New-York tribune., 1906-11-20
" TOM" COOPER KILLED.
IN AUTOMOBILE WRECK.
Bicycle Riders Machine Crashes
Into Standing Car.

Tom" Cooper former champion bicyclist.
whose contests with Eddie" Bald. Major Tay-
lor and other stars of the wheel are still re-
membered by followers of sports was instantly
killed last night. when he was thrown out of an
automobile in which he was riding with two
young women on the Drive in Central Park
near nth street. after his had run into an
automobile which standing still.
Cooper, in a Matheson car was said to be
going south on the Drive at a good speed, when
his car ran into Thomas car, which had run
out of gasolene and was waiting for boy to
fetch fresh supply.
Two women in the car which Cooper was
driving were thrown out and seriously injured.
They were Miss Virginia Vernon, of No $50
Newark avenue, Jersey City and Miss Helen
Hall, who said she lived at the Hotel Wroxeter,
No. 139 West 45th street. The women were
taken to Roosevelt Hospital.
The two men who were seated in the Thomas
car were taken to the Arsenal station in Cen
trail Park, where the police said they hoped to
get some information from them
Patrolman Clemens. of the West 6Sth street
station, was standing in Central Park West,
near the nth street entrance to the park, when
two men ran out and told him that there had
been collision between two automobiles. and
that several persons were injured. Clemens tele-
ambulances be sent to the scene.
When Clemens reached the scene of the acci-
dent the two women were lying beside the road.
and there was dead man on the grass near
the roadside. When the ambulances reached
the place the two women were put in them
and taken to Roosevelt Hospital and the doc
tors said the women ''in bad shape"
When the doctors looked at Cooper they said
the man had probably died instantly, his neck
being broken. Cooper was thrown more than
twenty feet
The police think that both women gave fcti-
tious names At the Hotel Wroxeter the clerks
in charge early this morning said that no Miss
Hall was known there.
The automobile that was run into was owned
and occupied. according to the police by Rich
ard A. Strong. of No 2O4 West 55th street. The
chauffeur was Louis Caldwell, of No. 81 West
49th street and the two men in the machine
with Mr.. Strong and the chauffeur were Thomas
Dunn, of No. 80 West 1920 street and Frank
Howell, Of No. $50 West End avenue
The police report that when Mr.. Strong found
that his automobile was helpless owing to a
lack of gasolene, he sent his chauffeur for
gasolene. The police report the Strong party as
saying that the other going al high
speed but could not fix the speed with any
degree of certainty.
The police also assert that the Strong party say
that their automobile was we'll within the space
allotted to automobiles going north on the drive
A man said to be Daniel Baraclow, cotton
broker and 10 live in Paterson, n. j., was also
in the car which Cooper operating. Barlow
was taken to Roosevelt Hospital with a fracture
of the skull and it was said he would probably
die.
When Miss Vernon regained consciousness af-
ter being taken TO Roosevelt Hospital she gave
new version of the accident saying that both
cars were moving at the time.
Cooper was at time national champion
bicycle rider and becoming well known
automobile driver. He was for a long time the
manager of Barney Oldield. the great track
driver He himself first became known as one
of the leading drivers at the Atlantic City meet
last September when he drove Matheson car,
with seven passengers Il mile in % 10 seconds,
establishing a record.
He helped Mongini. the driver of the Matheson
car for which he was an agent, in the ehmina-
ton race for the Vanderbilt Cup but did not
take part in the race itself He had a narrow
escape from death on October 80 at the Empire
Citv track when wheel came off his car. His
mechanic was badly hurt. but Cooper escaped
injury, though the accident destroyed his
chances in the 1OO-mile race, in which he
leading at the time.
Some time after the injured women were taken
to the hospital il was learned that Miss Hall"
was Miss Helen Lambert, an actress.