The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-10-19
HISAQUEER STORY
VIM. Cooper Carried as Dead on
Army Rolls.
Still He Is Wealthy Citizen of
Garnett.
TRYING TO FIX 1T UP.
Kansas Senator'S Making Effert
to Correct Record.
Man Who Died Was brother
Serving as His Substitute.

Down at the federal building, the
Z records in the pension Office show that
William H Cooper, a wealthy land
owner and prominent resident of Gar
nett has been dead for so years. But
Cooper is not really dead and he wants
pension To get it the government
must revise its mortuary records of a
) half century and declare that the man
who died in the Mississippi swamps in
the civil war really never died at all.
And yet, something must be done with
the man who really died
1t is quite a complicated case that
the government is trying to untangle,
hut Cooper himself is a real live aiibi
for his own statement. The troubles
started two years ago when Cooper
one day decided he should have a PEN
sion for his army services. Then it
was that real intelligent looking
pension examiner confronted the Gar
nett man with positive proof that he
was dead.
Cooper was a young man when the
first call for volunteers was issued. He
served in the Union army year, be-
came sick and returned home. His
furlOugh was about to expire and Will
lam Cooper was physically unable to
again take up arms for his country.
Then Samuel Cooper volunteered to
fill in the ranks until his brother
should regain his health. The plan
was agreed to and when the roll was
called samuel cooper answered TO the
name of his sick brother He explain
ed the situation to his captain, who ac-
cepted the younger Cooper's proxy.
Things went along all right until one
day the company in which Cooper en-
listed was ordered to the Mississippi
swamp district. Here Samuel Cooper
became sick and a few days later died
of a fever. The recording officer re-
ported to the government the death of
Private William H. Cooper.
Record Not Questioned
For almost fifty years this record
was never questioned. The real Will
lam Cooper had come to Kansas soon
after the close of the war and located
in Anderson county. Here he became
prominent in local affairs and in re-
cent years has accumulated much of
the worlds goods. One day Cooper
was discussing the war with group
of Garrett veterans. That night he
decided to ask Uncle Sam for the pen
sion that was so long delayed. Imagine
his surprise when he was confronted
with positive records that he was
dead man.
1t was useless for Cooper to attempt
to explain The pension examiner
couldn't go back of the records and
probably wouldn't if he could There
was the record of Cooper's service,
the date of his enlistment. name Of his
commanding officer, record of the
company and proof of Cooper's death.
Further than this Cooper must pro-
duce an honorary discharge before re-
ceiving a government pay check. and.
being Il dead man, he of course had
none: and all the proof showed that
he was buried somewhere on the banks
of the Mississippi river by members of
his company.
But go to Garnett and YOU will find
that William H Cooper is much alive
and perfectly able to look after his
business affairs. Perhaps the real
situation will some day be understood
by the men in Washington who regu-
late the pension checks, but even
Cooper has almost given up hopes and
the Topeka Office seems unable to
straighten out the tangle. Cooper has
appealed to United States Senators
Curtis and Bristow, but even the Kan
sas delegation in Washington seems
unable to convince the pension depart
ment that Cooper isn't dead.