The Waterbury Democrat., 1935-08-03

moment MIS-. cooper uISu' HS toAu
police, he felt a great uplift OF
spirit, "as though ropes had been
taken from around my neck" He
will be named in n lunacy warrant
10 be issued today.
Police said only psychologists
could explain the tangled mental
urges that permitted the VALID
man to believe for three years that
balls of fire." conjured by Mrs.
cooper, danced about their bed
room, and finally sent Mrs. Wald-
man on her murderous errand.
Had Bewitched Him
Waldman, a small man, partly
tibald apparently calm but with
wild eyes, solemnly told police that
lie first met Mrs. Cooper in 1912.
ska bewitched him them he said,
ana for six years kept him under
her spell. Her power weakened and
he escaped by fleeing. He met
Mrs. Waldman and they married.
All was happy and serene with
them, he said, until they met Mrs.
Cooper again.
Mrs. Waldman. humorless wo-
man of so who stared haughtily
at police through steel-rimmed
glasses, nodded an emphatic agree
ment. Both seemed annoyed that
police did not accept their story
at its face value.
Mrs. Cooper, they said, immedi-
ately began prosecuting them with
satanic skill. Night after night,
through year after year. fire balls
danced through their bedroom. Oc-
casionally they descended, burning
sone or the other of them. Wad-
man displayed scars on his legs
which he said were put there by
Mrs. Cooper's fireballs.
Tried to Fight Them
They adopted all sorts of means
When they began appearing in
great numbers, Waldman would
Jump out of bed and fay the air
with q hammer. Each time he hit
one It would explode and disap-
pear. But before he could hit one,
he had to seize and hold 1t in the
grip OF pair Of pliers. Occasion
ally he would nail the fireballs to
the wall.
Winter and summer they slept
with every window and door of
their house tightly closed. They
stretched brown paper over the
window glass and even over the
lxeyhoes. Still the fireballs came.
Then. during the recent heat
wave, their home became insuffer-
able with all doors and windows
shut. Waldman went to Cooper
and begged him to have his wife
!. tlisrel her evil charm. Cooper
ssgals amazed, denied his wife was a
witch. They argued and Waldman
went to police.
She Wrote Pledge
After her husband went to
police, Mrs. Waldman said she had
decided to take the matter into
her own hands. She wouldn't
stand being witched any longer.
she wrote out. in semi-literate
acrawl. the following PLEDGE
81, Ida Rose. or Ida Cooper.
agree to release Mr.. and Mrs..
Waldman and his children and
FAMILY from the witchcraft. /
have done till now and I'll never
DO witchcraft to Waldman FAM
lily any more all my life."
This she carried to Mrs. Cooper
ana commanded her to sign. Mrs.
Cooper laughed. Mrs. Waldman
Thought her laughter meant she
INTENDED to redouble her be-witch-
ing. She took a pistol out of her
handbag and killed her.
Police looked into the past of
the Coopers, seeking some cause
Tor the Waldman's Authorizations.
DabbIed In Occult
- Mrs. Cooper. though neither a
mystical nor psychic type. dabbled
N the occult sciences. She told
3ortunes to neighborhood women
18th playing cardsand had a crys-
al bali within whose reflections.
me claimed, (police could not
15arn II she believed she saw
*zaaees or knew she was a Chara-
94nl. she could see into the future.
The Waldmans had their for
lines told. had Mrs. Cooper look
Ito her crystal for them. In 1912
4Taldmnn had been impressed by
#hr machinations and convinced
himself sl1e was witch. Police
#s1ieved ne succeeded In convinc-
&C. If wife.
Mra. Waldman said that at times
ARE. cooner became Infatuated and
intensified her bcwitchments un-
IA they were unbearable.
Eat times was blind and par
&I*zed:s she said. ''At times
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