The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-12-10
DID NOT KILL COOK.
COUNTED THE BULLETS AS THEY
STRUCK.
Left in swamp 20 Die He Wrote the
Assassins' Name on His Shirt in
Letters of Blood-Was Saved by q
Dream.


attending him in the New York Poly
clinic hospital in East Thirty-ourth
street Six bullets were fired into his
body at close range, and each of four
OF them inflicted a wound sufficient to
kill an ordinary man.
But Cook is not an ordinary man. He
IS a fair-haired AIississippian, 81 years
oid, well built, muscular and possess
ing constitution of iron That he is
brave no one will doubt who reads the
story Of his adventure.
rev tales of sensational romance
nave been written that excel it; few
II any men have passed through such
an ordeal and lived to calmly tell of
II. This man does with the belief that
the shadow of death is stin about him
he was born on a Jasper county
CNiss) farm, where ne pursued an
agricultural life till three years ago.
and there he built up a frame of
Drawn and steel muscles. Then he be-
came clerk in a dry goods store in
the town of Heidelberg, and was there
noted as one of the best amateur ath-
letes in the country. The vicinity, too,
abounded in hardy young men.
Cook became a partner a year ago
November in the general merchandise
business Of his uncle, j. P. Clayton, in
the coast village of Scranton, on the
Pascagoula river. forty miles from
Mobile and one hundred miles from
New Orleans. 1t is a sparsely pOpu-
lated town, inhabited largely by lum-
bermen
Clayton and Cook did thriving
business as the main storekeepers of
the place. Cook was respected among
the rough men because he had more
than once showed that he had Tots of
sand" He win never forget the night
OF Wednesday, April 12 last. and even
now every detail of it is clear to his
mind. Eleven o'clock arrived and
Clayton had left his nephew TO close
up. Cook slept in an L to the little
wooden store.
DARK NIGHT FOR A DARK DEED.
1t was a wild night. The rain fell
in torrents and a cold wind tore madly
over the little village Cook made the
doors and windows secure and pre-
pared to go to his room. AS his hand
grasped the low lamp to light his way
there came a loud knock on the outer
door
who's there?" shouted Cook,
sharply.
IT'S me. Smith. the saloon keeper,
and / want change for a ten dollar
bill, came back the response. Smith
was recent addition to the village.
All right, answered Cook after
some elaboration. He wasn't afraid:
he was sleepy and wanted to get to
bed. He unbarFed the door and swung
it open. A dark-faced stranger strobe
inside with Smith. Cook had never
seen him before, and it was with some
misgivingS that he went behind the
counter and opened the safe to grant
Smiths request. The visitors shook
their dripping coats and hats. Cook
saw that they had been drinking and
was sorry he had admitted them. The
rest of the story is best told in Cook S
own words:
Smith went outside ostensibIv TO
get drink of water from the well. /
was on my knees in front of the safe
as l heard him re-enter the store He
stepped lightly to my side, and in
Stantly I felt the cold steel of a re-
volver on my forehead as he said, in a
low voice. Now. you throw up your
hands or I'll shoot your brains out
COVERED WITH A REVOLVER
I saw at once he was in dead earn
est and had the drop on me, and
threw up both arms. Still keeping me
covered. Smith said to his companion
Clean out the safe, Charley, and do it
quickr
There were 81 200 there. and the
stranger got it all. The village bank
was in a bad condition. and we had
not deposited our earnings for some
time. When the last bill had been alb
stracted l asked for my release. Well,
you got the money said l. and YOU
might as well let me 60.
/ reckon you'll go with U.S. re-
6ponded Smith. His revolver was still
at my head. He turned out the lamp,
shut the door and led me out into the
storm. There was no chance to escape
II would have meant my instant death,
Tor the two men were in a desperate
mood
1T was raining furiously and as dark
as pitch. Rapidly we made our way
along the river bank into the woods
and. without meeting a person, struck
the woods which encircle the town.
We made our way through brake and
thicket to a marsh which lies two miles
from Scranton in the heart of the for
est. 1t is known as Black Bird pond.
1t is strange how the smallest Incl
dents cling to mans memory under
circumstances. An owl hooted from
the TOP OF high tree, and a katydid
at my feet began grooming lullaby
remember it with distinctness.
The water was about two inches
deep, and my captorS stood at its edge
some four feet from me. thought of
giving them battle and trusting to
luck for my escape. Neither had spo-
ken a word to me since leaving the
store. l was about to push NV pIan
into execution when, without word
OF warning, they began blazing away
at me. bullets took effect in nv
body cou tied them as thev str,,n 81
The rst mi my left cheek, knocked
out y teeth, ST mt through nv tongue
obliq ely and lodged in the palate,
Mner II IS now. The next shot entered
the lack Of my head. It has since
been eAfra cted Then I felt my collar
bone penetAsted- The fourth bullet
passed through my body, hitting tbe
eleventh rib. The fifth was aimed al
my spine. ana lodged in the thick mus
cles of the back.
WROTE THEIR NAMES IN BLOOD.
had retained consciousness up to
this time, and why I did nor rim 7
cannot tell to this day. seemed
rooted to The spot, probably because I
had fully made UP my mind that / was
doomed to die %
bones in the spinal cord. paralvzine
me from the breast down. and 7
cropped like log in the water. which
almost covered my ears That bullet
is going to fulfil its murderous errand
yet" Ds eiialu
The young man spoke in the calm
zones OF one who has made peace in
the conclusion that his end is newt
2Dle. he continued, after a pause ard
sigh ''e q =
7 could hear the men running away.
They thought me dead. Long after
their footballs had ceased I began to
shout for help. But no succor came.
for there. were no houses more than a
mile away. Then I felt a stupor COM
ing over me. became chilled and
felt that the end was near.
Then a desire for vengance seized
ne My murderers should not escaDe
unpublished My right hand was AL