Ethelinda M. (Martin) Cooper (1905)

COOPER

Posted By: Judy Wight Branson (email)
Date: 12/30/2007 at 17:24:27

Winterset Madisonian, Winterset, Iowa
Thursday, April 27, 1905, page 1

Sad Death By Burns

Mrs. Josephus Cooper Of Scott Township Succumbs To Injuries From Burning

About three weeks ago Josephus Cooper of Scott township received his quarterly pension voucher through the clerk's office. While cashing the voucher the same day his suspicions were aroused by the actions of some one present, a stranger to Cooper, and that night himself and his wife became frightened in the night and thought they saw someone in the yard and divined that he had come to rob them of their pension allowance. They accordingly placed their bill book containing some $40 in currency under a box of seeds in the kitchen stove for safe keeping. No more was thought of the matter until after breakfast the next morning when Mrs. Cooper ran to the stove and pulled the burning box out upon the floor. In trying to stamp out the flames her clothing caught fire. Mr. Cooper attempted to put out the flames and in his excitement gave up the attempt and ran to his daughter's home nearby for assistance. By the time the daughter arrived Mrs. Cooper was terribly burned, and after twelve days of suffering she died on last Thursday. Both Mr. and Mrs. Cooper were advanced in years and the distressing accident merits the heartfelt sympathy of all.