The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-03-24
osoEoLA's GRANDSON DEAD.
A Descendant of the Seminole Chief
who Was a BoOtbIack mt PrOvi-
From the New YORK sun.


dence. .
From the New YORK sun.
Providence, r. l., March 19.-Providence
lost, by the death of Osceola Cook last
Tuesday, a man in whose veins flowed the
bluest of American blood, for he was a
grandson of the famous Indian, Osceola,
chief of the Seminoles. This was on his
mothers side. His father was a full-blood-
ed negro. Cook was not proud of his blood
or parentage on either side, and always as
serted that he was a Mexican.
He led an adventurous life. At the time
of his death he weighed 40 pounds. and de-
spite this great burden of flesh he was
one of the strongest men in the city. Many
stories are told of his great strength, a
majority of which are undoubtedly true.
He was about 40 years old. He was born
in New Bedford and when boy followed
the sea, shipping up and down the coast
before the mast. After the war he enlisted
in the regular army, served in the South
west, became involved in an alteration
how serious he was always indsposed to
tell, and fled across the border to Mexico
There he Joined a circus and a troupe of
wandering bull fighters. Cook was even
then man of magnificent proportions and
strength, and with the bun fighters acted
as bandillero.
After staying in Mexico Tong enough to
learn to speak and write Spanish fluently
he wandered northward until he reached
New York, aud from there came to this
city, where he opened the first bootblack-
ing shop Providence had and made money.
lie bought out the barber shop under the
Naragansett Hotel and did business there
for some time. He invented an improve
ment on the patent hair-cipping machines
i'm use then and also a shampooing ma
chine He sold his half of the patent on the
first for $500, and the other half being
owned by the mechanic who put The in
vention into running shape. About 1885 he
opened another bootblacking shop, and for
the remainder of his active business life
spent most of his time in this line of bust
ness. He wrote policy for a short period,
ran a restaurant and was connected with
other affairs, but his prosperous days were
while he ran his bootblacking stands. He
must have earned i'm his life fully $4,000,
but he had very little when he died.
The incident in Cooks life which is
freshest in the minds of Providence peo-
pie is the trouble, ending in a shooting.
of the Providence Telegram, a few years
ago. The Telegram described at length
a dive which it said was run by Cook.
The latter was greatly ansered at the ar
ticles, and cowhided Lingane on Weybos-
set street, in return for which Lingane
shot him. The wound laid him up for a
while. He was found guilty of simple as
sault and his assaiiant was convicted of
assault with a dangerous weapon, but
neither of the men was sentenced.
prize fighter who had won a fight one
night went into Cooks place looking for
trouble. He had accosted Cook in sa-
loon and had called him insulting names,
but at the request of the bartender Cock
did not retaliate. But when the pugiist
came into Cooks bootoiacking establish
ment and renewed his insults Cook hit
him once, smashinfi his jaw and taking
all the fight out of the man.
Despite Cooks great weight, his hight
was only five feet ten inches, but, his hat
size was ~, his collars We're twenty-one
inches, fifty-eight was his size in shirts.
and his waistband measured slxty-two
inches. He spent much time trying to
keep down his weight