The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-07-12
ANNUITY FOR AN EX.SLAVE
JUDGE COOPERS ALLOWANCES
TO BE PAID FOR HIM.
He's Mentally Incompetent, hut he So
preme Court Decides % Garry Out h
Purpose He Had Had whsle Able 90 Cen
troll His Property-Deciine OF o Family,

tuut " Htmu hh&U VIZ Nbtv w WV
troll Ills Property Deciine OF Q Family
Eldridge Cooper. a seventy-year-old ex-
slave OF the Cooper estate In Columbia
county, Tenn, IL to continue to receive
the 800 a year that Judge Cooper allowed
him until the Judges mental faculties
began to fail two years ago. And besides
Eidrtdge is to get s22S arrears In q lump
sum-, although the hundred will reach him,
As before, iD quarterly instalments. Ed
ridge lives in Louisville now, since the old
home place In Columbia county went to
rack and ruin.
The negro will not be the only one TO
benefit by an order made in III Supreme
Court yesterday by Justice Trlax. Several
Of Judge Cooper's relatives, sisters, brothers
and nephews and nieces, are TO get the same
annual sums out Of the Judges estate, which
has been in the hands Of the Trust Con-
pany Of America as trustee Of his prop
erty since the Judge was pronounced men
tally incompetent q couple of years ago.
Under Justice Truaxis order Addison
Cooper, a brother, and Miss Martha A.
Cooper, Mrs. Eloise C.. Stockwell and Mrs.
Mary A. SAMSON. sisters, are each TO re-
ceive 81 900 Q year and q, $50 arrears.
William p. Miner and Rosamond Miner,
a nephew and niece OF Judge Cooper, will
divide between them 81 900 Q rear and
81. 1850 cash, and Christine Cooper. another
niece, will receive $500 q year and $1,000
cash.
Besides these payments out OF the Judges
estate Michael J. Mulqueen, the referee.
| will receive 81 200 for his services. He
asked for 81, 800. John b. Stanchield and
V~k- R~~~, ~. s~~Dur&A for fhn
~petitioning relatives, asked for $500, but
under Justice Truax's order will divide
50, 500 between them In full payment for
all services rendered. Mr.. Berry also gets
back $3.50, which he advanced In disburse-
ments.
The Coopers were a great family in Ten
nessee. Matthew D. Cooper, father Of
Judge Cooper, owned a big plantation.
He married three times. the three Mrs.
Coopers being first cousins.
The first Mrs. Cooper bore three children,
Of whom the oldest. William r. Cooper,
is the present Judge. o 81 years old, and
suffering from senile dementia- Henry
Cooper. the second son. was q United States
Senator from Tennessee until 1882. when he
died. Christine Cooper is his only living
descendant. Mrs. Mary A. SAMSON. now
IT and living on a ANAL barren farm in
Columbia county. was the third child OF
Mrs. Matthew u. Cooper.
The civil war swept away the Cooper
fortunes. The hundreds OF slaves were
freed. Eldridge. the cook. and his wife
alone remaining with the family. The
thousands of acres passed into other hands.
and the family was scattered throughout
the Southern States William F. Cooper
turned lawyer and was for many years a
Chancellor in Tennessee and later served
on the Supreme Court bench. He was
a Judge Of the Supreme Court till 1900.
when he resigned. having reached the age
OF 10. and moved to New York.
Judge Cooper has always looked after
the welfare Of his sisters and brothers
and their children. even before the death OF
his father, which occurred in 1878. From
1915 to 1902. when the Judge 8 mind first
began TO show signs Of weakness, he never
messed a single quarter in sending to each
OF his sisters and brothers the allowance
he made them from his income. Beginning
with 800 a quarter. he gradually increased
the allowance to $3.50 every three months
for each OF Ave sisters. Two Of them are
dead.
In other ways also the Judge befriended
4 his relatives. When his sister Eloise mar
ried stockwell the latter bought a home
Tor 90. 900. giving his notes In payment.
The Judge secretly bought up the notes
and presented herr to the surprised Stock
wells. Miss Martha Cooper has always
She took charge Of the father in his latter
years. Since the remittances from her
brother ceased she has worried until her
health ia broken because OF his condition.
She is absolutely without means save what
he allowed her. When the remittanoes
Q-.s za.saA n ocstain If The C0nnora would
run up to New York to remind the old Judge
that he had skipped a quarter. As soon
az he was reminded OF Il he would send
the regular allowances. remarking:
Il overlooked them. 1t is one OF the
pleasures OF my life to send them, and
finally il will be all theirs, anyhow
The Miners were reared by Miss Emma
Cooper. now dead. and both are confirmed
invalids. as is Mrs. S~tockweIl. Among
all the seven who arc now to receive their
Allowance again there Is not one self-sup-
porting or independent. All they "
between them Is a one-eleventh interest
in a tract Of barren land in Lewis county,
Tenn.
determination To care for his dependent
relatives. His account book was put In
evidence, showing each quarterly pay
ment from 1890 70 1902 as well as the other
items Of his expenditures from day TO day
in that period.
The last entry in the notebook is in 1901,
and after that Judge Cooper's mind and
memory were too feeble TO enable him to
keep up his old systematic habits. He
lived quietly but extensively at q private
hotel In the hear OF the city, and when
he was first pronounced incompetent the
manager of the hotel was made the COM
mittee Of his person. But after some
months this proved unsatisfactory and
Homer Folks was appointed as committee
of Mr.. Cooper's person. while the Trust
Company OF America acted as committee
OF his estate.
Judge Cooper's property il said 70 be
about $500, 900, and consists largely Of stock
OF the Nashville Gas Company and Of real
estate in Nashville. While testimony was
being taken as 20 his mental condition
the Judges will and oodicil were discovered.
II provided for annuities OF $500 a year
each TO Eldridge Cooper and George T..
Colt, two old slaves OF the Cooper estate,
and one OF 800 for Booker Cooper, son
Of an old slave. To Christine Cooper,
his niece, the will ~bequeathed SIS. 900. and
all the rest Of his estate the Judge directed
should be divided between his brother.
his sisters and tho Mil ners, share and share
alike
Oprn Air Performance Of "Trip Van NInkIe. -