The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1902-07-26
DouBLEnANoINo AT oRaRNylLLH
Cooke and La,iderdaIe Hanged from
the Same Scalfold - Had cowardly
Murdered Engineer Wray Story
Of the Crime.

ley Cooke and Tom Lauderdale
the murderers of Engineer Wray
expiated their crime upon the gal
lows. Cooke died cursing every
body in Greenville and the off,
GERS Of the law. Lauderdale met
his fate calmly.
The story Of thecrime is as fol.
lows:
Tho crime for which Ashlc,
Cooke and Tom Lauderdale paic
the death penalty was the assassi
nation oI engineer j. Nj, Wray ol
the Yazoo & Mississippi VALLEY
road, on the night of December
30, 1900. The killing occurred OF
the Leland accommodation tram,
in Washington county, and th,
atrociousand unprovolxed manner
in which it was committed shock
cd the entire State.
Ashley Cooke was tho ring
leader Of the party of despetadoes
which was composed of Tom Lau'
derdale, William Blackburn ane
a man ma ned Phipps. The
latter was helplessly drunk wher
tho party boarded tho train, ant
all hnd been drinking heavily dur
ing the afternoon and night.
On boarding the train the par
ty Immediately proceeded to take
possession aud terrorizo the pas.
sengors in the smoking cur by I
display Of firearms.
q. M. Wray, an engineer, wass
passenger on tho car entered by
Cooke and his party, Cooke and
his three companions were all
more or less under the influence
of liquor. Phipps fell against
.Wray, who was asleep on a seat
in the coach. Wray, who was
asleep on seat in the coach,
Asked Phipps what he meant
and the reply came from Cooke
that it meant that he (Wray)
must leave the coach. Wray hav-
ing fully awoke realized that the
men we're drinking and told them
that it was all right aud that he
would leave the car. AS Wray
started to walk out Blackburn
said to Cooke:
'sWhat shall we do with that
fellow He says that he has done
nothing but is willing to apolog-
ize."
81 vote to kill him." replied
Cooke. Phipps at this time sal
into a scat and was not with his
companions. Cooke, Lauderdale
and Blackburn then began shoot.
Ing at Wray as tho lattcr was try
ing to leave the coach. Wray was
rlddled with bullets and fell dead
In tho aisle of the car.
The party then went back to
the ladies' coach. Blackburn took
up his position at one end OF the
coach and Lauderdale at the 9TH
or. Cooke was in tho center OF
the car fourishing his pistol and
swearing that none of them would
be taken alive. This was contIn-
ned for some time and random
shots were fired out Of the win
dows.
While Conductor Mclaughlin,
who had stopped the train, was
looking for officers to assist him
in the arrest of the three men,
and the trio in turn got off the car
and went to the engineer and pro-
ceeded at once to Shelby, and the
engineer obeyed the instructions
at the point Of a gun.
At Shelby Cooke, Lauderdale
and Blackburn were arrested and
brought to Greenville on special
train, every precaution being
taken to prevent alynching, which
was threatened by many citizens.
Cooke declared that he had kill
ed Wray, and that he had never
yet missed his man in previous
killing affairs. This statement
was uncontradicted in the lower
court trial.
The men were indicted for
murder In the first degree. Cooke
and Lauderdale essayed to be tried
together and after one of the
most bitter legal battles in the
history of the country they were
convicted and sentenced to be
hanged on March 81, 1902. No
tice of an appeal was fled which
stayed the execution.
Later Blackburn was tried and
found guilty. He was sentenced
~ Inlp.isvniili4ot fva life, iaio Pro
yious characterhavIng been prov
ed exceptionally good.
The chief defense for Cooke
was that he was mentally unbal-
anced, and had been crazy since
1889, when he received wound
on the head.
The trial was one of the most
celebrated that has taken place in
Mississippi for many years, and
was continued for more than two
weeks. Appeal was taken from
the lower court conviction to the
Supreme Court and the death
sentence affirmed. Then com.
menced the appeals for executive
clemency from all parts of the
State, which have been steadfastly
refused, Governo Longino firmly
announcing that he could not and
would not interfere with the yer.
dict of the courts. An unsuccess-
full effort was made to get a stay
of execution on the strength of q
Federal point Of law brought up
regarding jury qualifications, but
this was turned down by Associate
Justice White on the ground that
IL had mt hoan hroanhad in tho