Los Angeles herald., 1907-12-14
COOK HELD
FOR TRIAL
ACCUSED WIFE. SLAYER FoReETs
ATTORNEYS NAME
sTRousLE HAS THRICE Az
FEcTED MY MIND"
Man Who Gave Himself Up to Face
Court Refuses to Outline De-
fense-Son to Be
Witness

The first guns in the trial of Fred D.
Cook, confessed wife slayer, were fired
yesterday in the preliminary examination
held in Justice Selph's court Cook ap-
peared without his attorney and COM
planned of being i'll.
Cook could not remember the name OF
his attorney.
.sHe has his office at Fourth and Spring
streets" he said. "He has all my letters
end papers in the case and knows the de-
tails, so / don't want to get any one else
He will come around and see me, am
cure He probably did not know the pre-
liminary examination was set Tor tnls
morning.
what defense do 1 propose to set up?
That is hard to say. There Is SO much
back of the whole affair that 1t will take
a long time in court to bring 1t all out.
This shooting was not the beginning OF
the trouble. The difficulties extended over
seven years.
In the last few years. l have been SO
worried that three times l have had brain
fever. and was out of my head for long
time. / have had to work too hard, ana
1t has hurt my head"
Cook was held to answer 70 the su-
perior court after saying he had no
further evidence to present now.
1t Will take SOIle tiLic " So my w.
dence,, he told Justice Selph. "One OF my
witnesses, my son, Is in Boston.
"They Took Him Away"
.swas he a witness to the shooting?"
wac asked.
mo. but he witnessed other things pre-
ceding the shooting which led up to II.
They have taken him away from mere
"Who took him away?'
II don't know, but someone has taken
him away"
%. III. Baker of Redondo, motorman on
the Santa Monica car on which the shoot-
ing occurred August q, 1906, testified that
three shots were fired, two OF wnlch
struck Mrs. Cook in the head.
Mrs Jessie E. Spear, cousin OF Mrs:
Cook on the stand declared that COOK hao
failed to provide for his wife.
Mrs Pratt, matron of the detention
home when Mrs. Cook was employed as
housekeeper there, testified that COOK
called several times, demanding to see MS
wife, but each time she refused TO receive
him, declaring she was afraid. once
when refused admittance, Mrs. Pratt as
serted he became noisy and offensive ana
threatened to ruin his wife's reputation.
ri. c. Virgness of 422 East First street,
who was guard at the home, when called
TO the stand said that once, when MIS-.
Cook came running up the steps OF the
home out of breath. she told him she hao
met her husband and was running TO
escape him. Another time. he said, sne
declared that Cook had appeared at her
window and pointed a revolver at her.
He added that ladder was found be-
meath the window. Mrs. Cook called upon
him several times to escort her nome atter
visiting her children, fearing that sne
would meet her husband.
DR.. George w. Campbell, who performed
an autopsy on the slain woman. described
the wounds and the courses of the bullets
both of which penetrated the brain.
George w. knight, the attorney VINO
conducted the divorce suit brought by
Mrs. Cook July a. 1906 said that at one
time the proceedings were dropped when,
at Cooks importuning, she returned to
him. The suit was dropped temporarily,
but within a few days the woman went to
him, declaring that her husband had
threatened her and she was afraid to live
with him.