The Western news. [volume] (Stevensville, Mont.) 1890-1977, 1904-08-31

Sunday morning. He rou ted ou
Coun ty Attorney Baker and swore on
a comp laint charging T. Abner Coop
er with insanity
A Clever Capture.
The county attorney immediatel,
placed a warrant in the hands o
Sheriff Pond The sheri # hitched u,
his little black team and, leaving
Hamilton at 5o'clock Sunday morning
drove straight through to the mouth
of Boulder a distance of a. miles ar
irving there about II o'clock. On the
West Fork he picked up Charley Har,
and took him along to show him the
trail. Leaving his team at the mouth
of Boulder about two miles from Alex
| LAWNS ranch the sheriff started uI
the trail afoot, trudging the entire 81.
miles. Shortly before arriving at the
camp the sheriff heard choppng and
proceeded cautiously under cover of
| the brush. He found Abner busy
hewing plank out of some small
tr ees he had fallen for a coffin. A
rifle and revolver were within con-
venient reach. Kerlee and Wilkerson
by direction of Abner were Industrious
ly digging grave. The sheriff step
ped forward and had his man under
arrest almost before he was aware of
his presence. Abner offered no resis-
tance but willingly accompanied his
captor down the trail. He volubly
charged the sheriff with Interfering e
with the will of Providence" and as
sured him that he would have to
answer for it, to which the officer
laconically rejoined that "he had a
W arrant for his arrest and would have
to answer to the county attorney"
When they arrived at the mouth of
Boulder, they met the relatives coming
with cdsket to bring out the remains.
The sheriff and his prisoner drove
right through to Hamilton arriving
here about o'clock Monday morning.
Chairman Grover of the lunacy COM
mission has set Cooper's hearing for
Thursday at 10 o'clock. Cooper is
man about IS years of age. He lives
on lonely ranch on the Clearwater
He has wild appearance, wearing
his hair in two long braids. He be-
comes violently deranged at times,
and at one time was confined in the
asylum at Warm Springs. He seems
calm and pea aceable now, but he Ger
tainly had that funeral party "buf-
faloed."
Cooper, since his arrest, has been
very tractable and talks in reason.
able strain. He is eccentric and set
in his views, however. Sheriff Pond
says that he had no trouble with HIM
whatever and that they got along very
nicely from the first. Cooper was
hewing lodge poles into plank to make
a coffin when he approached and had
no inkling of the sheriff's presence
until he Vas within few feet of him.
The sheriff then stepped forward with
a friendly greeting, proffering his
hand and Cooper grasped and shook it
cordially. The sheriff then asked him
if he had any drinking water handy
and Cooper said yes and Hospitality
stepped aside to replen,sh the bucket.
The sheriff meanwhile secured Coop
er's axe, rifle and revolver, and when
he returned with the water served the
warrant. Cooper protested that he
was right in the matter but willingly
accompanied the sheriff, walking down
the trail just ahead of him. The sher-
iff had been warned by a brother,
Frank Cooper, and others at Darby
that Abner was deranged, desperate
Ind dead shot and to look out for
serious trouble and, of course, was on
his guard and took no unnecessary
chances, but he says Abner apparently
had no thought of offering resistance
and made no trouble whatever. even
lending assistance whenever possible
during the long, hard trip.
The Funeral.
The funeral of Mrs. Laura Kendall
was held Monday afternoon from the
home of her father, Rev. B.F. Cooper,
Rev. Wagy of the Baptist church of
Darby officiating.
Mrs. Kendall was % years of age
and had been married about eight
years. She leaves two children and
IA years of age. Her home was in
Missoula where her husband is promi-
nent in business circles.
Gard Of ThankS