Chief Desmond Solves Cooper Killing

Joi, Ianuarie 23, 1902, St. Louis awakened to the news millionaire A. Deane Cooper was found murdered in the Vista Bathhouse at Franklin Avenue and North Grand Boulevard. Cooper, unul din st. Louis’ cei mai bogați oameni, Imobiliare rezidențiale deținute și alte active evaluate la 2 milioane de dolari. Cooper aspired to be the biggest property owner in St. Louis. Poate că a realizat faza, dacă nu pentru moartea sa prematură la 49 de ani de vârstă.

Miercuri, Ianuarie 22, 1902, Cooper arrived at the Vista Bathhouse, which he owned. După ce a suferit un atac de apoplexie în 1901, A cumpărat baia pentru a face băi turcești obișnuite. Cooper was attended by William Strother aka William Straugher. Cooper had a close relationship with Strother, which was unusual in turn of the century St. Louis. Strother era atât sărac, cât și negru. Cooper era bogat și alb.

După ce Cooper a sosit, Strother heated up the sauna for Cooper. După o baie cu aburi în saună, Cooper s -a întors în camera de răcire, unde avea un pătuț. Cooper told Strother he was expecting a man and two women to visit him at the Turkish bath. Cooper a declarat că una dintre femei a avut o aventură cu el, dar din cauza prejudecăților sale nu a vrut niciunul negru în jurul ei.

Strother a acceptat să rămână la vedere, dar Cooper i -a spus că poate arunca o privire în baie după ce a văzut semnalul convenit. Ziarele au continuat foarte prudent în jurul acestor detalii, dar se pare că Cooper a aranjat ca Strother să poată arunca o privire la femeile goale, care de multe ori s -a alăturat lui Cooper la Bathhouse.

Strother did peek in on them after receiving the signal from Cooper. Strother s -a întors în jurul nopții pentru a găsi pe toată lumea dispărută. He observed Cooper lying on a cot. When he checked on his employer, he found Cooper insensible from a strike to the head. Strother summoned Cooper’s son, Theodore Cooper, și st. Louis de Poliție.

In a case of this significance, the Sherlock Holmes of St. Louis, Chief of Detectives William Desmond, personally handled the investigation. The police quickly found the murder weapon, a sledge hammer with blood stains, într -o grămadă de cărbune sub baie turcească din subsol.

Chief Desmond quickly focused on the three visitors and William Strother. Strother’s alibi crumbled quickly. Under a series of “sweatings”, the term Desmond used for his interrogations, he progressively got confessions from Strother.

Strother admitted taking Cooper’s missing jewels, that he brought the murder weapons up out of the basement, that he hid the sledge hammer in the basement and finally that he struck Cooper with the fatal blow.

Desmond never discovered a clear motive. Strother attempted to hide the jewelry, so robbery could have been a motive. Cooper had also recently purchased the house that Strother lived in. Despite Cooper’s promises he was going to redeem the house for Strother, Strother feared Cooper was going to put him out of his house. Cooper acquired Strother’s house during the week of January 22, 1902.

Besides his mistress, A. Deane Cooper had a dark side. Cooper was supposed to be bankrolling the operation of St. Louis gambler Johnny Winn. Cooper i-a cerut lui Winn să aibă unul dintre colaboratorii lui Cooper “slugged”. Cooper hoped his employers would think the co-worker was keeping bad company and fire the man.

Cooper’s dual life may have led to the hung jury at Strother’s first trial. Strother se pledează rapid vinovat pentru omorul de gradul 2 în timpul selecției juriului pentru cel de -al doilea proces. Strother was sentenced to a 15 year sentence from which he was released early due to good behavior as a prisoner. Strother a fost lansat în septembrie 9, 1913. Ar trăi mai puțin de un an.

Iulie 25, 1914, 52-year-old William Strother died in the City Hospital. Strother a murit ca urmare a bolilor pulmonare. La acea vreme lucra într -o a mea principală, care poate a contribuit la boala sa. Strother, fără adăpost în momentul nașterii sale, a fost înmormântat în câmpul olarului.

Șeful William Desmond ar rezolva multe alte infracțiuni, inclusiv una care a dus la închisoarea lui Ben Kilpatrick, who rode with Butch Cassidy. Chief Desmond almost always got his man or woman.

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