The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1896-05-01
A DoUBEL MURDER.
Mrs. Joseph Cooking and Her
Younger Sister Found MUIR
dered at their Home.

On last Saturday morning the peo-
pie of Hilltop, eleven miles west of
La Plata, Charles County, were STAR
tied at the double murder on Friday
night, of Mrs. Joseph Cooking, aged
thirty years, wife of the storekeeper
there, and Miss Daisey Miller, aged
eighteen, her sister. Mr.. Cooking, the
husband, was found in the cellar of his
store, slightly injured, with his feet
tied with clothesline. The front door
of the store was broken open, as was
the cash-drawer.
Between daybreak and sunrise on
Saturday morning Nicholas Jones, col
ored, sixty-five years of age, went to
Mr.. Cocking's store to buy pillow point.
He found the front door of the general
store ajar. Jones not finding Mr.. Cock
ing, called hun, and hearing All answer
discovered that the voice came from
the cellar In the grocery. He found
trapd0or, which he said was closed.
Mr.. Cooking was discovered lying in
the cellar. There were bruises over his
right and left temples. four scratches
on his forehead, from two of which a
little blood might have flowed. He
seemed dazed when found, but later
recovered aud remained conscious all
day. Jones assisted Mr.. Cooking up the
cellar stairs and into the store, Mr..
Cooking walking with Jones' assist
ance.
According to Jones Mr.. Cooking said
to him: "There is something wrong
upstairs, go up and see." Jones OBJ
I'D tn Id
but went and found Mrs. Cooking and
Miss Miller dead. Returning, he told
Mr.. Cooking that what he had seen
was too terrible to talk about. He
added that Mr.. Cooking asked no more
questions.
Mr.. Cooking says he was awakened
between / and 2 O'clock, and putting
on his trousers went down to the din
ing room, where he faced two men,
one or both of them striking him with
something, he could not tell what. He
was rendered partially unconscious
and was taken to a trap:door in the
store and thrown into thecellar, that
being all he remembered.
Mr.. Cooking says he slept in the
small ballroom with his little boy.
The child declares that he slept there
alone.
Ills cOnnlctlng statements ABOUT the
case and his refusal to answer ques-
tions pertaining to it aroused suspicion
and led to his arrest. Mr.. Cooking
was led to the bodies by detective
Gault, but did not say a word. The
murder was committed with new
Ratchet which was found in the room.
The strongest kind of circumstantial
evidence presents itself against the
husband. He was taken to the Balti-
more City Jail to await the jury term
of Court for Charles County, which
meets on May 18th. There was strong
threats of lynching when suspicion
first pointed to Cooking as the muir
derer.
One of the circumstances which
seems to cause surprise among the peo-
pie of Hill Top is that, notwithstand-
ing all the evidence which is in pos
session of the State officers, aud which
was considered strong enough by the
coroner's jury to hold him for trial,
yet Mrs. Miller, the mother-in-law of
Cooking, still believes in mis- innocence
Several other members of the family
do not think that he is guilty and
quickly resent any suggestions which
would tend to cTimInate him. Cock
ing is said to have a sister in England
who is very rich.