Four Charges Of Murder

NZ Truth, Issue 911, 12 May 1923, Page 5

Four Charges Of Murder

Trial Opens on Monday.

When the Wellington Supreme Court criminal sessions opened again this week the prime attraction for the eager crowds that crowded the court room, passages, and approaches, to the court was the charge of his Honor, the Chief Justice to the Grand Jury m regard to the Cooper case. Four iSiarges of murder, on all of which true bills have been returned, are to be preferred against Cooper and his wife when the case opens on Monday. The bodies of three infants have been exhumed on Cooper's property, and these account for three of the charges, the fourth has ,been made on account of the fact that another infant, whose body cannot be produced, ,■ is- pcnpw.n to have been received by Cooper and his wife. Their invariable replies to all questions on the matter have been evasive and neither will indicate any avenue of investigation along which the police might search for the child, if it has been adopted. To the Grand Jury his Honor reviewed the evidence so far adduced, and m regard to the fact of two children having been born to Cooper by the girl Beadle observed that though married - Cooper yas APPARENTLY A POLYGAMIST, for he was having sexual intercourse with "this poor girl" while she was living with him and his wife. Three children were missing and. three graves had been found on his property. Also a Bpade was found which fitted into the spade marks m one of the graves. There was no registration of any children having died m his house nor of any having been adopted. Four at least were missing and the question was: Where are the children? In regard to the girl McLeod's child, accused demanded £60 for having it adopted, and part of this sum was paid by the putative father of the child and the girl's brother. Where was the child? "On reading over the evidence," said his Honor, "ONE IS HORROR-STRUCK that such a thing, as this could have occurred m a civilised community!" As to the woman, she knew what became of the children. She was left m the house and she could explain, but her invariable statement was "I have nothing to say." One would have' thought," continued his Honor, "that the death of children ten days' old would have appealed to the heart of the hardest woman m the world." Reverting to the male accused, his Honor observed that when Cooper was informed of the fact that one of the bodies had been exhumed he asked which side of the house it was dug up on. That was a very significant question. In addition to the murder charges against him and his wife • jointly, Cooper himself has AN IMPOSING LIST of attempted abortion charges against his name — ten m all — as well as one charge of having procured abortion. True bills were returned m 'all of these charges. If the jury convicts m tho murder charges, which are to be heard first, Cooper will, of course, not be further burdened by these additional > indictments. Cooper's d«efence is m the hands pf | Lawyer Treadwell, and he will have Lawyer Cornish -with him at the trial. T. M. Wilford will appear for Mrs. Cooper. Crown Prosecutor Macassey will advance the Crown's case. It is understood that Mr. Justice Chapman will take the case.