The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1896-06-28
A MURDERER LYkGHED
Taken From the Jail by a Determined
Mob and Hanged From a Bridge.
he KILLED HIS WIFE AND HER SISTER.
The H.yn nching was Planned ut n Bnse-
bnI Gnme-kAnIf the Mob Dressed
i'm woman's. Clothes Negro i'm
Charge OF the Jail Made Little
Resistance-PrisOne Was Game.

La Plata, Md. June 27.-Joseph Cock
Ing. who was awaiting trial on the
charge of numbering his wife and sister
in-law. was taken from the Jail at Port
Tobacco early this morning by a mob OF
his fellow countrymen, and hanged to
bridge.
The mob was composed of about thir-
tN masked men, half of whom, in ad-
dition to their disguises. masqueraded In
woman's attire. The rckety old Jail
building was i'll charge of. Washington
Burch. an aged colored man, who after
some little show of resistance, handed
over the keys to the crowd. Cooking.
vino has been awakened by the sound
of voices outside, had arisen from his
bed and was partly dressed. IIe finish
ed his toilet silently and followed his
captors without q murnnur to the bridge,
which is about 200 yards from the pris-
on. After placing moose about the
mans neck he was asked by the leader
of the gang TO confess his guilt. but
said he was innocent and had nothing
10 confess. Asked to make his peace
with God he replied that he did not feel
like praying.
The men then without more ado push
ed him from the rail Of the bridge, and
the wretched man dropped ten feet.
After watching the body swing slowly
to and fro until they Were satisfied that
their victim was dead, the mob silently
dispersed. Sheriff Wade, who lives
about sixty yards from the Jail build
ing was not awakened By the mob and
knew nothing Of what had occurred
until after daylight Meantime Burch,
the colored ianitor, came TO La Plata
and awoke States Attorney Posey. who,
with Magistrate Sutherland and> DR..
Owen, drove TO the scene OF the hanging
and cut down the body. 1t was removed
TO the Jail and an inquest ordered
There has been deSultory' talk of
Hnching Cooking since he WAS return
ed from Baltimore on May u. but no
one seemed TO give much crcdence to the
reports Certainly Sheriff Wade took
no extra precautions to protect the
man,r life.
II Is said that the determina ton to
lynch Cooking was arrived at after a
baseball game at Hilltop. the scene OF
yesterday afternoons horrible tragedy.
After the game the advisabiltty of hang
ing Cooking In orde: to save the county
expense of trying him was discussed
II Is alleged that the crowd was COM
posed of some of the leading residents
OF the county and that the proposition
10 lynch the accused was discussed as
calmly as If they were planning a base
ball game. After all ARA ngemcnts had
peen made the men dispersed and met
again near the Jail, at Port Tobacco.
shortly before midnight Little time
was lost after the assembaeN and lin less
than half an hour after their arrival
the crowd disappeared as noiseIessly as
they had come
Cooking was born in England in 1870
For several years he had been the ps,-
prletor OF country store at Hilton
a hamlet nine miles from this plac.
On the night of April 23d his wife Mrs
mary Cooking. and his sister-in-Iav-
MISS Daisy Miller, were murdered in
!heir rooms, being beaten and hacke1
70 ueath with a hatchet. Cooking him
% sei, was round lying on the floor of the
tInns' ms clothing bespattered with
piooo, ana several slight scra4 ohes :, bout
ms iace and hands. His feet were
tishtiy bound with a piece of rome His
SOY was mat two men had entered ,;he
,iouSe ana after asSaultinc him had
pound him. and thrown him into ,ba
ceiiar, he explained the absence of the
t@o'u @ ABOUT his hands by stasing ,ha, be
broken glass. p'eee vi
An Investigation satisfied the no,ioo
tnat Cooking was the Dernetro ~.
.ne crime. and perfect chain Of c,r-
tuiistuhlial evidence pointed to him a,
ne murderer. He was indicted and
oS, oahen 10 baltimore for safety. the ex-
cltement having been so great ,h.t H.
authorities feared violence, After a far.
weeks stay in the Baltimore ioiI Cocl,,
ilE ilE was returned to La Plata for mo
urinary hearing. His counsel asiiad
anat the case be tried in St. Marv's
NJ LILY NY ana the case was fixed for trial
q. lne next term of Court at Port To.
pacco Since his return Cockinp nod
ueen norose. He refused to discuss tho
murder or his chances OF acouittaI
several theories have been advoncad
nott, tsiuehts or the county, but the real
ihotiVe for the dastardly double ro,,.
Net nus never been discovered.