Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1910-01-10
Cohote in'JaiI and
NeighbOr Held
as Witness.
STORIES CLASH
Prisoner Says He Came Home
and Found Another Man
With Wife--This Is Con-
tradicted by Iobikok and
People Living Nearby.

County Detective Richard A.
Peltier yesterday arrested John
Jobikok in his home at Sand Hills
as material witness against John
Cohote, who is in the county Jail
on charge of numbering his wife.
Jobikok tells an entirely different
story than the husband, who de-
clared that Mrs. Cohote's death was
caused by fall on the ice Friday
afternoon, and Detective Peltier
says that in all probability a first
degree charge will be entered
against Cohote.
The body of Mrs Cohote was re-
moved Saturday afternoon to the
eoroner's morgue in this city, where
County Physician Dr. ]. l.. Suydam
performed an autopsy at 8 o'clock
this morning. To a NEWS reporter
DR.. Suydam said that, while he
found the woman's heart, lungs and
brain in good condition, there were
numerous bruises and cuts on her
body. He added that it was his
opinion that death was due to the
shock of the beating which the
woman is said to have received.
Quick Work on Case.
Following an investigation by
Coroner Ferd Garretson, of this
city, who was called to view the
body of Mrs. Cohote about II
o'clock Saturday morning, Acting
Prosecutor Watson sent Detective
Peltier to place Cohote under arrest.
The detective received this order at
1 o'clock Saturday afternoon and
exactly one hour and fifteen minutes
later found Cohote sitting on the
back porch of his home on the road
between Fords and Bonhamtown. A
crowd of Cohote's countrymen gath
cred about him after his arrest and
Peltier, not knowing their senti-
ments, hurried his prisoner to a
trolley car Cohote was confined In
the county jail at 8 o'clock and at
4 o'clock was in conference with
Lawyer Joseph e. Stricken, whom
he had asked the detective to send
for.
CohOte's Story TO Detective.
Detective Peltier says that when
he placed Cohote under arrest the
man was intoxicated and insisted
that he be allowed to remain by his
wife's body, which was still in the
house. When questioned about the
woman's death, Cohote said that
Friday he went after a pint of beer
and, on returning, found another
man in the house. He got a clothes
pole and went after the man. He
added that the latter ran away and
afterward his wife became frighten-
ed and, in trying to run away from
him, slipped on some ice in the yard
and cut her head. He then repeated
what he had told Mr.. Garretson,
that he saw his wife crouching in
front of the kitchen stove about II
o'clock Friday night and that, when
he went and shook her, he found
she was dead. The detective says
that Cohote was so much under the
influence of liquor that he did not
seem to realize just what had hap
pened- During the trip to the coun-
ty Jail, Peltier says Cohote said to
him, mister Policeman, what you
do IL you come home and find an
other man making love to your
wife?" Further than the foregoing
question Cohote has said nothing
which agrees with the story of the
witness arrested yesterday or the
stories of the neighbors who were
questioned by the detective.
What the Others Say.
According to Jobikok and some of
the neighbors, Mr.. and Mrs. Cohote
celebrated the Greek Catholic
Christmas on Friday Jobikok, who
lives next door, was called into their
house to take part in the celebra-
ton. After a trip for beer. when
he returned to the house, Cohote. he
says, jumped on him and attacked
h x.-t+I al 1ynl II
was driven out of the house, after
wife with. the weapon and beat her
with it until it broke. According to
the witnesses, Cohote then got an
axe and beat her more. When at
tackled by her husband, Mrs. Cohote
ran out into the yard, but her hus-
band followed her and. after un-
mercifully beating her, left her lying
outside. Some of the neighbors
carried her into the house but later
Cohote renewed the beating and
chased her out again. A blacksmith
by the name of Anderson assisted
her into the house the second time,
the detective was told. 1t Is also
believed that Cohote beat his wife
again Friday night, as the neigh
bors heard her groaning during the
evening. The injured woman, it is
believed, crouched around the stove
until she died about IL o'clock FRI
day night.
Jobikok is the states best witness
and will be held in the county Jail
to appear against Cohote when need
ed. As told in Saturdays NEWS,
Cohote stayed all night in the house
with his dead wife and at 1890
o'clock Saturday morning went to
Gross Brothers grocery store and
asked them to send for a doctor, as
his wife was dead. They told him
he didn't need a doctor, and Coro-
ner GarreSson was notified.
49, L.. u mn -. ,..rn L. An.s.