Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-06-27

front door OF his house He yawned
stretched his arms. and. when the knock
ing was repeated with unm,stakable en-
phas.s. left his couch and looked out of the
window.
WHO'S there?" he inquired. in a tone
that was anything but pleasant
mo matter" was the answer. In a voice
evidently disguised. which ascended from
the darkness below.
I'VE want the keys to the jsil. Hand
them out!'
Guess not" replied Burch
A Gllmmer in the MOONLIGHT.
A glimmer of moonlight at that moment
was reflected from the shining barrel of
revolver and Jailor Burch became aware
that the weapon was directed with pretty
good accuracy at the point where his heart
was beating in a rapid and unusual meas
ure.
Come down we'll break in the door,"
said the voice from the darkness
'All right. I'll be right down. said the
jailor. deciding that discretion was the
better part Of valor. On opening the door
Jailor Burch saw a body of human beings.
which. he states, consisted of from fifty
to enc hundred and fifty persons, all wear
ing the garb Of females. The key was
handed to the leader of the party and the
visitors left for the Jail. 1t was a merry,
good-natured throng and some folks de-
clared to me today that they carried
tanjos and horns. and a small number in
dulged in a game of marbles while waiting
in the moonlight for the jailor to descend
frcm his room.
1t will be remembered that late in May
Cccking was brought back to La Plata
from Baltimore, where he was taken soon
after the discovery of the murder of Mrs.
Cocking and her sister. Miss Daisy Miller,
for safe keeping. and arraigned on an in
Gictment charging him with the double
crime. He pleaded not guilty, and hear
ing Of the case was postponed until the full
term of the court Cooking was then taken
to Port Tobacco, where he has been held.
The place Of confinement was the ancient.
well-known and notoriousiy insecure coun.
No Time Lost.
To that building the party of alleged fe-
males made their way. There were no
guards in attendance and no delays oc-
CURED In reaching and laying hold of
Cooking. He was rudey awakened from
sleep and at once realized his fearful po-
sttion. young boy, who was confined
prisoner in an adjoining cell to that oc-
cupied by Cooking. informed me that the
alleged murderer begged pteously for his
life, and when he saw such pleadings were
useless he implored that he be allowed a
few minutes to offer prayer. He was an
swered:
You have had plenty of time to pray
during the past two months. Ii you have
not done SO IT is too late now"
Clad Only In Night Shirt.
Attired only in his night shirt. Cooking
was then dragged from the building in no
gentle manner. His hands were pinionej
and he was hurriedly taken to a bridge but
a stones throw from the jail, and which
spans a canal dug IN order to drain the sur
rounding marsh lands. Upon arrival there
rope strong enough. SO 1t is said, to hold
an OK was tied about the neck Of the
miserable man, with the other end fastened
to the rail of the bridge
Cooking was then tossed over. During
his struggles with his captors the face of
the prisoner was badly cut and bruised.
The lynchilg party lost no time in making
itself scarce. and all was quiet until short
ly after daylight, when a colored boy pass
ing along the road saw the fr,ghtful spec
tacle Of a man hanging from the bridge
dead. with his tongue out and up to his
knees in the water. 1t was not many min
utes later before a crowd had gathered
about the spot.
The body was cut down and removed to
the Jail, Sheriff George A. Wade declining
tc permit any one to view the remains un-
til after an inquest, which was held this
afternoon.
Nobody Knew II.
The ignorance of the residents of Port
Tobacco end the surrounding country con-
corning the lyrching is astonishing. Short
ly after the body was discovered Sheriff
Wade denounced the affair in strong lam
guage, and openly expressed his opinion
Of the en- who would indulge In such an
outrage against law and order.