Treasures from the Worcester Room: The Trial of Daniel J. Cooper - Chapter 1

"Juror on - Daniel J. Cooper Trial from May 25th to May 29, 1914"

Did you know that we have an assortment of photographs in our Worcester Room? Many of these images are of Worcester Public Library, including its buildings, staff, and events, but some images relate to Worcester. We recently came across the above image of these besuited men with the caption "Juror on - Daniel J. Cooper Trial From May 25th to May 29th, 1914." The photographer was F. Carl Dixon, Commercial Photographer, 1 Chatham St, Worcester, Mass. We were unfamiliar with the trial of Daniel J. Cooper so we decided to do a little digging in our historic Worcester Telegram records. It turns out that Cooper was on trial in Worcester for murder and if you're a fan of true crime or Worcester County history, you'll want to read on!

The Victim

"Alfred G. Bradish," Worcester Telegram, May 27, 1914

Alfred Grant Bradish, a 46-year old Upton resident and employee of William Knowlton and Sons straw hat firm, went missing on Saturday, October 4, 1913. On the morning of October 4, Bradish left his West Upton house intending to pick apples from his trees in North Upton. Bradish rode part of the way and then walked along the Westboro Road and spoke with his friends at the Wood-Lee farm. Bradish then visited the farmhouse of Walter Balcom, wherein the women of the house felt they were not properly attired to receive visitors, so he left without speaking with Mr. Balcom. Bradish was not seen alive after this visit and he never reached his farm to pick from his apple trees. Three shots were heard by multiple people approximately 20 minutes after Bradish left the Balcom house and at that time, it was unclear whether the shots were connected to the disappearance of Bradish.

"Posses Search Vainly for Alfred G. Bradish," Worcester Telegram, October 7, 1913

On Monday, October 6, the Upton chief of police and the tax collector each led a search party in an unsuccessful attempt to locate Bradish. At that time, the Worcester Telegram reported that police had three theories for Bradish's disappearance: dementia, suicide, or foul play. On October 11, the Worcester Telegram reported that the state and Upton police were continuing their search. One member of the search party indicated that he visited a clairvoyant in Worcester, who alleged that Bradish was still alive and would return home sometime. The search continued.

On October 22, Court Upton, F. of A., the Upton chapter of a men's Catholic fraternal organization to which Bradish belonged, offered a $25 reward (or roughly $750 in today's money) for information leading to the discovery of Bradish, dead or alive. All unemployed residents of Upton, as well as members of the fraternal order were involved in the search. A break in the case did not come until Halloween, 1913.

Join us tomorrow for Chapter 2: The Accused.