The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1919-09-05
STILL HUNTING
FOR MOTIVE
Police Unable to Explain Why
Robin Cooper Was FouIIy
Murdered.
B L0OD ON OVERALIS
Gardener Claims Bloodspots
Caused by Killing Chicken.
Substantiated by Servants.

|
Substantiated by Servants.
| Nashville. Sept. 5.-(Special. y.
] While the police and detectives are
I following every clue that is presente:
IN the Cooper murder case, so far ne
| motive has been established for tho
| commission of the crime. Many the
cries have been developed, and more
| or less circumstantial evidence Sc
| cured to substantiate each particular
| theory, but for a week these theories
have led the officers to no motive
that would have actuated a man OF
men to murder Robin Cooper.
Gardener Questioned.
Thursday afternoon the detectives
had the two negro servants and the
family gardener up for further ques-
tioning. A suit of overalls worn by
the gardener had been taken from
the premises and these are said to
have had blood spots upon them. The
gardener said they were spots from
chicken which he had killed for the
family's use. This statement was
substantiated by the servants. How
ever, at the request of relative
these blood spots are being analysed
by DIR. William Litterer. The man
who had the spots analysed said 1t
would be a week or ten days before
it could be definitely determined
whether the spots were made by hu
man blood or not.
Bloody Finger Prints.
officers said today that the bloody
finger prints discovered on the back
door of the automobile belonging to
Robin Cooper had been recorded, but
said that the finger prints of any
persons to whom suspicion might
point had been taken for comparison.
Examination of the car in which
Robin Cooper is supposed to have
been murdered reveals the presence
of bloody finger prints on the back
door nearest the drivers seat, as
though the hand that grasped the
door were reaching for the catch. At
a point on the door at the end near
est the catch there Is another smear.
Blood splotches are spattered on the
windshield and upon the car just be-
meath the windshield and the uphol-
STEERING on the left side of the front
seat next the steering wheel Is torn
for space of three inches.
Anonymous Letter.
The bloody finger prints are on the
right side of the car. Several anony-
nous communications have been re-
ceived by the officers, some of these
communications coming from a dis
lance. While many of the theories
advanced in these letters are ridicu-
lous on their face, the officers have
run them down as fast as received.
One letter from point In near |
by state says among other things: |
of an orbaHnIn tiy,nn nnly |
for another big one soon" Other
things in this letter indicate that the
writer Is a crank and very much
against Mr.. Cooper.
Another theory that Is being given
more or less attention by officers ut
work on theA case is that there were
two men connected with the crime.
They point out that the testimony of
q negro man who claims to have
seen the car driven to the point
where it was discovered, and who
claims to have seen a man leave the
car and join another on the Harding
road and drive off towards Nashville
ends itself to the assumption that
TWO men were implicated in the muir
we're two men implicated in the MUIR
Ter and that they had taken the body
o another point before throwing 1t
nto Richland creek and were return
ng to the car
A man who is more or less familiar
With various phases of the investi-
cation told reporter today that a
elegram had been sent to Mr..
Cooper Friday morning by Mrs.
Cooper, and that when it came to the
,ffice and the house was telephoned,
he first intimation was had that Mr.,
hn2 cd, etp
light before.
Another man, who had business
With Mr.. Cooper, and who had called
he residence Friday morning with
ut securing information of Mr..
"copper", turned to a friend with the
emark that apparently something
ad gone wrong in the house, and
hat the servant who answered the
elephone seemed drunk.
From a relative OF the family to-
ay the statement comes that there
nothing which would establish a
lotive for the crime and they are
$ much at sea as they were last
aturday morning when the first
ews of the tragedy was flashed over
lie country.
A relative of the dead man said
nat no poker games had been
ayed at the house, but that bridge
as played. There is nothing to the
oker theory" he said. Officers
aim that the theory that papers
'und in the automobile may have
zen there for the purpose of wrap
ng up something has been exploded
Y statements from the family that
lere was a grease spot on the back
the front seat and that papers
ere used to protect the clothing of
'rsons using the car. An examina-
on OF the car shows two black
arks on the back of the front seat,
hich appear to have been made by
ease.
Officers were furnished today with
list of persons who usually buy
arvey's Weekly, the magazine found
the car. 1t Is understood MIR.
'oper bought this magazine regu-
rly.