Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-04-24
A DOUBLE MURDER
Dastardly Crime at Tia Plata, Charles
County.
Two WOMEN THE VICTIMS
Joseph Cooking Stunned and Left
for Dead.
G RE A T E XCIT E NJ E n T

LA PLATA, CharleS county, Md., April
24.-The people of this county were thrown
| into a state of excitement this morning by
the finding Of the dead bodies Of two la
| dies and the horribly mangled body of a
| man, who had been lef. for dead. Fortu-
| nately, however. life was rot extinct and
| the man may recover sufficiently to be able
| to give information regarding the murderers
| and robbers. He is Mr. Joseph Cooking, a
! storekeeper at Hill Top, while his wife
| and Miss Daisy Miller were the murdered
| ones. Excitement is running SO high that
| If the culprits caught they will un-
| doubtedly meet death at the end of rope
and will be convicted by a court over
which Judge Lynch will pre- side. Several
searching parties have been organized, and
| the whole country between here and the
Potomac river, as well as in the direction
of Washington Is being thoroughly search
| ed. Not only Is the search being made in
| the woods, but houses of suspected per-
sons will be overhauled and blood-Stained
clothing may .play an important part in
the investigation. So far as could be as
certained nc one has seen any suspicious
persons about the county, and this morning
it is thought that the investigation will be
a difficult one, although che citizens are
hoping for the best.
Hill Top is several miles from here, being
between Port Tobacco and the river. Not
more tnan nall q OOZen houses are IN the
village, which is on the top of a high hill,
from which fact it bears the name "Hill
Top The only store there is kept by the
man who was so brutaily treated and left
widower last night 1t was between 6
and o'clock this morning when the crime
was discovered by colored neighbor, who
went to the store to make a purchase. AS
soon as he reached the place he discovered
that there was something wrong Investi-
CATION soon revealed the fact that burglars
had been there, for the store showed evil
dences of their work. This colored man
called for assistance, and neighbOrs, who
responded first, went to the cellar, and
there they found the grocer half dressed
and unconscious. He was suffering from
frightful wounds about his head, and had
been securely bound with rope by the
burglars, who had no doubt left him for
dead
In rooms on the upper floor the dead
bodies of Mrs. Cooking and Miss Miller
were found. They had been murdered with
| iron, although 1T is possible that an AK or
hatchet was used. What else the criminals
had done is not known at this time, but the
Investigation may show later on that other
Violence was committed.
Intense Excitement.
AS soon as the information reached here
indignation ran high, and the officers Of
the law as well the citizens lost no
time in hurrying the investigation. States
Attorney PoSey, soon as he learned of
the crime, prepared a message to be sent
to Washington, asking the assistance of
the police there. This message was sent
by special messenger to Indian Head to
be transmitted by telephone to the navy
yard.
Mr.. Cooking is a man not yet forty years
old, and his wife was several years his
Junior. lie had good-szed country store
and omtortable home. So far as his
| neighbors know he never had trouble with
any one. and the murders, 1T is thought.
were committed only when the burglars
thought they were detected.
Under treatment the half-dead man soon
recovered consciousness and was able to
give disconnected story of the affair.
He was aroused during the night proba-
bly, at 2 am. by hearing a noise in the
store, and without waiting to put on all
his clothes he went to the store to make
an investigation. Directly in the rear of
the store is the dining room. and he had
| to pass through this in order to reach the
store. Just as he made a steo from this
room to the store he received q stunning
blow on the head and was knocked down.
He remembers very little more about
what happened. But he was then tied, and
perhaps dealt other blows, and was thrown
in the cellar. Being rendered helpless and
weak he was unable to make an outcry
sciousness. While he was there in this
helpless condition the brutes, for it is GER
tain that there We're at least two of them
went upstairs and finished their dastardly
work.
Terrible Work.
Just what happened upstairs is not known,
but it is supposed that the women became
alarmed at the noise of Mr.. Cocking's fall
ing, or at his absence, and started to make
an investigation. In SO doing they probably
went out in the hail. and wien met by the
assassins were forced back to their rooms
as the only possible means of escape Had
the windows been open they could prob
ably have screamed loud enough to have
aroused the nearest neighbors who live
only a few hundred feet distant. But the
windows were closed, and the women could
do nothing more than make a feeble re-
siStance.
Persons from Hill Top this afternoon have
brought no additional information. 1t is
not generally known whether the crime
was committed by white or colored persons,
although the injured man may possibly
have informed the officers If he knows
Chances for Capture.
This afternoon groups of men and women
are to be seen along the road and in the
village discussing the horrible agedy, and
many themes are advanced. The first the
ory suggested was .tha: the crime had been
committed by tramps on their way north
toward Baltimore Washington, while
others are inclined to the belief that per-
sons we'll acquainted with the store and
its surroundings are the guilty ones. There
are others who imagine that the crime may
have been committed by men from the
river Oystermen who have worked on the
river during the winter months are out of
employment, and it is not an unusual thing
to see them tramping home. If the bur
glary and double murder werecommitted by
men of this class they may be in hiding
in the woods. Wards run and Mill swamp
are not far from the scene of the murder,
land should the murderers be in hiding
there it may be difficult to apprehend
them, although it is early in the season
and the foliage is not yet SO thick. This
would give the members of the sharif's
posse some show. If the criminals are not
osptured before night the roads, woods and
railroad will be well watched until mora
Ing Word of the dastardly crime has been
sent to the officers of the adjoining coun-
ties, and it is not unlikely that several
arrests will be made before night.
Miss Daisy Miller, who was murdered.
was about thirty-two or thirty-five years
old. She is the daughter of DR.. Miller, who
is we'll known throughout the county
Local Police Informed.
Inspector H3llinbergec this afternoon re-
| ceived from the navy yard the message of
States Attorney Posey, sent from Indian
Head by telephone. The message reads:
Mrs. Joseph Cooking and Miss Daisy Mil