Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-05-30
SCANDAL! AND TRAGEDY
ELDoRA MAN KILLS HIMSELF BE-
CAUSE OF SISTERS
MisDEEps.
LEWIS COOK NARROWLY
ESCAPES TAR AND FEATHERS
Cleveland crosser Hangs Himself From
Fence and Indignant Citizens Pre-.
pare to Punish Man Who Deserted
Family For crosser's Sisters and a
Life of Dissipation.
!pectal to Times-Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Eldora, May 3O.-A suicide and a
near tar and feathering all in one day
may seem pretty good for one town,
but this nevertheless is the record of
Sunday.
Some time ago one Lewis Cook,
once a prosperous business man, of
Hldora, together with his brother from
Nevada, deserted their wives and fam
lilies to live in Cedar Rapids with two
sisters from Edora, Crosser by name.
The Cooks started restaurant in
Cedar Rapids, living overhead with the
two girls without the formalities Of Sc
curing divorces and marriage cere-
monies.
After about a month of this life the
police there got wind Of the affair and
the four were arrested. They were
given Jail sentences, and were only
released last week, the girls returning
to the home OF thei1 parents.
Cook Follows Women.
Cook made his appearance in the
city on Saturday and went to the Cros-
ser residence. His wife has been di-
vorced less than a year, the wives Of
the two men starting divorce proceed
ings Immediately after they were de-
serted.
Brothers Resent Presence.
The parents of the girls seemed to
offer no objections to Cooks presence,
but the brothers Of the girls were con-
siderably wrought up over the affair,
SO much so that they were ready to
resort to desperate means. One of the
brothers in particular, Cleveland Gross
ser, aged about 25, who has been work.
ing at the Burninghausen mine north
Of town, was desperate, and Saturday
evening while under the influence of
liquor, was endeavoring to borrow a
gun with which to kill Cook. The
young man was taken home, and on
seeing Cook again few into violent
rage. He left the house and on his
not returning a search was made for
him, without hesult until early Sunday
morning, when he was found dead
some distance back Of the house. He
appears to have gone from the house
to barb wire fence located some dis
lance from the house and to have tax
en- his belt from around his waist, plac-
ing it on the fence and then around
his neck, and by sitting down strangled
himself Some have advanced the
theory that he alone was not entirely
responsible ror his death, but this
theory seems without foundation.
Cook 10 Threatened With Tar.
The audaeity Of Cook in returning
to Eldora after all that had happened
is surprising. Sentiment ran high here
all day Sunday, and Sunday afternoon
q number Of citizens secured a barrel
of tar, while one Of the number se-
cured a pillow filled with the plueldng
from certain barn yard fowls, and
placing the tar and feathers in buggy
with some other paraphanlia, were on
the lookout for Cook.
The authorities got wind of the mat
ter and quietly informed Cook that he
had just thirty minutes in which to
leave the city to save his hide. He was
not completely dressed when he re-
ceived the notice, nor did he take time
to complete his toilet, but fastened to
the Iowa Central depot, dressing as he
went On reaching the depot he man
aged to purchase a ticket for Mar
shalltown and boarded the cars just
in time to save himself. for there was
a large delegation waiting for him on
the depot platform, in case he did not
make the train.
Cooks downfall is attributed to
liquor.