Daniel Richard Cooper (1881 – 1923) of

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

was a convicted

baby farmer Baby farming is the historical practice of accepting custody of an infant or child in exchange for payment in late-Victorian era, Victorian Britain and, less commonly, in Australia and the United States. If the infant was young, this usually in ...

and illegal abortionist. In 1922, he was apprehended at a

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

suburban property and in 1923 found guilty of murder and executed. His wife, Martha Elizabeth Cooper, was acquitted.

Early life

Daniel Cooper was born to Elizabeth Ure and George Cooper, in Burns,

Otago Otago (, ; mi, Ōtākou ) is a region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local government reg ...

on 18 October 1881. Later in life, he became a builder, Cooper had two periods of contact with the police involving theft, once in

Oamaru Oamaru (; mi, Te Oha-a-Maru) is the largest town in North Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand, it is the main town in the Waitaki District. It is south of Timaru and north of Dunedin on the Pacific coast; State Highway 1 and the railway ...

in 1902, and again in

Palmerston North Palmerston North (; mi, Te Papa-i-Oea, known colloquially as Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatu Plains, the city is near the north bank of the ...

in 1907. By 1907, he had settled in Awamangu, Otago and married Marion Burns. The couple were itinerant and shifted to

New Plymouth New Plymouth ( mi, Ngāmotu) is the major city of the Taranaki region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after the English city of Plymouth, Devon from where the first English settlers to New Plymouth migrated. ...

and then

Gore Gore may refer to: Places Australia * Gore, Queensland * Gore Creek (New South Wales) * Gore Island (Queensland) Canada * Gore, Nova Scotia, a rural community * Gore, Quebec, a township municipality * Gore Bay, Ontario, a township on Manitouli ...

, Southland, in 1916. By then, Cooper had joined the

Seventh-day Adventist Church The Seventh-day Adventist Church is an Adventist Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the seventh day of the week in the Christian (Gregorian) and the Hebrew calendar, as the Sabbath, and ...

and sold a booklet entitled ''The Practical Guide to Good Health.'' Tragedy struck when Marion died on 18 July 1917, in her eighth month of pregnancy. Although the initial diagnosis was

pericarditis Pericarditis is inflammation of the pericardium, the fibrous sac surrounding the heart. Symptoms typically include sudden onset of sharp chest pain, which may also be felt in the shoulders, neck, or back. The pain is typically less severe when sit ...

, the New Zealand Police re-investigated the case in 1923, after Cooper was apprehended for suspected murder. Family friends expressed doubt about the circumstances of Marion's death; given that she was being treated for

goitre A goitre, or goiter, is a swelling in the neck resulting from an enlarged thyroid gland. A goitre can be associated with a thyroid that is not functioning properly. Worldwide, over 90% of goitre cases are caused by iodine deficiency. The term is ...

with

mercuric iodide Mercury(II) iodide is a chemical compound with the molecular formula Hg I2. It is typically produced synthetically but can also be found in nature as the extremely rare mineral coccinite. Unlike the related mercury(II) chloride it is hardly solub ...

, some argued that it was possible that he had intentionally overdosed his first wife with that medication

"The Newlands Baby Farmer" trial and execution

Given suspicions about his extracurricular activities occasioned by the death of his wife and other rumored activities, Cooper was expelled from the Seventh-day Adventist Church of New Zealand on 2 January 1918, shortly after he had married his second wife, Martha (born 20 December 1893), a former book purchaser. Those rumored activities may have included illegal abortion procedures. Cooper and Martha relocated one more time, to

Newlands Newlands may refer to: Places Australia * Newlands, Queensland, a locality in the Whitsunday Region New Zealand * Newlands, Wellington, a suburb of Wellington South Africa * Newlands, Cape Town, a suburb of Cape Town * Newlands, Johannesbur ...

, a

suburb, and set up an office in

Lambton Quay Lambton Quay (once known as The Beach) is the heart of the central business district of Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand. Originally, as the name implies, it was the high-water line of the foreshore, and sometimes the sea would roll ...

, Wellington for their health activities in 1921. They ran a rest care and convalescent home for women, but the police raided the facility on 3 December 1922. The bodies of two newborn infants were found and Cooper and Martha were charged with murder, although Martha was later acquitted of any crime, given that there was no evidence that she had directly assisted her husband in his activities. The trial of the "Newlands Baby Farmer" was then undertaken. Mary MacLeod, a former rest home occupant, came forth with a story about her pregnancy, which had started in February 1922. Given that MacLeod was a single woman, there would have been considerable social stigma attached to any pregnancy and childbirth. The Coopers allowed her to live at the care facility and promised her that her baby would be 'adopted' by an alleged

adoptive parental couple. On 12 October 1922 MacLeod gave birth to a daughter and was later told that the child had been adopted by the aforementioned Palmerston North family. However, the infant had died and was buried elsewhere on the Newlands property, until it was discovered by police. Like

Minnie Dean As a first name, Minnie is a feminine given name. It can be a diminutive (hypocorism) of Minerva, Winifred, Wilhelmina, Hermione, Mary, Miriam, Maria, Marie, Naomi, Miranda, Clementine or Amelia. It may refer to: People with the given name * ...

almost thirty years beforehand, Cooper was sentenced to death for his murder of the two infants. He was held in custody at Terrace Gaol in

and executed there on 17 March 1923."Death pays all debts" New Zealand Truth: 26 May 1923 His wife changed her name to Stewart, remarried and ultimately resettled in

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

, where she died in 1975.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper, Daniel 1881 births 1923 deaths 20th-century executions by New Zealand Executed New Zealand people People convicted of murder by New Zealand People disfellowshipped by the Seventh-day Adventist Church People executed by New Zealand by hanging People executed for murder People from Otago New Zealand murderers of children New Zealand people convicted of murder Executed suspected serial killers

Early life

"The Newlands Baby Farmer" trial and execution

See also

References