The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-01-25
STR0THER ADMITS THAT
HE HAD COOPER'S JEWELS.
Continued From Page One.

| statement in Straightforward manne
| enough. but in a nervous, jerky way tina
| implied the strain under which he was la
| boring. When it was concluded Chief DeS
/ mond. with the blood-stained hammer be
| fore him on the desk. held 1t up befor
| Strother's eyes. and said: This is the ham
mer with which Cooper was struck. and i
| must have been used either by you or BY
| the visitors. who. you say. called on him?'
| STROTHER TREMBLES
| WHEN SHOWN THE HAMMER.
| Yes sir. that's the truth. and II tina
| condemns me, why I'm condemned. that:
| all. 1t must have been either me or th'
| hammer. but God knows it wasn't me
| That's the truth and the whole TRUTH HI
| prisoner replied in voice betraying in
| tense emotion, as his eyes. which had beer
| fastened on the weapon. suffused witt
tears.
Satisfied with the result of his day.
work, Chief Desmond ordered the priSone!
| laid away for the night in the hope tina.
+! a good nights rest would further refresh
his fatigued memory and enable 1t to sup
ply the item Of information. which will
serve as a keystone to the structural facts
already in his possession. Strother was
taken down to the holdover after he had
signed this statement. which. he declared,
he had made voluntarily and without coer-
cion or promise.
STATEMENT MADE BY
STROTHER, THE SUSPECT.
Following is. in part. the statement made
by William A. Strother to Chief of De-
tectives William Desmond. who conducted
the examination:
Chief Desmond: Tell US what he said First,
what was his name?' A.: ''Mr. Cooper.
O.: Proprietor OF the bathhouse where?" A.:
vista Block
O.: I'm Franklin avenue near Grand?' A.:
''Yes. SIR He said, These women-there Will
be couple Of women out here tonight and q
man with them ! am afraid that push Is going
to rob me some day (the two women and the
mani, and in case they come out here tonight
haven't any money in my pocket. and 1 want
YOU to come and get my rings before 1 go to
Sleep said All right He says. They have
made many inquiries about this ring. and don t
want them to have II. Should these people e1-
pect come out tonight l want you to take my
ring and keep it for me- 1 said. All right. Mr..
Cooper. /. WILL "
O.: Did you take the ring OF before the peo-
pie Gamer"
A: Yes. sir. When asked him said. Give
me those rings. guess those people are here. !.
He said. All right. get my collar button
O.: Where was his Shirt" A.: "On the bed
the one that sets up in the window
O.: His shirt was that eed?" A: Yes.
SIR
O.: What did you do?' A.: IT took the col
lar button out. He says. You keep them for
O.: You took the collar button and took the
ring off his fnger?' A: Yes. sir.''
O.: How" A.: Just pulled it right of. He
didn't say to me it had hinge. He afraid
of them druggtng him. Then took the ring and
the collar button and put them in my mouth and
carried them over to his house. when went to
tell them about him being hurt
Q. You had the diamonds with you when you
went to his house? A Yes sir: in my mouth
When came back went downstairs The doc
tor wanted some hot water and went down
stairs to make some quick steam. and put them
carelessly where found them
Q. The place showed you to-dayr A Yes.
sir.
9. Three marks on the cellar: A. Yes. SIR;
right along there somewhere.
Q. That is where you hid the diamond ring
and stud? A. Yes, cir.
Q. Was 1t a screw stud. A. No. SIR
Q. What kind was 1t? A. Like collar but
ton.
Q. Have you seen them since? A. Yes, sir.
Q. Where? A. Dayton Street Station.
Q. They were the same ones you took from
Cooper? A.. Yes, sir.
O.: This is the rinErs tshowinx rans)
a: ''Yes. SIR
O.: what time did those two women and the
man come in there?"
A.: az bout ten minutes to L., to the best OF
my Judgment"
O.: 'Do you see this patent hinge?" (showIns
hinge in the diamond ring. which is a patent
rin:.1
A: "yes sir: but didn't know It before"
@: Pull 1t OF my finger
A. Gle does so): Yes. It must have give the
same way WEen L pulieQ II OH nlf NnSeT-
O.: where did you put them when you took
them orr
A.: IN my mouth
O.: Held them in your mouthT'
A: "Yes. ST."
O.: Had them in your mouth when you went
to Coopers house?'
A.: Yes. s.r.-'
O.: And were talking to coopers son with
the rirRs In your MOUTH"
A: Yes. sir"
O.: ''After Mr.. Cooper was injuredr'
A: Yes. SIR"
O.: 'Just before that you took the ring orr.
A: IT took the ring of when he got up and
said: There are them people now and he held
his hand out. Then he said Go get my collar
button: it is pretty good collar button"
O.: What time Of night did the two women
and the men come in?
A: "It could not have been over ten minutes
to Il, along about there"
O.: state the truth whether the messenger
boy came in with note not."
A: Yes sir: the boy came In
O.: What did he do when he came in?''
A: He knocked on the partition
O.: Then what occurred?' A.: He said II
was William. said yes. He said. rs Mr.. Carter
here? I said yes. He said he had note and
took the n,tc and went In
O.: what time was that?" A.: Along about
fifteen minutes to H."
O.: After you gave Cooper the note, what
did he do with tho note?'' A: Laid It down on
the table"
O.: 'It was never seen sincer' A.: 'I never
seen it,
O.: How long after the hoy left did the two
women and man come in?" A.: "A very few
minutes
O.: About how longr' A.: About five min
utes. It wasn't over-about three minutes after
the boy left
O.: Where were you when they came in 90 A.:
'Rack whore the sofa is.''
O.: About twenty-five thirty feet from
where Cooper was lying?" A: Fully forty feet"
O. What the object Of your going back
there?
A. He told me to get out Of the way: that
this little woman would not stand for coon.
Q. What did they do?
A. The man said he would take q drink on
the old man. and the two women sat there and
this man came back
O. Was the old man injured?
A. No. sir.
Q. Did you have the rings?
A. I had the rings before he was injured.
@. You must have taken them before the boy
came In?
note woke him UP and took the ring and he
said: go get my collar button" And then
he passed me by. and got the change uip) for
the boy.
G.: ''You saw them do this unlawful act? A.:
Yes. sir. and went away
O.: How long did you watch themr' A.: "a
very few seconds. Just to see them and hear the
man say to the woman. You are d--d liar
The said that to the tall woman
O.: do you know II this man or either Of these
women assaulted Mr.. COOPER" A.: NO. SIR
O.: You didn't any assault?' A.; mo 1
SIR
O.: Nor any weaponr' A.: .No. SIR"
O.: IF there was any weapon, you would have |
seen it?'' A.: Yes. SIR"
O.: 'You were in position to them II
they committed an assauit?' A.: well. went |
IN Shao e1Ior,