Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1896-07-02
Jos. Cooking LynChed.
DRAGGED from Port Tobacco Jail and
Swung from q Bridge.

uuuu6 HUN Dhku6ps
Teld to Pray by the Ven Of the hob
Some Of Whom were Dressed in wc.
mems Clothes. but he only Pleaded.
~ Am Net Guilty.
From Sunday Herald.
Innocent or guilty, Joseph Cooking has
paid with his life for the murder Of his wife
and sister-in.law at Hill Top, Charles
county, on the night of April 90, 1896.
When all fear of violence had been lull.
ed to sleep by the peaceful bearing of the
community toward him a match was touch
ed to the mine Of popular sentiment, and
in the explosion which resulted, the miser-
able man awaiting trial, on the gravest of
charges, was sent into eternity.
Reused at the dead of night from the
bed in which he had come to persuade
himself he was safe from harm at the hands
of his fellow-citizens, a rope was thrown
around his neck and, begging for mercy,
he was dragged by a mob of laughing, jeer.
Jog men in women's garb, TO bridge not
far from the Port Tobacco jail
The rope was swung over q wooden
stringer and made fast. Then Cooking was
pushed off into space.
The crowd fingered for awhile, and then
dispersed as quietly and lightly as if they
were leaving a spelling bee, while their
victims life was being strangled out at the
end of the tether.
In the morning, Cocking's body was
found dangling there, his feet washed by
the limpiG stream which gurgled its way
over the pebbly bed beneath.
WHERE THE LYNcHING WAS PLANNED.
They say the plan to kill Cooking was
Matched after baseball game played at
Hill Top.
After the pleasures Of the day. soae 90
or 80 Of those present, sat themselves down
ON the green grass in the shade of pro-
tecting tree and coolly and deliberately
schemed TO take a mans life.
Some were chary about proceeding with
such calmness to the commission of this
great crime, but they were laughed at by
the others as chicken. hearted and woman
ly.
And so it happened that when it was
yet less than an hour after midnight there
came together in the hollow near this sleepy
deserted town of Port Tobacco, company
of determined spirits. They were armed,
but they expected TO have very little trouble
in their venture. You could tell this by
their laughing.
Some had donned the dresses and hats
of the women folks at home, and this added
grotesqueness 10 the scene.
Most of the men wore masks.
AROUSED JAILER BURCH.
They have jaiior at the Port Tobacco
lookup. His name is Washington Burch.
He is black, but his hair is white with the
snow Of GO years. His house is about 20
yards from the Jail proper.
There was no good reason for disturbing
him to request of him the keys, for little
more time would have been consumed had
the Jail door been battered down, bnt the
mob perhaps thought that the etiquette of
lynchings demanded formal call on the
warden.
Anyhow they made it.
The old jailor was sleeping soGsdly
when there was n thunderous rapping at
the door. He was surprised at the inter-
ruption TO his nocturnal reverie, and he
went no further than to peep out of his
window.
Who's there ?" he asked in n quaking
voice
"Gssrge Slye's dead down the road q
piece, and they want you to come down
and help lay him out" came the answer
from below
This did NOT fetch Burch.
Slye might be dead for all he knew. He
want arguing that point. But should
two or three dozen men get wind of it so
som in that sparsely- populated country,
and why did they all come down to tell
him, roos old darkey about it? That's
what he vas puzzled over
open the door " came the order as The
jailor was seen to hesitate.
"Brcak II in. then !" exclaimed one.
TRY the windows y suggested another,
"there'll be less noise"
Somehow the door was opened and tie
crowd surged in, the glistening revolvers in
their hands showing that they were net
the ones for fooling
The jailor's wife. "Henny." was found
on the stairway, quaklng with fear
The KEYS were demanded Of her.
Washington has them and he's gone
Out the backway," she cried.
Deed I'm telling you the truth" she
added, as she observed the menacing atii
tude Of the crowd