The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-08-14
TWO BLACK FIENDS
They CriminalIy Assault a
Mother and Daughter.
THE HUSBAND DROPS DOWN DEAD
When He Sees the Senseless Form OF
His Wife-The Girl Succeeded
in Saving Herself.

Especial 10 THE HERALD-Examiner DispatchT
SANDY HILL, N. Y, Aug. I3.-This
whole region is in a turmoil of excitement
over an assault committed Tuesday night
by two negroes upon Mrs. Mary Cook and
her daughter, the wife and child of a
justice of the peace of Wilton, village
across the Hudson, ten miles from here
and equally distant from Saratoga, and the
sudden death OF Justice Cook, resulting
from the horrible crime. Justice Oscar
Cook was a weli-to-do farmer of Wilton.
about 10 years of age. Tuesday Mrs. Cook
and her daughter drove to Does Corners
Tor household supplies. They were ex-
pected back at 5 pm. About that hour
Justice Cook, while talking with two neigh
Dors in his yard, noticed two negroes Griv-
Ing past III buggy. Soon afterward the
trio were startled by woman's scream,
repeated again and again. ''My Sod,o
cried MIR. Cook, 'that is Mary's voice. L
must go to her help." The three men ran
up the road, and half mile from the house
they found MIR. Cooks team, the vehicle
empty and the horse tangled in the har-
ness The negroes were seen to enter the
buggy and drive away. Mr. Cook called
Tor his wife and daughter frantically,
but no response came. Then
search was made and evidences of
struggle where O fence had been torn
GOWN were found by the road ditch. A lit
tie further on Mr.. Cook stumbled over the
insensible body of his wife lying in some
underbrush. When the three men carried
the woman into the road she was alive, but
unable TO speak word. Her clothing was
torn from her body and everything indi-
Gated that she had been i'll treated In the
most inhuman manner. This was more
hIrG hln L
can't see," he exclaimed, and then with a.
groan he fell to the ground corpse. The
senseless body of Mrs. Cook, who was sup
posed TO be dying, and the lifeIess body of
her husband were lifted into the wagon
and taken to the Cook homestead. All this
time there were no tidings Of the daughter,
Miss Carrie, comely girl of sixteen. A
party of the neighbors started in search of
her with lanterns. In less than an hour
they returned with the girl almost bereft
OF her senses. She was found hiding in the
woods. From her was learned the partic-
ulars OF the outrage. When the negroes
met the women in the highway they pulled
up their horses, one of them seized the team
driven by the women, while his companion
dragged Mrs. Cook from her wagon. Miss
Carrie seized an umbrella and dealt the
mlscreant blow and thrust il into his
face. Then the fellow who had held the
horses attacked the girl. The contest was
unequal, and to save herself from a fate
worse than death the girl rushed wildly
through the underbrush. The negro pur-
sued her, but she mid until the searching
party found her later. Her clothing was
nearly all torn from her and she was more
dead then alive when help came.
The Saratoga chief of police was notified
OF the crime and hunt was Immediately
begun. Yesterday about noon the men
were found at the house of George Van
Rankin, well-known and respectable
colored man of this place. They were at
once covered with revolvers, shackled and
marched TO cells il the court house. Later
they were taken to Saratoga. A number of
OF bloody handkerchiefs were found Oh the
person of one of the negroes and he car
ried an ugly wound near one of his eyes,
made, no doubt, with the point of the UNI
brella welded by the young girl who fought
so valiantly for her honor aud that of her
mothtr. At last accounts Mrs. Cook was
unable to speak and was in a precarious
condition.