in the extreme. It became
known that Strother was in need of
money, $500 or more, to reclaim his home
from mortgage sale. Strother however,
meets this with the statement that Mr..
Cooper, whom he had known and served
for a long time, had promised to save
his home for him. He also claims that
Mr.. Cooper had promised him that in the
event Of the ssale Of the bath house he
(Strother) should be taken care of
either by being retained in his position
or by being given another.
Questioned as to why Mr.. Cooper
should thus make provision for him,
the negro told startling sensational
story Of the alleged true character OF the
7NI1 Of vx-ain bo ha1 no frtIc Cd
custodian, and the story was in some de-
gree corroborated by a statement from
the police that they had been making
secret investigation. and were going TO
raid and close uD the place.
Strother stoutly maintains his inne-
cence, but the police are entirely conf
dent they have the right man Tn custody.