The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-01-07
JUDGE COOK DIES
IN MONTGOMERY
Was Chief Clerk In the Audi
tors Office
WORKED UP TO SATURDAY
Life In the State Has Been a Most
EventfuI one-He Held the
Position For is
Years.
WORKED UP TO SATURDAY

montgomery January g. Especial. y
Judge John 7. Cook, chief clerk in the
state auditors Office passed away AZ
his home, $40 South Lawrence street 81
: CLOCK this morning. Though not
feeling we'll for several weeks. with
ms usual faithfulness to duty and
tenac1ty of purpose he kept at his most
even working Saturday.
ABOUT two months ago, Judge Cook
was quite sick and was absent fron,
duty for while. On Saturday MORN
ing he did not go to his office h,,t
was there In the afternoon. He WIS
up ana about the house yesterday. He
had been attacked about midnight with
severe coughing spells for some limo
past.
Last night he was not disturbed In
this way until o'clock. After varv
violent attack of coughing he spoke 70
ms Wlre OF what a sweet, refreshing
sieep ne had had After that how
ever ne began to grow worse and
eventually told her that he was quite
sick. dA''
between and 4 O'Clock a. physician
was summoned, who arrived at about
~ minutes of 4. Before, or Immediate
~ aIter the physician was sent for he
saia TO MS WIFE; Viola, 1 am going to
die l am dying" The last words he
spoke were to the physician who came
IN ABOUT 10 minutes to o'clock. when
ne quietly remarked: 81 am a. very
sick man."
his Wife, directed by the physician,
went into the kitchen to heat water for
1oot bath-his feet being cold but
was Immediately summoned back by
the physician, too late, however, to see
her husband again alive.
An EventfuI Life.
Judge Cook was born at Rehobath.
wilcox county, Alabama, and would
nave been Ct years old next August.
lie moved to Camden and at the age Of
10 or 16 years he entered the prob ate
judges office there as clerk. He en-
listed as a soldier in the Thirteenth
Alabama, which went into service in
the war between the states in June
OF 1851; but served only for IL or ID
months as he was wounded severely in
the hip, the ball coursing it's way
down into his thigh and remaining
there for eight months before 1t was
extracted, the injury leaving him with
a stiffened limb.
Discharged from the army Judge
Cook returned home and re-entered the
office of the judge of probate as clerk.
Later he was elected to the probate
judgeship, in which capacity he served
two terms. His great value in the OF
flee secured him a position as clerk
after he went out of office, and, for
years, it is said. he practically con-
Quoted the business DONE
Came To Capital.
Later when Governor t. G. Jones ap-
pointed Judge John Purifoy to fill out
Hogan's unexpired term as state audi
tor, Judge Purifoy brought Judge Cook
over from Camden and installed him in
the position of chief clerk. Which posi-
tion ne continued to hold under Judge
Purifoy when the votes of the people
called him tc fill the place, and has
since held for fifteen years under sue
cessive administrations in the AUTHORS
office.
Speaking of Judge Cook, Judge Puri-
foy said today: HE was an all round,
model man. You couldn't find his SUI
perior in this regard in the state of
Alabama. 1 was raised up with him i'll
The same county, and knew what was
in him. called him over from Wilcox
as chief clerk. My opinion of him is
sustained in that he has held the place
assigned him ever since"
Married Life.
On the 10th of January, So years ago
Judge Cook was married to Miss Viola
Young of Wilcox county. An only
daughter of this union died about six
years ago.
The deceased is survived by his wife
and three sons. The sons are DR.. j. T.
Cook of Florence, Ala, and Carlisle and
Ashly, both of Montgomery. DR.. Cook
and Carlisle are out of the city and
funeral arrangements will await their
coming tonight
Judge Cook was an elder in the First
Presbyterian church of this city and
the assistant superintendent OF the
Sunday schoo of his church at the time
of his DEATH He has held the place
of Sunday school superintendent in the
past.
A conscientious, painstaking, accu-
rate business man and public account
ant q religiously useful Christian gem
tleman is gone in the person of j. 7.
Cook
The sympathy of the community is
with his bereaved.