The Saint Paul globe., 1902-07-23
COOKE rs HANGED WITH
CURSES ON HIS LIPS
Murderers of Engineer George Wray
Are Defiant and Abgsive to
the Last.

GREENVILLE, Miss, July 22-With
curses on his lips, with eyes bloodshot
and with the expressed wish that the
people of Greenville perish In the fires
of hell, Ashley Cooke died here today.
With him, but silently, Tom Lauder
dale also met his end. Both were con-
victed of the murder of Engineer G. M.
Wray and were hanged from the same
gallows and the swing of a double trap
sent both men to their doom. The
trigger was snapped at 11:27 this
morning. At Hal Cooke was pro-
nounced dead. AT 11:43 the pulse Of
Lauderdale ceased to beat. Both bodies
turned over to their respective fam
lilies. Cooke died boasting that he
would be in hell in few minutes, and
damning everything and everybody. He
said that those who had planned his
murder would meet their end, and that
1000 had been deposited in a bank,
| 81 900 Of which would be paid for the
| death Of each of the eleven men who
prosecuted him. The execution was
witnessed by 5000 people.
This morning, before the time for the
execution, both men appeared
defiant, Cooke especially being
very abusive to everyone around him,
while both. cursed continually. After
| the death warrant had been read to the
the window to the great crowd which
| had gathered outside to witness the
| execution:
Damn you, don't be impatient; we
/ are coming"
When the sheriff and the doomed
men mounted the scatfold, Cooke began
| to berate those about him, and turning
to the crowd said:
TITS all plot to kill me; damn you
| all, damn everybody. I'm going to die
! like a man.
81 am killed for nothing, but am the
bravest nan in the state of Mississippi.
There is $1,000 waiting for anyone
| who will kill the eleven men who made
| this plot will be revenged, for every
| one of this eleven will be killed, and no
| questions will be asked. They have
| murdered me, but revenge, revenge, re-
venge." III. n
Before he could say more the black
| caps were adjusted. Il
Are you both ready?" asked the
sheriff. ~ d -,
yes" yelled Cooke through the folds
Of black. Damn you people of Green
| vile, go to hell, all of you." IL
The trap was sprung and the men
dropped into space. VI
The crime for which Ashley Cooke
and Tom Lauderdale today paid the
| penalty on the gallows was committed
| III d dZOO X OnlSS1SSlpN valley rail-
road train about 8 o'clock on the morn
| ing of Dec 80, 1901, near Elizabeth.
Ashley Cooke. Tom LaudeEdale, Will
Blackburn and G. M. Phillips boarded
the north-bound passenger, train. G.
M. Wray, an engineer, was a passen-
ger on the car entered by Cooke and
his party. Cooke and his companions
were more or less under the influence
of liquor. Phillips fell against Wray,
/ who was aSloeD on a seat in the coach
| Wray asked Phillips what he meant,
and the reply came from Cooke that it
| meant that he (Wray) must leave the
coach. AS Wray started to walk out
| Cooke, Lauderdale and Blackburn be-
gan shooting at him, and he fell dead
| in the aisle of the car. Cooke and
Lauderdale were tried together, con-
victed and sentenced to be hanged
March 81, 1902. The supreme court
| reviewed the case of Cooke and Lail-
derdale, affirming the decision. Of the
! lower court.