Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-10-03
81 DID NOT MEAN
HARM" PLEADS
COPE IN LETTER
Hunted Man Who Shot
His Niece Visits Brothers
Home Secretly Blames
Terrible Drinking"

The incoherent, rambling letter left by
John Cope slayer of his ts-year-old niece,
Florence Cope, at the home of his
| brother Frank, south Of Doylestown,
when he eluded State troopers, farmers
and county authorities and reached the
house in order to obtain an outfit OF
clothing, was given out today by tho
police. Cope addressed the letter to his
wife. Mrs. Ella Cope. 1t follows
"Oh, Dear Ella and all Of you, think
of me in this fear. 1 was so drunk I
thought would fool little. the way she
did to me one time, but | was so drunk
When 1 discovered the terrible mishap!
oh, my God, 1 ran out into the open
without anything. l am going crazy. \
have razor to cut my throat soon as
l can make UP my mind. |
THAT gun went off without touching
it; oh, my loving niece and all knew
how much I thought of her sweet facel
and all. Now you can all see what this
terrible drinking is. oh God may be-
with me. as I hope to see my loving,
niece soon in heaven. Now everyone il
still, and oh, my Cod | did not shoot
her Intentionally. | was going to put 10
away when 1t went off. Oh, my God
II am going to try to walk to Doylest
town, If / get sick l will end all. OhA
this terrible fear This terrible accidentN
which, of course, all may think differentl
on. my loving niece. oh, | cannot thinll
1t is true. God speak. Oh, God sp, 1lk.
Il read the paper. What Ella said
cannot be. 1 don't remember such al
thing as telling her to shake hands. u
think my dear sister-in-law is wrong and
all. God bless her.
II haven't much time, but my dear
dear. dear Florence. Ella you know how
much L loved them. oh, my heart Isl
broken and her dear mother, fatherA
sisters and brothers. Can it be true
Her dear mother knew l loved them all
l never did dot 1t Intentionally. That
gun went off of its own accord. Now
l know not where to go. l will soon end
1t all only to meet my dear loving niece
Florence, in Heaven.
please and for Gods sake tell Ella
she is wrong. that l did not mean anYA
harm. oh this cursed drink.
ooh. my God. This God knows. Good
by, good by. This is John in terrible
sadness"
The first name of the slayers wife Isl
the same as that of the dead girls
mother.
NEW SEARCH BEGUN.
State policemen, aided by posses Of
farmers, today began a more systematic F
search for John Cope. the slayer of hisf
search for Cope. Cope took advantage ofi
the lull in the vigilance of his pursuers,
due to the funeral of the murdered girl
to reclothe himself at the home of his
brother. He discarded the shirt and9
trousers in which he escaped from theI
home of Clinton Cope the night of theJ
killing, ransacked the house from top to
bottom and selected an entire outfit OF
clothing
Cope took advantage of the lull In the
vigilance of his pursuers, due to the
funeral of the murdered girl, to reclothe
himself at the home ot another brother,
Frank Cope, three and a half miles
south of Doylestown. He discarded the
shirt and trousers in which he escaped
from the home of Clinton Cope the night
of the killing, ransackeu the house from
top to bottom and selected an entire out4
fit Of clothing.
Then he took n black overcoat lined J
with Persian lamb skin, a revolver and
razor and walked away unmolested
The State police think he took the razor
to shave off his mustache, so as to dis
guise himself. They place no faith In
his promise to give himself up.
1t was not until Frank Cope and mem
bers of his family returned from the
funeral services at Mechanicsville thai
he learned OF his brothers visit. AtN
first he thought he had been visited by !
burglars. Then he found the note and
notified the county author
tiles.
The State troopers Immediately laid ou,
a plan to cut off the mans escape
Mounted men riding at breakneck speed
over the roads and lanes of the country l.
side apprised the farmers who had beer,
in the man hunt that some
new clue had been discovered and the
news quickly spread OF Cope's visit.
Although no trace of Cope was found.
the State troopers are more confident to-
day than at any time since the pursuit
started. They believe they have theI
slayer penned in restricted territory nowl
and that ii is only a question of tighten
ng their lines and drawing in the Gordon
mile by mile to trap him. This closing
n was begun today. The troopers are
working with the rapidty of desperation
20 capture Cope before the farmers find
aim. No one doubts the result II those
who knew the murdered girl reach Cope
irst.