Omaha daily bee., 1884-11-20
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Fiji Particulars Of @ Attempted
LYlCliIg Blue WI.
The Criminal Under Guard at
Red Cloud,
Terribly Bruised and Beaten aud
Stark Mad,
No Rspes for His 2eoo1 cry Of
Reason.
=
Suspicion that lie Has AiW avs
Been Demented.
The Shocking Details of His Revolt
ing Crimc-Dcliberatc Murder
Of n Friend and Patron.
THE BLUE HILL "nYNoa,NG'

THE BLUE Hill "LSSOHlNCE".
Special to tho BEE.
RED CLoUD, November 10. -Joeeph Cook,
whose life was nearly terminated by an uusuc.
successful lynching, was brought to this place
last evening by Sheriff Warren, and is now
under guard and the care OF physici ans. The
poor fellow needs the lattcr's aid far moro than
that of the former, for beside his bodi Y all.
ments and injuries he is
COMPLETELY p~ERNNGEp,
and his mental balance viii not likely be re-.
stored. Represents n pitiful appearance, his
neck being swollen to an abnormal size, the
mark of the lynchers' rope being plainly Wis.
ible In blue and black cOlOrings; one of his
ears is severely cut and his body ia covered
with bruises and cuts, for it is uuderstood that
the infatuated crowd beat and butfetted
their victim all the way from the court house
to the windmill gallows, q distance of nearly
u mile. His animation ID entirely restored,
and ut present there does not seem to be any
sign of internal hemorrhage, but the danger is
not passed by any means. Cook does not re.
member anything of the attempted lynching,
and when he looksd in n mirror and saw the
bruises on his neck, he asked the deputy
sheriff how they came there. He was t Id he
had fallen, but in no way does he show any
sign of knowing the terrible ordeal through
which he has passed. His conversation is in.
coherent and wandering and the physicians
are of the opinion that he will never regain
his reason. In fact there are many people
who are familiar with the facts who say that
Cook never was in his right mind.
The circumstances of the case a q some
what peculiar and might be twisted by legal
skill int the insanity defense, especially his
conduct after the murder was committed, 1t
is said on creditable authority that when he
drove the murdered mans team away, being
headed for the Kansas line, that he showed no
undue haste; told his real name, the place
from where he came and where he was going.
The sheriff of Webster county and deputy
United States Marshall Black traced him to
Ottawa, Kansas, thence to Beatbe, where they
finally lost sight of tho trail, Shortly after.
ward n dispatch from st. Joe announced his
arrest tneic.~ When being taken from Red
| Cloud to Blue Hill ior .r;as, ie remarked to
| the officer 10 charge that st was a d-n fine
day TO ha hung, . and ured rather queer ex
p susions, considering the position N wh.Ss
he was placed.
1t il said that Cook is the son of the post
master at Guilford, Mo. and is very highly
connected. He is between ~nineteen and
twenty years of age and entirely devoid of al
indications of the 'bold, bad, men for whom
l~ynching is too good"
The true facts of
THE MURDER Oh LEoSARD ROLL
on November the first, are rs follows: Cook
had been employed husking corn and when
his time was up, his employer pitched up hi
team to carry Cook to Blue Springs. Before
starting the latter remarked to Roll that he
ought to bring along SOM money 30 as to "set
'em up when the town was reached. Cook
knew all the time that Roll had between
sixty and seventy dollars in his house. While
the former went Inside to get some change,
Cook went into the kitchen and borrowed a
hatchct, saying he wished to fix the wagon.
This he hid on the wagon, and with it the
murder was committed. Roll only took ton
cents with him, and that sum was all that the
killing realized the assassin, When Rohl did
not return home that night or the next day,
his wifo became very mn Ii alarmed and the
neighbors banded together for Il search, which
resulted in the finding of the dead body of
Ruhl near n straw stack, with the head terri
oly mutilated. There 10 apparently very lit.
Tie excitement here at present., but the under
current of feeling il still strong against the
prisoner, and there are very few here or in
Blue Hill who desire to say anything in
Cooks favor.