The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1859-11-04


ual is furnished by Mr.. John \. Stearns, OF
Williamsburg, in whose office Cook was en-
gagged as a law clerk; -rl.-g -..s 5sts4
"He was born in HaddoH. Conn.,, about
1 the year s33, of highly respectable parent
age, and was reared amidst the rel; gious and
moral influences which characterize the ru-
raj population Of Connecticut. His general
education was good-so that he had spent
! one or two winters as a successful teacher
of public schools, before his majority. He
had also travelled through most of the States
OF the Union, in the pursuit of mercantile
agency. He had great passion for miner
alogy, aud for the collection of mineral cab
inets; nurtured, no doubt, by his spending
his early pastimes amidst the stone quarries
| worked on his fathers estate, and in the Vi
cinity. While with sae, he: showedsspeeI-
mems of ore, and as he supposed, of gold,
! found by him more than FIVE years since, in
the neighborhoed of Harpers Ferry, Vir-
ginia. So | am inclined to believe that the
alleged purpose of his going to Harper's
Ferry to dig ore was truthful, not feigned.
| More than five years since, he expressed the
| purpose of going there, some time, for that
object. And am strongly of the impression
| that this Harper's Ferry rebellion was an
! incident of special temptation that crossed
| Lis path, rather than the result of long
/ settled and matured purpose.
ain March, 1854, he came to reside with
me- as student and law clerk, and was en-
ployed in my Office, and continued an in
| mate of my family for a year. But he had
no taste for the law. Though generally
faithful to his duties as copyist the law,
in its science, its facts and principles was
destined to remain to him blank obscurity.
| The most perseyering drill on my part, could
not fix in his mind the most simple elements
of legal knowledge. | was disappointed in
the result of my experiment with him. Pos
sessing, as he appeared to, so fair share of
general intelligence, it was mystery to me
to find in him so much reluctance to intel
lectuai analysis. His knowledge however,
was the fruit of wide extended superficial
observation of men, matters, and things,
rather than of reflection and reasoning.-
And still, in his elegant penmanship, correct
orthography, and ready knowledge of arith-
metic and grammar, there was evidence that
In his early life he had studied to some pur-
pose and effect The truth, when discovered,
was this: He had nurtured the fancies of a
poetic imagination for years, and his mind
wandered in land of dreams. The world
and life were scarcely appreciated as real
tiles.
While he could not draw a complaint or
promissory note, a score of fancy verses
for ladys album would be thrown off with
out effort, as by intuition. The use of guns
and pistols was with him kindred passion
to his poetry; as a marksman he was a
dead shot. If thrown in the midst of strife
and contention he would naturally become
soldier by the force of this passion,
without personal motive or inducement. and,
indeed, as against his own welfare and hap
pness. And still he appeared kind to ev
erv one; and during the year he was with
me, though often abstracted from his proper
employment by his poetical infdtuationS,
he was never guilty, to my recollection, OF
disobiiging act or an unkiad word towards
myself or my family. | never knew him
tc drink glass of Intoxicating liquor or to
utter profane oath. He would do any
thing and everything reasonable to oblige
Is, except to learn l0tg.
He went to Kansas during the year
1 1855, and is said to have had something to do
with the defense of Southern Kansas from
the border ruffans. How much or what, |
/ have no means of knowing. He was once
| at the East afterwards for a short time, but
| his family friends shortly afterwards lost
! all trace of him. and for two or three years
past have supposed him dead. While with
me, never discovered in him any special
interest in Abolitionism, nor any special
! sympathy for the colored race. If he was
ever converted to that faith, it must have
been through the teachings Of Buford and
/ other border rutfians in Kansas. know of
none of his family friends who are specially
infected with anti-slavery sentiments.-
! Governor Willard, of Indiana, is his BROTH
! er-in-la law, and he has certainly been no
heretical teacher to this end.
= / can well conceive from my knowl-
edge OF the character of Cook ks mind, how
that without forecast, and even without
purpose of crime, he would become the par
asite of the first leader in romantic ddUeR
ture that might solicit his aid. If anybody
is killed or injured it is consequence not
| intended by Cook, but necessity arising
from the circumstance into which he has
been led. Cook, was in fact, the Blanner-
hasset of Browns enterprise, without Blan-
nerhassets estate, but more courage and
skill"