El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1917-05-12
COOPER
SHOOTING. CASE
Justice Beaver Takes Tes-
timony From Soldiers;
Westcott ConfeSses.

The preliminary hearing OF prlVates
walter Weir, Walter Jensen and R
B. Wescott, members of the machine
gun troop, Seventh cavalry, charged
with the murder of Sgt Samuel
Cooper in the holdup Of the non
commissioned officers club, Camp
Baker, last Saturday night, was
started Saturday morning before
Justice J. NJ Beaver. Testimony IN
the case will not be concluded until
late Saturday afternoon
-Four witnesses were examined sat
urday morning by county attorney
sgt. Roberts Points out Three.
Sgt H. H. Roberts. machine gun
company, Seventh cavalry, SAID Inc
Sunday after the crime l told private
Rice of my troop that Wehr, Jensen
and Wescott were guilty OF the mur-
der of Cooper I told him that they
had about 10 minutes to beat II from
camp" The witness testified that
Sunday morning he told Capt Charles
3. Eby, provost marshal. of the crime
and of the disappearance from camp
of the three defendants He said ne
told the officer he suspected tnem Oh
having committed the murder
SAYS Wescott Read the Story
Private j. II. Rice. Of the same
troop, testified that he was Wescott 5
tent mate and that the Sunday 1ol-
lowing the crime he was talking with
Wescott, who was reading a paper IN
which there was an account OF the
holdup and shooting OF Cooper He
stated he told Wescott that ne nad
better "cut it out" and that the de-
PENDANT replied he was up the pole.
sgt W. s. Griffin stated the three
men were nearly always together ana
that the night Of the shooting Jensen
had tried to borrow civilian SUIT
from him.
Driver Says Handled Soldiers
r. r. Rangel. an automobile driver
testified that on last saturday nlght
he received a call from Jensen AT the
Seventh cavalry for car and that
he met Jensen and Weir and started
to the city. About a mile west OF
where he got his passengers the Wit
ness said, he met Wescott. who also
entered the car. Jensen, the witness
said. tried to get him to drive him TO
Deming. n. N. but that when ne
asked $50 for the trip he said he had
only So and he refused to take him.
Rangel said that on Sunday morning
he again refused The witness said
Jensen paid him So in nickels. dimes
and quarters for bringing he and his
companions to the city Saturday
night
weSeott Makes Confession
Private Walter c. Jensen, machine
gun troop, Seventh cavalry, was
alleged to be responsible for the
shooting and death OF Sgt samuel
Cooper and wounding OF private
Ernie Goay. Eighth cavalry IN the
holdup Of the nOncOmmissioned Off
GERS club at Camp Baker, Nay ,,
according to Raymond B. Wescott,
member of the same troop OF the
Seventh in a confession made TO
county attorney W H Fryer Friday
evening at 5 o'clock
Jensen. Wescott and Walter Weir
all members Of the machine gun troop
of the Seventh cavalry. were arrested
near Mesquite, N NJ, the day after
the crime by constable Lon Garner
and deputy sheriff Iva Fenley-
County attorney Fryer took the
confession of Wescott In shorthand
and later had it typewriter and II
was signed by the soldier. In part
the confession follows:
Says Had @HoidnP" Intentions
con Wednesday night before the
shooting Walter Jensen and Walter
Weir and myself went TO the non
commissioned officers club at Camp
Baker with the intention OF holding
it up There were too many men in
the club and We went back Saturday,
May 5, with the same intention and
were armed with automatic revclvers
Weir and I were dressed in uniforms
and Jensen in civilian clothes. We
each tied handkerchiefs over our
faces
Says saw One Wounded
Jensen and Weir entered first
with their sixshooters drawn Then l
came in and there was a couple OF
shots fired and saw a fellow stand
ing against the bar with his hands
down. I told him to throw up his
hands and then 1 saw where he had
been hit, it looked to me as though II
was in the back 1 kept the crowd
covered while Weir went behind the
counter and got the money.
Jensen that night paid the auto
/ driver IS and gave me S2.4e, my
share of the holdup. and Weir got
the same. Next morning We came 10
town about 10 o'clock and borrowed
IS from a woman and then we left
and started to hike to New Mexico
o'clock a. m. the 24th day Of Nay. 1917.
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