Smyrna times., 1924-01-02
DOVER PHYSICIAN ARRESTED
AFTER AUTOMOBILE FATALITY
DIR. J. c. COOPER ALLEGED TO
HAVE RUN DOWN B. T. KELLEY
Kelley, Who Was Fixing Tire Along
the Highway South of Dover, Was
Instantly Killed-COOper Held

the Highway South of Dover, Was
Instantly Killed-COOper Held
Benjamin T. Kelley, of Westover,
Md, was instantly killed when he was
struck by an automobile at Cooper's
Corner about one mile south of Dover
Thursday evening. DIR. J. Cardeen
Cooper, of Dover, was arrested on
suspicion of having struck the man
and was lodged in the Kent County
Jail, to await the action of the coron-
er's jury, which rendered a verdict
against him. Dr.. Cooper was held in
$4,000 bail for the February term of
Court. Nine witnesses were eXamin- /
ed by the jury. They testified that
the accident occurred while Kelley was
changing a tire on d rear wheel He |
was arranging the inner tube before /
the front lights, when Cooper's car
crashed into the back of his machine, /
causing both cars to pass over Kel-
ley's body. The accident occurred
shortly after o'clock when Kelley,
who worked in Chester Pa, was pro-
ceeding north along the State High
way and had tire trouble. He had
stopped his car at the side of the road
to make repairs. The crash of the
two cars knocked him about twenty
five feet from his car. Dr. Cooper's
car kept on going. Two young men
passing in another car noticed the ma
chine and the body and they rushed
to Dover and notified the State high
way police. Corporal Samuel J. Pow
ell and Officer Bonifcino went to the
scene Immediately and found that the
man was dead and that the machine
that had hit him had not stopped at
the scene Of the accident Coroner b.
F. Jester was notified, as was also
Deputy Attorney-General Earl D.Wil-
ley and State Detective d. D. Whar-
ton. The officers started an investi-
cation throughout the surrounding
country. The officers noticed the tire
treads Of a large car that had evil
IDENTIFY swerved off the road right back
] of where the dead man was working
on his car. Making a note of this,
Officer Bonifcino noticed the same
treads at the home of DR.. Cooper,
south of Camden, while searching
through the country for some trace of
the car that caused the accident
4 Trace DIR. COOper's Car to Garage
y At the scene of the accident the
officers also found the mOtometer and
a portion of the bumper that came off
the car that crashed into the dead
. man. In continuing their search, the
officers learned in Dover that a car
with the headlights demolished and
a part of the front destroyed was
seen travelling over certain streets
Officer Bonificino being familiar with
= the movements of DR.. Cooper and his
p car, Immediately visited the garage of
: E. E. Jones and found DR.. COOper's
l. car there with the headlights destroy
ed, the motOmeter gone and a pOr-
: tion of the bumper missing. The of
n ficers then instituted a search for DR.
p Cooper, and upon finding him placed
4 him under arrest and lodged him il
! the Kent county Jail to await the ac
tion of the coroner's jury. Coroner B
Frank Jester visited the scene of the
accident and ordered the body remOv
Il ed to the undertaking establishment o.
w. A. Torbert, where he arranged fOl
IS the inquest to be held Thursday after
m noon.
le No Eye Witness to the Accident
sr The dead man was evidently driv
l- ing alone, and as far as could b.
g learned there were no eye witnesses
is to the accident. While working OF
-y the case Detective Wharton Learned
Y. that the dead man was boarding a
r 3O8 West Seventh street, Chester, Pa.
as and had recently been employed a
h Ardmore, Pa. At the Chester address
Sc it was stated that he had recent.
v gone to Maryland on a hunting tril
re and was evidently returning from thi
j. trip when the accident occurred, a
It. his gun and some hunting tOgs wer
re found in his car. A sister, Mrs
r Lydia Boleyette, was located at Girls
ne field, Md, and came to claim tn
lie body. There are some other relative
I" in the vicinity of Westover, Md. TIL
It. dead man was about 55 years of ag
ed and was married. The automobile j
er which he was riding bore a Marylan
m license, No. 796-20. He was identifie
IL by some letters found on his person
~ DIR. Cooper Has Had License Revoke
ed DIR. Cooper was convicted more tina
o. year ago for driving while drum
in and had his license revoked for on
X year. The year expired in Septem
ber and his license was renewed. H
has been very successful in certai
lines of practice and the car in whic
S he was riding was presented to hii
r. recently by a patient whom he cure
~. of heart disease. Deputy AttOrne