Smyrna times., 1909-12-22
7. Y. COOPER
FOUND BURNED
Veteran Politician Meets Death
in His Home.
DAUGHTER FINDS HIS BODY
Unable to Sleep, He Arose to Smoke
a Cigar, and 1t Is Believed He Was
Stricken With Paralysis and Light
ed Cigar Set Fire to Couch Cover.

Stricken With Paralysis and Light
ed CHAR Set Fire to Couch Cover.
Media, Pa, Dec. 20. - With help
close at hand, Thomas V. Cooper, the
father of the Pennsylvania house of
representatives" and one of the best
known figures in Republican state pol
itics, was burned to death in the sit |
tingroom of his home at Washington |
avenue and Jackson street.
While one of his sons was summon |
ing the fire department, his daughter, |
Susan Cooper, ran to her fathers
room, where she thought she would |
find him asleep. She discovered the
aged politicians body was being slow
1y consumed by the flames from the
burning couch on which he lay
The covering of the couch, it is be-
iieved, was set on fire by lighted
cigar which Mr.. Cooper had been
smoking. Death may have resulted
before the fire, as members of the
family, as we'll as a physician, be-
,. lieves Mr.. Cooper suffered a stroke
81 of paralysis and fell on the couch un-
:. conscious, the lighted cigar dropping
on the draperies of the couch. While
the fire was still blazing the body was
dragged from the couch by Harry Tur-
-ner, nephew.
Mr.. Cooper spent Saturday night
happily with his family. Early in the
evening he was seen on the streets OF
Media, but returned home to play
-. cards with Mr.. and Mrs. Thomas V.
Cooper, Jr., his daughter-in-law, Mrs.
Percival Cooper; his youngest daugh-
ter, Miss Susan Cooper, who kept
house for her father. and Harry Tur-
ner and ]. William Cooper, nephews.
30 The card party broke up at IL
. uo,cloek, and Mr.. Cooper, who was in
.xs excellent spirits, talked of plans for
Is y Christmas day. It was after midnight
s when the family retired. Mr.. Cooper
lad for a number of years been un-
able to sleep at night and was in the
habit of arousing members of the fam
'i fly for brief talk or else going down
to the sittingroom on the first floor
to smoke During the winter a fire
* was kept constantly burning in the
open fireplace of the room.
.n,i.x i, s...- -HissLast Chat.
esu At 8 O'Clock Sunday morning the
veteran politician, unable to sleep,
aroused Mr.. Turner The two con
s's versed for an hour. Mr.. Turner said
soi that his uncle during this time talked
qs sof y Christmas, telling how he was
nhC planning to- send turkeys to all the
ls1s members Of his family. Finally Mr.
sd Cooper said he was going down stairs
~ He wore bathrobe of very inflamma
. BILE material, a Christmas gift from
his children.
Thomas Cooper, Jr., awoke at
siiH o'clock and detected the odor o
~ smoke. He aroused his wife and rush
ed down stairs, to find smoke pourini
from the sittingroom. While Mrs
Cooper ran upstairs to arouse tn
z other members of the = family, MI
Cooper, clad only in night clothes an
ioJ a bath robe, ran to the fire house
square away, not knowing that hi
father was in the burning room. -,
ikd Meanwhile Miss Cooper ran to he
ROOM and not finding hi
ssbi there hurried. tOAthe sittinToom. 81
Isl ran down stairs ands was rabGut
fsJ OaSn JluNOl -tlS SIAUtf6, t"iIlcu 9tlF We
,ge51 pulled back byJMr. Tuner. He craw
-. ed into the room and found the bod
on the couch The fire was quickly G
tinguished. The couch was practical
destroyed, but the fire had not spree
1ai TO other furniture.7 74.kIEaT
The legislators face was so burn'
s,.-o as to destroy his features, and o.
hand was burned off. y. r.
DR.. Charles H. Schoff was summc
q Hed. He expressed the beliefgthat y
,,shI Cooper suffered a stroke of paralys
,d1 Death may, have resulted before {
.,1, fire. This belief is partly sustained
the fact that no cry for help W
~" heard. Another theory is that t
'Hs legislator may have been suffocat
tsbi by the sudden burst of fame when
81 bathrobe caught fire. g. sniael, al
Members of the Media Fire Cd
pany, who heard the few taps of
q ~ bell, struck by Mr. Cooper, Jr.r arriI
at the house few minutes after.
=, body had been found and aided in
tinguishing the 1iames.1 N'''@