Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1896-07-03
Cooking Lynched.

Joseph Cooking, charged with the murder
OF his wife and sister in law, was taken from
the Charles county Jail, at Port Tobacco,
about o'clock Saturday morning last and
lynched.
The body of the dead man was found
about daylight hanging under small bridge
which crosses a small stream which runs
near the town.
The body was taken down and removed
to the Jail, where an inquest was held and
the usual verdict OF death from hanging by
parties unknown to the jury was returned
On Sunday the body was sent to Balti-
more, and thence to Towson, where it was
taken to the home of Mr.. Thomas Cooking.
From there the body was buried at Pros
pect Hill Cemetery. Rev, w. fl. Powers,
pastor of Trinity Protestant Episcopal
Church, read the burial services.
The body was placed in the ground at
1915 o'clock Sunday. 1t was first intended
to bury Cooking in the Protestant Episco.
pal church yard, near Hilltop, where his
wife and children are buried The vestry
of the church notified the undertaken that
they would not permit Cockings remains
to be inferred there.
The story of the lynching was told by
Washington Burch, colored, who is the
keeper of the county Jail and was in charge
of the keys on the night Of the hanging.
Burch said "Some time on Friday night
l was awakened by knock at the door of
my house, which is some distance from the
Jail. My wife, Hennie, called me, and l
thought something was up. Hennie called
out to know what was wanted, and some
one said one OF my neighbors was dead.
This did not sound straight to me and | got
hold OF the keys, intending to get out OF the
house. While doing this the voice said:
"Break the door down. knew what was
going to happen then, so Hennie, scared
like, opened the door and three men came
in and asked for the keys. The old woman
said had gone out with them, but l did
not have time to do SO, but had gotten in a
cupboard in one of the rooms. The men
began to search the house and one of them
hauled me out from my hiding place. They
told me to come along to the Jail. | walked
with them. When we had reached the Jail
| was told to unlock the door. | did what
l was told, while the three men were rein
forced by the arrival of big crowd, all of
whom carried pistols.
"When | opened the door of the cell
which Mr.. Cooking was kept in he sprang
out of his bed and called out to know what
all this meant Some one said "We will
show you Mr.. Cooking then knew what
was going to take place. He backed him
self up in one corner, and, with both hands
out as if to keep the men off, said: want
to explain He was answered by several
voices we know all about it. If you
want to pray, do So No. answered Cock
ing. Then some one shouted out: Bring
the rope 7 and then several of the men set
on Cooking, who did all he could to prevent
them from getting him. They were all
down on the cell floor, but when they got
up Cooking had the rope around his neck
and the crowd began to file out of the build
ing. When they reached the outer door
Cooking started to fall, and some oft the men
said, Let up on the rope little, for il We
choke him be will not be able to walk Al
ter that no word was spoken by any of
those who had the man.
"When started to follow them out one
of the men told me to get back into the cell
and lock the door on the inside and give
them the keys. / went back into the cell,
but did not lock the door, but made believe
did. then gave the keys to the man
who was waiting and he ran out and
joined the others. When found they had
left l slipped out and saw them taking
Cooking across the green toward the bridge.
"There was no noise made by the crowd.
heard them on the bridge and knew why
they had stopped there. When found that
| they had left l returned and met Sheriff
Wade, to whom told my story"
Sheriff Wade told about being awakened
| by Burch's wife, who told him what had
happened. He got out of his home in time
to see some one strike match on the bridge
and also heard a groan. He knew that the
deed had then been committed. He spoke
with great earnestness about the lynching
which, he said, was gross outrage, and in
giving expression to his opinion the sheriff
and several of the citizens who expressed
opposite views about the affair came near
having an encounter.