The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1902-01-23
MILLIONAIRE COOPER LOSES HIS
LIFE MysTERIoUsLsY IN
ST. LOUIS.
NEGRO VALET UNDER ARREST
His Skull Was Broken and While Sur
geons Relieved That in a Short
Time He Was Unable to Sus-
tain the Shock and Died.
(By Associated Press.)

St. Louis, Jan. GA. Dean Cooper the
millionaire treasurer of the Graham Pa
per company, died today as the result of
an assault In which his skull was frac-
tured while In the cooling room of the
Vista Turkish bathhouse at Grand and
Franklin avenues last night.
william Strother. the negro attendant
at the bathhouse, who was on duty after
midnight, Is held as a prisoner at the
Dayton street police station
A diamond ring valued at $500 and
diamond pin worn by Cooper when he
entered the BATH were found in the base
ment of the bathhouse this morning.
They had been concealed under the floor
ing in a crevice about the top of a 5oist.
A sledge hammer bearing fresh blood
stains. was found In the basement soon
after the police had been summoned to
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
the arrest that a woman 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 carriage and were pre-
ceded by boy with note. The colored
man said that he had admitted them to
the cooling room and had returned to the
basement. He did not know, he said,
when they departed.
Some Colored Women.
Strother also said that two colored
women, Josie Houston and Florence
Banks, had visited them in the base
ment earlier last night.
Erastus Fountain, janitor Of the Vista
block, says that the two women were in
Strother's company at $3.50 a'clock, when
he made his last visit to the premises.
The police say that there Is no other
evidence than Strother's statement to
prove the visit of the women and man to
the bathhouse. A few minutes after mid
night Theodore Cooper, known as Tod.
son OF A. Dean Cooper, answered the
doorbell at the family residence, 3I1a
| Washington boulevard.
Strother Says He Is Innocent.
Strother was at the door. Your faith.
er's been hurt" said the negro to young
/ Cooper. He's over at the bathhouse''
without stopping to question the man
closely Cooper hurried to the Vista block
| In the cooling room of the bathhouse on
a cot in the middle of the long apart
ment. he found his father covered by q
|
| sheet.
Doctors were Immediately called and
| the police notified. The latter made ar
investigation and discovered the blood
| stained hammer.
Young Cooper told the police that the
| ring usually worn by his father wa'
missing. and they made another search
for the ring and pin In the cellar, which
| was successful.
For some time the physicians worked
over Mr.. Cooper, who did not regain con
sciousness. They decided to perform al
| operation and remove the pieces OF bon'
from the Jagged wound in the skull tina
were pressing on the injured mans brain
This was successfully performed, bu
Mr.. Cooper did not regain consciousness
passing away about 10 o'clock this morn
ing, surrounded by members OF hi
| family.
Strother stoutly maintains his limo
cence. Fountain, the janitor, was takeI
to the police station, but was released
after telling about the presence OF th
two colored women in the bathhous'
when he left.
Tod" Cooper stated to the police tina
his father had practically closed dea
for the sale of the bathhouse propert!
and that the transfer was to have beer
made today, but did not state the nam
of the prospective purchasers.