Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-11
Newspaper Men Deny That He
Showed Evidence of Drink.
ACTIONS THOSE OF CRAZY MAN
His Counsel Rests Case and Asks foI
His NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
Secures Postponement.


becoming an officer and a gentleman. The
allegations are that he was drunk and
disorderlyt on a public car of the Wash
ington, Alexandria and Mount Vernon
railway. 1t is further alleged that by
such conduct 1t became necessary for
citizens to seize him and turn him over
to the police.
Testimony given today was favorable
to the accused. 1t was largely to the
effect that Capt. Cook was suffering from
temporary insanity, superinduced by the
intense heat of the night OF August I
last, instead of intoxication. One witness
testified that the officer was "a f1t sub
ject at that time for a physician rather
than for the police"
Defense Calls Newspaper Man.
Col. Duncan Of the general stan. presi-
dent of the court. called for attention
and opened the proceedings. All the men,
bers of the court were present.
The first witness for the defense was
James F. Peyton. reporter for a Washing
ton morning newspaper. who teiephoned
the story Of the capture Of the officer by
citizens and Virginia constable TO MS
paper at the time Of the occurrence.
Peyton said he had been recently intro.
duced to Capt. Cook. At about l2:3O
o'clock the morning of August 4. he ties.
titled. when he was on trolley car
bound from Washington to Alexandria.
the passengers were startled by a man
rushing through the car In an excited
manner. The man. Peyton said. was
taken from the car by passengers and sent
back to Washington.
lunatic. I thought he had escaped from
st. Elizabeth. He ran wildly. as * he
was going to leap from the train.
Several passengers caught him ana
bore him to the floor. The man made no
effort to interfere with the passengers
himself from their grasp. We feared he
would dash of into Virginia or jump
overheard.
II never had an idea he was drunk.
II 1t had been an ordinary case Of drunk
enness 1t would not have interested me
I believed the man to be an escaped
lunatic."
Peyton saw q man he believed to be
Capt. Cook running to catch the train
Just after 1t had left the Washington de-
pot, at 18th and D streets.
1.-THE train was going at good clip.
he said, land the man was running like
a deer He finally caught the train and
got aboard. Then he ran through the
cars wildly.
A man who 1 was informed was Con-
stable Burke Of Alexandra county
jumped up and grabbed him. I thought
Burke was a keeper, and that he had
caught the insane man he was looking
for The captors of Capt. Cook had 10
choke him, 1 was informed, In order to
subdue him.
II thought Cooks idea in running was
to escape or to go overheard"
When the police ambulance arrived
in the course OF three-quarters of an
hour, Capt. Cook objected to colored
putting his hands upon him. said Peyton
Further examined, Peyton said he
would not swear that Burke choked the
officer He heard some one exclaim:
Burke, don't choke him." Burke's re-
ply was: Il must in order to subdue
him.
Acted Like a Wild Man.
The accused officer. according to Pey-
ton. was mot in possession Of his mental
faculties. but appeared like a wild man.
His replies to questions were not those
of drunken man. but were clear-cut
and clean"
Capt. P. c. Harris. judge advocate,
asked Peyton as to his knowledge OF the
actions of a man under the influence OF
liquor or opiates. Later he Withdrew the
question.
The clipping from a morning paper CIV
ing an account Of the matter was intro
duced over the objection Of Capt. M. A.
Elliott, counsel for the accused. The re-
he had sent to his paper over the tele-
phone He declared. however, he was not
responsible for the headlines. The story,
he added was practically as he phoned IT..
The reporter who wrote 1t from his dicta-
ton had embellished it some.
II did not use the phrase spent half
hour Of terror which appears in the ar
ticle"
He said he had sometimes telephoned
in stories and could not afterward rec
hav ho6 in
print. Peyton said he was interviewed
by an officer of the War Department after
the article appeared. who said he was
detailed to investigate the matter.
The next witness was Isaac Gregg. a
newspaper correspondent. He recognized
the accused as Capt. Cook.
Witness was on the car with him the
morning of the occurrence He said there
was good deal of confusion on the
car which was going at rapid rate of
speed along 14th street He told Of some
one boarding the car and making con-
siderable noise. He also told of Capt.
Cook being seized and taken from the
train at the telephone station near the
Highway bridge.
Believes Cook Was Sober.
It was Gregg,s belief that Capt. Cook
was restrained in order to save his life
He had not molested anybody. The army
officer had been in a paroxysm and sud-
denly became quiet. The witness unbut-
toned his coat. shirt and collar.
His opinion was that Capt. COOK was
absolutely sober. There was no smell of
liquor about him. Witness regarded the
man as temporarily insane.
The prosecution called as a witness in
rebuttal Gen. Sharp. commissary general
of the army. Gen. Sharp said ne saw the
accused the afternoon OF August 3 about
5 o'clock and again at 10 o'clock the
he said. Cook was in possession of all his
mental faculties.
Cant. Harris said he would rest the
unless the court desired to
call for expert testimony on insanity. The
court did not deem this necessary. Capt.
Elliott made the closing address for the
He said the defense contended that
Cant Cook was not drunk and that he
had not molested any one: that II he had
been let alone he would have gotten of
the train.
ecution and said 1t was favorable to Capt.
Cook.