Eugene L Cohee (abt. 1859)

Born about 1859 in Butler Co., Ohio, USA

Ancestors

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Biography

Eugene Cohee was born in 1859 in Butler Co., Ohio. He is the son of Amasa Cohee and Rebecca Young.

1860 census -- Milford Twnp., Butler Co., Ohio, USA

A Cohee, age 30, male, , farmer, $19550 real estate, $800 personal property, born Ohio; RE Cohee, age 25, female, , born Ohio; Willard R Cohee, age 5, male, , born Ohio, attended school; EB Cohee, age 3, male, , born Ohio; SL Cohee, age 1, male, , born Ohio^[1][2]

1870 census -- Milford Twnp., Butler Co., Ohio, USA

Amasa Cobez, age 40, male, , farmer, $5700 real estate, $800 personal property, born Ohio; Willard Cobez, age 14, male, , works on farm, attended school, born Ohio; Alonzo Cobez, age 12, male, , attending school, attended school, born Ohio; Eugene Cobez, age 11, male, , attending school, attended school, born Ohio; Robert Cobez, age 9, male, , attended school, born Ohio; Thaddeus Cobez, age 5, male, , attended school, born Ohio^[3]

Eugene could not be located in later census records; however, he was mentioned in an Eaton paper in 1881 accused of robbery and burglary.

"Eaton had a slight sensation last week, brought on by the development of a systematized piece of robbery on the clothing store of Joseph Woerner, in which Eugene Cohee, a young clerk in the drug store of Brookins & Son, was the principal as far as known at present; although suspicions have been cast upon several parties here by Cohee as pals, one of whom Chas Acton; was arrested and had a hearing before Esq. Stephen, but proved a clear alibi and was dismissed. Mr. Woerner had been missing goods from his establishment for some time, but could not tell how they got out, until one day last week a runner from Cincinnati for a clothing store made his appearance, and while in the establishment of Mr Woerner, incidentally remarked that he had met a man in Oxford, Ohio, selling suits similar to the ones he had on hand, to a merchant there by the name of Stine, and that they were shipped from Eaton and sold by a party giving his name as Jackson. This information soon led to the discovery that the goods were stolen from Mr Woerner, and that the party representing himself as Jackson and selling them was no less a person than Cohee, the drug store clerk at Brookins & Son, whose establishment adjoins the clothing house of Mr Woerner. Cohee was arrested and acknowledged his guilt before Mayor Neal, who put him under bail of $1500, and committed him for want of the bond. The amount of goods stolen from Mr Woerner by the young man is estimated at $1000, two boxes of which were recovered, together with $209 in cash on his person, and a large lot of neckties, silk handkerchiefs, cuffs, collars, jewelry &c., found in his trunk after his arrest. Cohee had been in the employee of Brookins & Son for over a year, had the entire confidence of his employer and the public, appeared to conduct himself well and properly in his behavior, and was the last person whom community would have selected as a public thief. It certainly required a bold and dating person to plunder an establishment, and from the very next door ship the stolen goods by express to a distant market for disposal!"^[4]

There was mention of his bail the week later but nothing more.

"The bond of Eugene Cohee for the burglary and robbery of Joseph Woerner's clothing house, was reduced from $1500 to $600 by the court last Thursday, and the young man turned out on the recognizance of himself and his father. This act seems like a mockery of the law against burglary and robbery, and an encouragement to persons who feel inclined to go into the business. With such bail no sane person has the least idea that Cohee will appear for trial at the October term of our court. Is it the spirit of the law to simply place a few dollars into the coffers of the county for such crimes?^[5]

Sources

1. ↑ "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MCLS-1TQ : 12 December 2017), S L Cohee in entry for A Cohee, 1860.
2. ↑ 1860 US Census, Milford Township, Butler County, Ohio - Page 108
3. ↑ "United States Census, 1870," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M6K8-37W : 12 April 2016), Eugene Cobey in household of Amasa Cobey, Ohio, United States; citing p. 17, family 126, NARA microfilm publication M593 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 552,676.
4. ↑ Eaton Deomocrat, 7/7/1881, p 4
5. ↑ Eaton Democrat, 7/14/1881, p. 3.