The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-07-20
SAYS COOK PUSHED HER oUI
THE DOOR AND KILLED HEX.
AND OTHERS HEARD HER PRAYING
At the Same Time They Heard Berry Cooks
Voice-.He Cannot Give An Ac-
count of His Whereabouts
That Night.

to point TO the red-handed slayer OF It's
mother and say Thou are the man.
This is in effect what little Gus Nor
gan Yesterday did in Wake superior
court. while Berry Cook was on trlai Ior
tho murder of his mother. Rosa Nor
gan. ON Friday night, July q, at ner
home near Eagle Rock, about ~ mics
northeast of this city.
Kerry Cook. he said, came there after
they had gone to bed, knocked at the
door came in. stayed awhile, sat In the
door with his mother, pushed her out
and then killed her.
That was ALL The little fellow could
not remember further details of that ter
rible night. He could not be expected TO
remember them. But he remembered
enough The jury believed him, the
Judge believed him, the people packed III
the court room believed him.
In strongest contrast to tins SIMPLE
straightforward story. was the testimo-
nv of the defendant, Berry Cook, as
he tried TO give an account
of what he did on that fatal nlght-hls
-evasions. his contradictions, his embar-
rassment The jury did not believe him.
The trial began at 10 O'Clock. 1t TOOK
until 1890 to select the jury. A special
yenire of so persons-30 white and ~
colored had been summoned. The venre
was exhausted before the jury was COM
plete.
In addition to the challenges for cause
the defendant took % of his % peremp-
tory challenges and the State took all
of its four challenges.
The Jury finally selected consisted of
I've white men and seven colored men,
as follows: Harry Wilder. colored; Adolf
phus Jones, colored; n. B. Jones, color
ed: Thos. Donaldson, colored; S. NJ,
Belts, s. C. Low, w. J. Ellington, Ben
Ell. Curtis, colored; Peter Jeffreys, col
ored; w. r. Bailey, Lon NJ. Green, A
J. Simmons, colored.
was exhausted.
After the completion of the jury court
took a recess until 3 o'clock when the
taking Of testimony began.
The coroner, DIR. r. b. Ellis, who held
the inquest over the body of Rosa Nor
gan, was the first witness examined
He said he was first informed Of her
death about II o'clock on July the Bird
He went to her residence and found
the body living in the middle of path
about 80 feet north OF her house. She
was living face downward, little on heI
right side having no clothes on except
a thin chemise.
A careful examination Of the body
ne said, failed to reveal any bruises anc
there was nothing to indicate fracture
of the skull. He found that the neck
had not been broken, but the upper par1
of the windpipe was out of its natura
position and blood had been ooZing out
of the nostrils. From this he believed
the deceased had come to her death by
some one choking her to death. He saw
no signs of a struggle. The examination
indicated that she must have been il
good health. He was decidedly of the
opinion that she met her death at the
hands of some person.
On cross-examination Dr. Ellis saio
he would not swear positively that Rosa
Morgan was killed, but he had every rea
son to believe she was, and in his owl
mind he had no doubt whatever tina
somebody killed her. If there had beer
any bruises on her he couldn't see them
on account Of the very dark color Of the
skin. The land about where she was
found was hard and would not have east
ly shown it, even had there been strug
gle.
Rosas 12-year old son. He said hi
last saw his mother on Thursday might
before her death. He knew Berry Cook
and the last time he saw him at his
mothers house was in the afternoon
of the Sunday before she was found
dead Friday. Berry, he said, told his
mother if she didn't keep men folks a
way from there he'd kill her. Severa
times he said you'd better keep these
niggers away from here, or I'll kill you
Every time Berry Cook would come ant
catch another man there he'd threaten
Rosa. He got mad with her one tim'
about Sam Johnson coming there.
On cross-examination the witness sale
he did not stay at his mothers, but a
an uncle's about two miles away ant
he went home only every other Sunday
When Berry Cook threatened his moth
err he looked mad and like he meant it
Gus Morgan, another son of the deat
woman, was the next witness. He i
only six years old and his testimon,
was objected to by the counsel for tn
defendant, on the ground that he wa
too young TO testify. He said he ant
his mother were sleeping on q pale
when his Uncle Berry" came in ant
lie WOKE up. ne saw Derry OOOk puSI
her out the door, and he didn't see he
any more. Next morning the Pace girl
came and carried him down to theil
house.
On cross-examination he denied tina
anybody had told him to tell that he saw
his "Uncle Berry" there that night. I'll
didn't remember to whom he first tolC
that he saw Berry Cook push his mother
out the door.
Lucy Simons, an old black woman
was at Berry Cooks the Friday nigh
of the murder. She left Berry in thu
kitchen between 8 and 10 o'clock, wheI
she went to bed. The next she knew Of
him was between midnight and day
when she woke up and heard him talking
with his wife. II asked his wife wha
they were talking about. She said Ber
ry had just told her that Rosa Morgan