Chief Desmond Solves Cooper Killing

Txog hnub plaub, Lub ib hlis ntuj 23, 1902, St. Louis cia rau cov xov xwm millionaire A. Deane Cooper nyob hauv lub Bathhouse Vista ntawm Franklin Avenue thiab txoj kev loj pej North murdered. Cooper, one of St. Louis’ wealthiest men, owned residential real estate and other assets valued at 2 nyiaj lab. Cooper yuav biggest tswv cuab yeej hauv St aspired. Louis. He may have accomplished the feat if not for his untimely death at 49-years-of-age.

Hnub Wednesday, Lub ib hlis ntuj 22, 1902, Cooper los txog ntawm qhov cov Bathhouse Vista, uas yog nws tug. After he suffered an attack of apoplexy in 1901, he bought the bathhouse to take regular Turkish baths. Cooper yog kawm ntawm William Strother aka William Straugher. Cooper muaj ib txoj kev zoo nrog Strother, uas yog qhov txawv ntawm lub xyoo pua St nyeg. Louis. Strother was both poor and black. Cooper was wealthy and white.

After Cooper arrived, Dua li cov sauna rau Cooper Strother. After a steam bath in the sauna, Cooper returned to the cooling room, where he had a cot. Cooper hais Strother nws yog expecting ib tug txiv neej thiab ob tug poj niam mus saib nws ntawm tus da dej Turkish. Cooper stated one of the woman was having an affair with him but due to her prejudice she did not want any black people around her.

Strother agreed to stay out of sight but Cooper told him he could peek in the bathhouse after he saw the agreed upon signal. The newspapers proceeded very cautiously around these details but it seems Cooper arranged for Strother to be able to peek in at the naked women, who often joined Cooper at the bathhouse.

Strother twg xauj nyob rau tom qab tau txais lub teeb liab los ntawm lub Cooper. Strother returned around midnight to find everyone gone. Nws cai Cooper nrom rau ib cot. Thaum nws mus rau ntawm nws qhov chaw ua haujlwm, nws Cooper insensible ntawm muaj tawm tsam haujlwm kom taub hau nyob. Strother summoned tus tub lub Cooper, Theodore Cooper, and the St. Louis Police.

Nyob rau ib rooj plaub ntawm no RESPONSIBILITIES, lub Sherlock Holmes St. Louis, Chief ntawm Detectives William Desmond, ntaub ntawv leej twg qhov kev tshawb nrhiav. Ceev nrooj rau tub ceev xwm nyob rau riam phom tua neeg, tus rauj sledge nrog ntshav stains, in a stack of coal underneath the Turkish bath in the basement.

Chief Desmond sai teem rau peb qhua thiab William Strother. Strother tus liam ua tub sab crumbled sai sai. Nyob rau hauv “sweatings”, ib lo lus Desmond siv rau nws tus interrogations, nws progressively tau txais confessions los ntawm Strother.

Strother tuaj nyob noj Cooper tus jewels uas ploj lawm, nws coj cov riam phom tua neeg mus rau hauv qab daus, nws nkaum rauj sledge nyob rau hauv qab daus thiab thaum kawg nws ntaus Cooper nrog lub tshuab tuag.

Tsis txhob Desmond sab ib tseeb vim li cas. Strother sim npog cov hniav nyiaj hniav kub, ces nyiag yuav tau them ib qhov vim li cas. Cooper muaj kuj nyuam qhuav muas lub tsev Strother nyob rau hauv. Dua li ntawm lub Cooper cog nws twb mus txhiv tsev rau Strother, Strother ntshai Cooper lawv yuav tso nws tawm hauv nws lub tsev. Cooper kis tau Strother lub tsev nyob hauv lub limtiam ntawm lub ib hlis ntuj 22, 1902.

Dhau li ntawm nws deev hluas, IB. Deane Cooper muaj ib sab tsaus nti. Cooper ntawd tsum tau bankrolling ntawm cov me nyuam. Louis gambler Johnny Winn. Cooper asked Winn to have one of Cooper’s co-workers “slugged”. Cooper vam nws chaw ua hauj lwm yuav xav hais tias tus neeg ua hauj lwm nqi yog khaws cia tsis zoo tuam txhab thiab hluav taws rau tus txiv neej.

Lub Cooper dual lub neej yuav muaj coj los txiav txim hung ntawm Strother tus thawj mus sib hais. Strother quickly plead guilty to 2nd Degree Murder during jury selection for his second trial. Strother yog sentenced rau ib 15 xyoo kab lus uas nws tawm thaum ntxov ntawm tus cwj pwm zoo li ib tug neeg raug txhom. Strother was released on September 9, 1913. He would live less than a year.

Nyob rau lub Xya hli ntuj 25, 1914, 52-xyoo William Strother tuag nyob hauv lub tsev kho mob hauv nroog. Strother died as a result of lung disease. He was working in a lead mine at the time, which may have contributed to his disease. Strother, homeless at the time of his birth, was buried in the Potter’s Field.

Chief William Desmond would solve many other crimes including one leading to the imprisonment of Ben Kilpatrick, leej twg caij nrog Butch Cassidy. Chief Desmond yuav luag ib txwm tau txais nws txiv neej los sis poj niam.

Yog tias koj pom muaj qhov tsab xov xwm no nthuav, koj yuav nyiam phau ntawv no.

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