San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1885-12-03
sCos, HAYS COUNTY, TEXAS THURSDAY DECEMBER g. 1885.

y, slave. put arms In his hands, and b
rs would not fight. thought he would figi
for his freedom. He has not done so, but
ns can not feel that tried TO DO wrong when
ID came to help him. John said Governo
10 Willard, your sister is my wife. And
10 have made up my mind 10 stand by you
m You are in peril Of your life. shall no
,r desert YOU 'Ashbol,' replied Cook. IN,
10 lifo has been In peril for two years, day ant
r. night. have been in peril all the time
10 This Ia nothing new 10 me- But, John,
10 said Governor Willard, you have mover beel
If in such peril as you are now. Every pro
Il liability of criminal death Is before you
!, Whnt will your old father and mother thinl
a when they come to see your Cook now
g showed emotion, and something of shud
n der went through him. For moment h,
!, broke down"
0 Said I: "How was he dressed, Mr.. voor
hees?"
"We wore corduroy suit of drab color,
His hair was rather wild and uncombed
: He had been brought across the country
from Pennsylvania and had been but few
I hours in the jail when he got there. He
looked like boy. Indeed he was only
: twonty-three years old. Yet underneath
that gentleness was rather q serious nature.
> should think he was FIVE feet nine inches
high: He was light aud wiry. His coun-
, tenance was generally mild, but would be
: lightly expressive. His voice was soft and
, low as woman's AS Hooked at him with
} my anti-aboltion feelings, o conviction OF
J the tremendous Significance Of this senti-
mental, crusading hostility to slavery de-
pressed me- II had entered into tho house
of my friend, and here IL was no longer in
distant Kansas, but right among us, Demo-
Gratis as we were,' We left Cook at the first
interview with our minds still disturbed, and
ght our quarters. From that time on
ward saw him daily.
inquired of Mr.. Voorhees, about the So
cial connections Of Cook and Of Governor
Willard. "Cook, said Mr. Voorhees,, ''was
the only son Of very respectable, upright
parents in Connecticut He had four sis
ters, one of whom married Mr.. Crowley,
a prosperous merchant in New York anoth-
or married Mr.. Stanton, Of New York, also
n man OF consideration; third married
Governor Willard the fourth sister, Katie,
was unmarried, and, think, never has mar
ried. John Cook studied law at Williams
burg, N. Y. with Mr.. Stearns. Mr.. Stearns'
daughter is the wife of Homer A. Nelson,
former member of Congress and Secretary
of State in New York. She remembers
Cook well when he was In her fathers Office
in Williamsburg, and how much children
took to him. He had very pleasant way
with young children. He did not complete
his studies, think, but went to Kansas
when he was about twenty. Governor Will
lard was born in Utica, N. Y, of old Mas
sachusetts stock, and it is said that his
great-great- was executed at Salem,
Mass, for hostility to the authorities there
who who wnre hanging witches. The Cook
girls were bright and vivacious, and had fine
characters. Governor Wizards wife had
been school-teacher in southern Indiana
when he came there to settle. They were ,
very fond of each other. Willard had the
consumption. Governor Willard died while
governor and his widow survived him but !
a little while. Their son is the leader of i
the Indiana Legislature, is Democrat, and G
has twice supported me for Senator. They 9
had daughter, who is married to gentle .
man at Liverpool, England" q
SAID l. "Did Captain Cook, of Harper's b
Ferry, leave posterity ?" n
Yes; he had child which was only
about four months old when he was execu- Q
ted. That child lives at Bloomington, ILL.,, .
md is now fine boy or young man. The ii
mother, whom Cook married at Harper's @
Ferry, and whom he dearly loved, is re- q .
pCCthDic ldly, HIQ uhb iOuk Dtbu muTTl6Q bi
o her second husband" &c
Said / "Voorhees, you were saying that = a.
)aptain Cook had not been responsible for wi
our line of argument leaving him out of wi
he usual motives or status OF Browns 10 q,
nen 2" in
"Why," said the Senator, 1--WE who had To-
ONE there to save Cooks life had no other st
urpose than that. All that we we're look %
lg to WAS his sister and parents. To that th.
ngle end bent my whole argument. dI,
'as Democrat, and an anti-abolition Dem-
crat. John Brown and his raid wore at VII
ie moment the subject of universal execra- an |.
on. / made up my mind il possible TO save be,
ook's life by putting him in the position of fri,
young man nnder the magnetism of Brown. J
0 denounced the abolitionists as not only ",
sponsIble for this raid, but for misleading CT.
lis young man. used every point within the
y reach TO that end. There was rot the con co,i
asst chance any other way to get him off the
ID not much in that perhaps. But took Yor
@ desperate chance. Now" said Mr.. con
il is a singular fact that Cook ,bo ur
iiher before nor during nor after my de- lists
nse ever alluded to it. When / was ma at a
ng my speech, with Governor Willard sit sep, n0'
" near me and Cook not far on, and Der,
lile was dsnouncing the abolitionsts who bur-
,uId so pervert this fair-haired wanderer, COW
aw Cooks face at one time looking at me Gem
th q most extraordinary expression Of red.
lntsnance. 1t was that of nstonishment, NE NE
IL he was surprised that should take viii
It way of defending him. l have no doubt all d
self but that old John Brown inferred the !
m my speech that Cook had deserted his .ssg,. zig,
lse. The anti-slayery papesr may have II
len into that inference. But there is deail
hing whatever 10 sustain IL In real fact.
* never repudiated his companions he ou.s
ays spoke Of John Brown 70 me in terms the q
he highest admiration. He spoke Of his sgai;
Dciatiates with equal respect. He simply Ss,. ~
wed his brother-in-lov for the sake OF issss
sisters TO use what legal line he chose, bshia
he never made q suggestion nor did any
" 10 alter my firm conviction that he G.
sincere fanatic In that extraordinary
formance." BOf'
I, yoorbess ,en.-ked. "sine. tim. new
elapsed, and am speaking OF things IN road
? aetuaiiiies, let me say this: There Of Il
.r vas. probably In tins World such a plaiI
0T nI ga - II W ai b,ns ~ |U@e srs they
e youths. almost boys. except Brown Deca
self, and he wAs perhaps siriy yeArs Of peop
rhsy fought With him in the most Of III
inching way. lost their lives With The
ii - ~ slsr1,e5 ~sT. @ - oo,s;s,-s, next
I'm IN In eod Nom Of tbern rent 70 law
y4lIo-s With more brzvsry han John all y
In some respect. Be s7rP.s.s. ~ TIE Banr
, his orn com After be ras re1te1-
% dssfh. inssesd of giving vzy 10 des- NJ
BE z.f dom n1d wrots that most Geor
larfrl leff-r 10 La wife And I,rfher, te1 fernnl