The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1896-06-29
.LYyCHED FOR ECONOMY.
Joseph Cooking the Victim Of
Maryland Farmers
WHO WANTED TO SAVE EXPENSES

The Trial and Acquittal Of Mrs. Belle Far
relI Was Heavy Drain ON the County,
and the state Was Induced to Derray
the Costs.
LA PLATA, Md, June 2Q.--Joseph Cock
ing who was awaiting trial heA for the
murder on April 90 of his wife and sister
in-law, was taken from jail at an early
hour in the morning and hanged. The
mob Of eXecutiouers had been quietly or
ganized, and the authorities were taken
wholly by surprise. The citizens Of the
town had no intimation of the affair, and
did not suspect that anything was wrong
until, at sunrise, they found the body of
the wretched man hanging hfeless from
the limb of tree, a few yards from the
Jail building.
There had been much feeling mani
tested because Of the expense that would
be incurred in trying Cooking. Charles is
poor county and taxes now are high.
About year ago Mrs Belle Farrell was
tried on a charge Of poisoning her hus-
band, and the cost Of the trial nearly
bankrupted the county. 1t was due to the
exertions of Speaker Mudd of the house
| of delegates, who halls from Charles, that
the last Legislature passed q bill appro-
priating enough to cover tho costs. The
! farmers did not think they would be so
fortunate again as to have the state pay
their bills, and after a consultation de-
cided it would be cheapest to hang Cooking
and thus avoid the expense.
| All who participated were sober, and in
! cluded some representative citizons The
! lynching party numbered probably TWEEN
ty-flve, and were masked. A number wore
| women's dresses to complete their dis
! guise and it Is said several women were
| with the mob
The Jail in which Cooking was confined
was in charge Of an aged colored man, who
was aroused and ordered TO give up the
keys. He hositated, but when revolver
was thrust in his face he weakened and
| promptly handed them over In another
minute the iail door was unlocked and
the mob was inside Cooking, who had
been awakened by the noise outside,
seemed to fully comprehend the object of
the mob's visit, and crouched trcmblingly
in his cell. Without delay his coll door
was opened, and he was dragged out of the
hall
He seemed almost stupefled with fear,
and offered little or no resistance as he
was hurried to little bridge over Port
Tobacco run, a few hundred yards distant
from the Jail. A noosed rope was pro-
duced and thrown over his head and tight
ened about his neck, and he was then
asked to confess He refused, and de-
olared he was innocent
"Well, then, say your prayers, for your
time has oome,' yelled some one of the
crowd. The doomed man also declined to
pray, and the end of the rope was then
thrown over the limb of a tree which over
hung the rum and Cooking was pushed
off the bridge The limb of the tree bent
until his feet rested in the water. He
struggled very little and died of strangu-
lation. After the lynching themob quietly
dispersed
After the body had been cut down an
inquest was held, the jury bringing in a
verdict that Cooking met his death at the
hands of unknown parties
Cooking was found early on the morn
ing of April "A bound hand and foot in the
cellar Of his store at Hill Top He was
slightly wounded and said that he had
been attacked by robbers. When the house
was searched Oochng's wife and his sis
ter-in-law, Miss Daisy Miller, We're found
murdered in their beds COckings story
asnot believed, and as all the circum-
stantial evidence pointed to him as the
murderer he was arrested and indicted.