The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-01-24
His skull Smashed i'm with n Hammer
While He Was Resting i'm the
Cooling Room.
THREE PERSONS ARRESTED
NEGRO ATTENDANT AND TWO OF HIS
FEMALE COMPANIONS.
Place Alleged To Have Been Notorious
statement OF the Negro. who
Claims 10 he Innocent.

ST. LOUIS. Jan. pa. Dean Cooper. the
millionaire treasurer OF the Graham Paper
Company. died to-day as the result of an
assault in which his skull was fractured
while in the cooling room Of the Vista
Turkish bathhouse. at Grand and Frank
lin avenues. last night. William Strother,
the negro attendant at the bathhouse. who
was on duty last night. and who notified
Mr.. Cooper's family shortly after mid
night of the assault, is held as prisoner
at the police station.
A diamond ring valued at $3.50 and
diamond pin worn by Cooper when he
entered the bath were found in the
basement Of the bathhouse this morning.
They had been concealed under the flooring
in a crevice above the top OF a jost. n
sledge hammer. bearing fresh bloodstains.
found in the basement soon after the
police had been summoned TO the scene OF
the assault. The hammer was one which
used in the basement for breaking up
coal.
Strother told the police at the time OF
the arrest that two women and a man had
called TO see Mr.. Cooper who was pro-
prietor of the place. shortly after IL
o'clock last night They came in a car
riage, and were preceded by a boy with a
note. The colored man said he had adj
mitted them TO the cooling room and had
returned 10 the basement He did not
know he said. when they departed. Stroth-
also said two colOred wOmen-JOSie
Houston and Florence Banks, had visited
him in the basement earlier last night
Erastus Fountain, Janitor of the Vista
Block, says the two women were I'm Stroth-
er's company at $3.50 o'clock when he made
his last visit TO the premises. The police
say there is no other evidence than Stroth-
er's statement TO prove the visit OF two
women and man TO the bathhOuse.
A few minutes after midnight Theodore
Cooper, known as Tod" Cooper, son OF
at the family residence, 1913 Washington
boulevard Suother was at the door,
Your fathers been hurt" said the negro
TO young Cooper. Hes over at the bath
house now"
Without stopping to question the man
closely Cooper hurried TO the Vista Block.
In the cooling room Of the bath house. on
a cot in the middle OF the long apart
ment, he found his father covered by
sheet. Doctors were Immediately called
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
father missing, and they made another
search, finding the ring and pin in the cell
lar as already stated. For some time the
physicians worked over Mr.. Cooper. who
did not regain consciousness. They de-
cided TO perform an operation and remove
the pieces Of bone in the wound in the skull
that were pressing on the brain. This was
performed, but Mr.. cooper dld not regain
consciousness. and died at 10 o'clock this
morning. Strother stoutly maintains his
innocence.
Josie Houston, aged twenty-six and Flor
ence Banks, aged thirty-siX, the latter
married both cOlOred, are held at the po-
lice station where they are being sweated
by the police. The women were arrested
as a result of the statement made by
Strother who said the women had been
with him at the bathhouse rooms for a
time during the night.
Mr. Cooper was the owner of the bath
house where the assault was committed,
but il is not managed in his name.
Mr.. Cooper, who was interested in var
ious lines of business, was considered ono
of the wealthiest men IN St Louis. Tod
Cooper stated to the police that HIS father
had practically closed a deal for the sale
of the bathhouse property, and that the
transfer was 10 have been made to-day,
but did not state the name OF the pros
pective purchaser
murder as the day progressed were senSa-
Iional in the extreme. IL 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 ne
had known and served for a long time, had
promised TO save his home for him. He
also claims that Mr. Cooper had promised
bathhOuse he (Strother) should be taken
care of either by being retained i'm his posi-
ton or by being given another. Ques-
toned as TO why Mr.. Cooper should thus
make provision for him, the negro told A
startling sensational story Of the alleged
true character OF the place i'm which he
had been the trusted custodian, and the
story was in some degree cOrrobOrated by
"A statement from the police that they had
been making secret investigi lions and were
going TO raid and close up the place.
but the police are entirely confident that
they. have the right man in custody