The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1920-04-08
HENRY S. COOPER
VICTIM OF CROOK
Kenosha Man Is Cause of
Upheaval which Stirs
Los Angeles Officials.
LOOT VALUED AT $4,000

The interesting story Of how Henry
s. Cooper, founder Of the Cooper I'M
derwear company, and prominent Ke-
nosha manufacturer has done a big
part to awaken Los Angeles to the rot
tenness Of its police system as is re-
vealed in messages from Los Angeles
today telling the story of an effort of
Police Commissioner Burge Of that
city and force of free lance detec-
tives to clean up che bad places Of the
town and incidentally it revealed the
fact that the Kenosha manufacturer
had been the victim of a social high
waynaan in the Clark hotel, one Of the
leading down town hotels of Los An
geles and had been robbed Of diamonds
and money to the value of three thous-
and dollars, The robbery occurred
on the evening of March 10th and it
was the search for the man who had
robbed the Cooper apartment at the
hotel that Commissioner Burge became
interested in alleged protection for
crooks on the part of detectives in
Los Angeles. Mr. and Mrs. Cooper had
reached Los Angeles on the night be-
fore the robbery. Later he went with
his wife to Pasadena where they are
now stopping.
Noted Crook Guest at Hotel.
Yt is declared by the Los Angeles
officials that the man who robbed the
apartments of Mr.. and Mrs. Cooper
was notorious crook and that he had
been registered at the hotel as a guest
for the sole purposes of preying on
Wealthy guests who came to spend a
part Of the spring at the hotel. Fol
lowing the robbery Police Commission
Ell Burge and his detectives started
out to investigate it and this led to
the raid on house at SIG West Third
street in Los Angeles. The commits
sioner and his men entered the place
with a search warrant and the raid re
suited in the arrest of four persons
One of the number was acquitted in
the police court on charges of vag-
rancy after the commissioner had fail.
ed to secure complaints charging fell
ony
Mr.. Cooper is not greatly interested
In the mess which has been stirred up
between conflicting factions in the pc
lice system at Los Angeles but he is
at the hotel at Monrovia still hoping
for the return of his valuables but
wondering if too many cooks did not
spoil the broth in which his valuables
were the chief ingredient.
House Detective Had Information.
According to the officers investigat.
ing the case, Mr. Cooper was robbed
on khe pight when Me house detective
at the hotel obtained information that
one of the guests was suspected OF
being we'll known crook. Before the
man could be arrested after the report
of the Cooper robbery he escaped by
checking out and quietly leaving the
hotel. The investigation which fol
lowed, the officers say, led to the state.
ment that the trunk of the suspected
man was ordered to be delivered at
the house on Third street. A detec-
tive was placed on watch there, ac-
cording to the story which came out
at the hearing on Friday. A search
warrant was obtained and when the
house was reached by Burge and his
men the suspect was not there. The
trunk was not in evidence and nothing
was found but piles of discarded polk
er chips, cards and such stuff and the
four persons who were taken into
custody. Police in Los Angeles de-
clared that interference on the part
Of Burge caused the failure Of the
raid but this was denied by Burge and
his associates. Burge claimed that he
was the man who had given the in
formation in regard 10 the social
highwayman" to the hotel detective
He admitted that he had not taken the
chief of police into his confidence. The
trouble over the investigation of the
Cooper robbery led to the suspension
of Burge from the police commission
and started one of the biggest police
Investigations ever known in this coun-
try, The matter of the removal OF
Burge will come before the council in
Los Angeles on Monday morning.
Sees Humor in Situation.
Members Of the Cooper family in
Kenosha were not in entire ignorance
of the facts of the case: They ad.
mitted that the story from Los An
geies had told pretty close to the truth
but had more details as to the robbery
Mr.. Coover had taken off his ring in
the wash room in the hotel and had
slipped it into tn etrousers pocket
where he carried good deal of money
When he retired he left the money
and the ring in the trousers pocket and
left the window of his room open. II
the morning he discovered that the
trousers had disappeared and with
them the ring and the money. In q
letter he declared that he believed
that the thief had entered the room
by way of the fire escape. He alsC
admitted that he was forced to call the
manager Of the Los Angeles branch
of the Cooper company and have hin
secure another pair Of trousers fol
him before he was able to resume hi:
normal life at the hotel. Mr.. and Mrs
Cooper will remain indefinitely al