The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-01-14
FIRST EDITIO N
THE PRODIGALS.
The Penitent Dominic and His Youth
full Afanity-The Rev. Cooke at
the Tonfbs The Wolf and
Lamb Spent those Mys-
terious Four Days in
Philadelphia.

The New York Herald of to-day has the fol-
lowing additional chapter in the Cooke sean
dali
The public interest in this most extraordinary
case still remains unaJdted, and 1t is quite safe
ITO say that the great mass OF the Methodist
Epopulation in this city, who have, as matter
E of course more personal feeling concerning
*the affair than any other class in the commu-
nifty, are as yet unsatsfed with the explanations
E.made by the unfortunate Mr.. Cooke When the
&intelligence was bruited about that the hayward
Hshepherd had returned from his wanderlngs, IL
+ Twas believed that every vestige of mystery that
*had heretofore surrounded the case would be
dispelled. But such is not the fact as there are
Hcerlain things which VIII yet bear explanation.
81 THE STARTING POINT.
There have been SO many sensation accounts
xpublished concerning the relations which existed
8between Miss Johnston and the minister before
: the elopement became matterof notoriety, that
lit may be of moment TO those who have paid any
Eattention to the case to know the real truth OF
the whole matter The fact is that Mr.. Cooke
&had SO comported himself towards the girl that
the suspicious of no person who knew either OF
&them were aroused until the day when the pair
were missed from their homes. Certain ladies
believe that the girl had no idea of leaving the
Il city when she did from the fact that when she
did SO she had only the ordinary clothes she
wore every day at school, and these were not
certainly beftting young lady who intended to
make trip out of town. But it was quite
d otherwise with the designing pastor.
AS the school was dismissed on
r Friday afternoon he was seen by the
iron railing, and quietly smoking cigar. "Why,
. Mr.. Cooke" exclaimed one of the young ladies
f of his congregation who happened to notice
him, 81 heard you were very sick; how are your
1 The pastor Strengthened himself up, and, touch
ing his hat with al the grace of a Chesterfield,
replied, somewhat confused "1-I am much
q better; very much better. | am waiting to see
Xgentleman friend of mine.' The girl passed on,
to-. ,s,,,tn ftnrt parAc I'm
ston came out, he turned about and walked up
, towards Broadway, and on reaching the corner
Il Ujoined the girl. That was the last seen of them
u by any one who knew them until they returned
on Wednesday from their flying visit out of
town.
WAS MISS JOHNSTON LIKE BARKIs
IA The friends of the young girl contend that the
s5simple circumstance that she went away without
y doing as most girls of the period" would do
seeing to it that she had several Saratoga trunks
well stocked, and expressed through to their
q destination beforehand-is ample proof that she
A had no idea of leaving town that day. Miss
p Johnston herself states that Mr.. Cooke met her
a after school on Friday, and persuaded her by
4 honeyed words to fly with him wherever he
would CO. After little, very little resistance
a on her part, so great was her regard for the
advice OF her pastor-him who had conducted
her to the well of truth and taught her how
hideous thing is sin i'll the eyes of the Lord
she,
''VOwing she would ne'er consent, consented"
Now it so happened that Matte was always in
the habit of taking a nice little lunch with her
every morning on starting out to school, with
which she regaled herself at midday, and the
habit of having it prepared and taking it with
her was confirmed one; yet, somehow or an
other, on Friday morning the lunch which had
been prepared was not taken, and turned out to
be the first thing which excited the suspicious of
4 her family at home after Mr.. Cookies absence
VI had been too prolonged to satisfy his wife.
Whether or not this little incident was conclu-
|siye proof that the girl did not wish to be bur-
Idened with the thing, knowing that she was TO
Il 9leaye town some time during the day-probably
i during the noontime recess-is question which
N is yet in exceeding great doubt.
H THE BIRDS FLOWN.
II At any rate the lunch that was not taken, and
y the minister's trunk that was taken finally, con-
/ vinced everybody concerned in the welfare of
away without bidding their friends formal
good bye. The minister's family and that of the
missing girl joined hands in their efforts to find
out whether the two had flown. Had they gone
to some city hotel or to the Far West to get up
revival on their own hook? And yet they
might have taken 1t into their heads to go to
Europe, trusting that an ocean between them
and their friends might be sufficient barrier to
all ruthless interference. These were the ques-
tions which sorey troubled both families, and it
is quite likely that they would have been even
now in as much of fog about the matter as
n had not the sudden return of the prodigals
10 tnlS CITY anu on the part Oh
J the girl not gwen quietus to the general
!, anxiety.
IN THE CITY OF BRoTHERLY LOVE.
Cook contented himself on his return with
faying that he and Matte had not been far
away; but this indefinite answer was not salts
factory to those who desired more light on the
subject, and SO 1t was left for Matte to tel
somewhat of the flight. She states that they left
this city on Friday evening and proceeded to
Philadelphia, where they arrived about mid
night. They put up at hotel, and Cooke, after
seeing that she was made comfortable In heI
new quarters, went out, saying he would be
back in few minutes. He acted strangely, she
says, as one bewildered, and not knowing ex.
actly what he was really aboat. She waited
and waited, but Cooke did not return. Finally
overcome by. the excitement she had passed
! through, she fell asleep and when she awoke il
was broad daylight and the rafting of cart
I over the pavement and the hum of voices In tn,
street showed that the city was up anC
\ doing But where was Cooker She looked
4 about her and saw nothing but the furniture IL
the room, the pictures on the walls, and the pas
tors trunk in corner, just as 1t had been drag
ged in upon their arrival. Where was he? Sh,
pressed her hands to her aching head aud asked
herself If she was dreaming. The shrill blast o
steam pipe from factory near by and th'
heavy boom of church clock striking min,
o'clock told her that she was not dreaming. Sh,
1 started up and rang the bell. servant sool
answered Half frightened at she knew no
| what as the man Knocked at her door, sh
turned the key to unlock 1t, but found that |
was unlocked She had fallen asleep afte
Cooke had gone out, and, of course. had no
thought of locking the door before his return
which she believed would be In few minutes
Ghe tnrned the knob and half opened the door
The servant with duster in hand, stood smilin
An. no hal