The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1893-04-28
A Weeks Record Of Bloody
Crimes is Written.
SEQUEL TO THE CLAYTON ROBBERY.
Cook Robbed, Carried to the
Woods, Shot Five Times and
Left for Dead.
JAMES SMITH AND CHARLES TAGERT

fesSien duplicates will Clark In Anoth.
er Cold FLOODED Deed-Smlth's State
ment--The Preliminary Trials and
Full and Correct Report.
The bloody history unf0lded in Scran-
ton the past few days, the deep depravi-
~ existing among II class Of boys and
young men, the awful, degraded influ-
ences that have been enguldng the moral
status Of onr young men, all make one
almost s~peechless with CONSERVATION.
1t seems more like Il legend tale of the
days when pirates fourisllcd than a record
of our own time, IN an enlightened age
and in a christian land. We read of sen.
s~ational crimes, of cold FLOODED MURDERS,
of desperate, daring rObberies, of mplic-
ions acts Of hoodlums, but to tell of such
acts, dcnuled of all circumstances that
80 to mitigate deeds committed by seem.
ingly u%nprovoked prompting-cool, calcu-
lating and p%remeditated crimes-is some
thing that when committed IN our own
midst dOubly intensifics the horror and
chills ones blood.
The story Of the crimes was not devel.
Opcd when the last issue of the DEMO.
CRAT-STAE was put to press nothing
save the Clayton store robbery and tho
finding of Cook had developed, and be-
low We give accounts of the affair and lis
sequel from reli able sources, so far as has
happened.
II ROBBERY.
Joseph Cook, u Young man clerk in the
store of j. p. Clayton, on Pascuyoula
street, Oh Wednesday night, April 10Th,
abont 10 o'clock, had closed the front
doors of the store and was sitting at his
desk in the rear portion of the store post.
ing books and writing letters. A short
time after closing. between 10 and II
o'clock, two boys came to the door, and
calling Cook, jim Smith who made him
self known, asked to get $40 changed for
the saloon. Cook having favored Smith
once Or twice before in giving him change,
at Once opened the door. Charlie Tag.
ert was the other boy with Smith, and rs
Smith entered asked for Il drink of water,
Tagart CLOSED the door from the inside.
Smith then advanced and said, %
yon, throw mp your hand smith aud
1agert each had "A pistol and as Smith
covered Cook with his weapon, Tagcrt
secured the money from the safe. The
back door was standing open and each
of the boys held their victim-One on each
side-by the arms, and held their pistols
in his face, marching in this name out
through the back door, around through
the front gate into the street and on down
Jackson Avenue, east. Cook struggled
as best he could, all the way aud talked
with them, they assuring him that. they
would not hurt him, but admOnislins
him never to give their names. When
out about o mile they left the road and
led off through the woods to IL lionel,
spot known is "Blackbird Pond" ab)nt
200 yards from the road. Cook bcgge ed
them to shoot HIM near Scranton, if they
intended killing him, SO that friends
cOnld find him.
HOT FIv IME AND LEFT FOR DEAD.
Cook was shot then live times, though
seven shots in all were fired. Cook saws
one of them, seeing that he was still, re-
marked, "Well, d--n him, he's dead,
let's GO"
The wounds are described by DR.. Robt
Lowry, at the preliminary trial, as fol
lows: One shot in back of head, rang.
ing around the skull in the side above
the sixth rib, ranging around the rib aud
coming out once in the mouth, ranging
upward through the superior naxiilar,
bone once ~ the shoulder. fracturina
the s%chapula, and cut ont through tht
deep muscles of tho neck once in tn.
back. ranging downward on the vetebr.
column.
In this condition Cook was LIFT from
that time. about II o'clock that night I'M,
til about 2 o'clock the next attcrnoo,
when he was found by George Matthew,
one of tho large party of searchers.
WHAT SMITH sAvs
Smith related, in substance, the above
to a DEMOCRAT-STAR reporter Tuesla,
morning, aud added !: ave told him W,
didn't want to kill him had no cause t.
kill him /; that be had done nothing tt
be killed for. Our idea was to carry him
into tho woods and run of and leave him
When We got to the place where Cook
was found, he made II plunge with one o
his hands toward his lip-pOcktt, and III,
idea first dawned upon ide that we had
not searched him, and that he might
have a pistol and was trying to shoot us.
Their l fired. Shot HIN In the face. RE
fell with a cry. ] became wild and con,
tinued to fire. Shot five times and re.
loaded. He lay there kicking and | fired
two more shots. 1agert didn't shoot
oooa'.Sc ohoic wac oolucbninS TIC matter
with his pistol and it wouldn't 60 Oft
Didn't know whether he was dead or net
iii ssid, well, oh him, he's Dead
don't remember it.. We went through
the woods to the beach, and then l camt
to Scranton. Tho next day I rode arount
town on My bicycle"
THE CAPTURE.
After being brought to the residence o
Mr.. Clayton he stated that Smith was OH.
OF the assailanis ; the other party's name
he did not know except that Smith called
him Charley" The officers were NC.
guainted with this fact and Sheriff Lew.
IL and Deputy Moore, after placing
guards in different portions Of the town,
proceeded to the home of Smith
As they approached. the west.bound II
O'Clock freight train blew the station sig.