Martinsburg statesman-democrat. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1906-1921, 1913-08-29
NOW UNDER ARREST IN CITY HOSPITAL
Young Colored Girl Is Held to Await Prelimin-
airy Hearing on Charge of Numbering Her
Newlyborn Babe-Evidence Shows Death
Resulted From Strangulation And
That The Child Had Lived But
A Few Minutes.


Charged with numbering her newly.
born babe, Bessie Cook, eolored. IL
in the City Hospital receiving treat,
ment and under guard unttl she Is
able to appear before Justice II s..
Thompson, and be given a preliminary
hearing.
The young girl resided with Jacob
Cook and wife, uncle and aunt Of 924
South Maple avenue Recently her
actions became strange, and frequent
inquiries we're made relative to her
condition. She stoutly denied every
charge md persisted in saying that
the reports circulated about her we're
false ana time would proYe her state.
ments to be true,
Monday morning the girl complain
cd of being unwel. but refused to tell
her secret. Gertie Townsend, coIored,
of addition street, was called, and she
attempted 10 draw from the girl any
thing that would shed any light what
ever she stu insisting that she was
wrongly accused After the CONVEX.
satIon the girl went down stairs to
the toilet. ana It was not long until
the family heard someone wheeping
Mrs Townsend went TO the toilet, and
| Il was then that The whole secret was
told
Mrs. Townsend reprimanded the
girl for her Qualifications, telling her
that II she had been truthful the cir.
eumstanees perhaps would not have
been such. SHE then inquired as to
where the child was. and TO her sur.
| prise found It dead, The girl was
then taken In charge and Or. Gray,
colored summoned
Before pr Gray went 70 the home
he called Dr Osburn. coroner, and
the two went together. Upon their
arrival at o'clock in the afternoon.
the girl was treated, and then Inquiry
began about the child They found It
In the toilet in the pail suspended
from the ceiling where It had been
placed BY Mrs. Townsend. The cir
cumstanees we're such that DR. Os.
burn decided that an investigation
was necessary to determine how the
lchila met its death. and he summon
ed the following for an inquest which
was held last night at the Cook home.
/ The jury was composed Of W. $.
Bert. G. G. Lemen, Charles Stiickey.
Harvey A. Bush, Harry Kuhn and
ID. s. Mason. Mrs. Cook stated that
she had frequently inquired Of the
girl about her condition and was al
ways assured that there was nothing
wrong. She said that when Mrs.
Townsend came It was 1890 o'clock
Monday and further she did not
know the child had died.
Mrs. Townsend's testimony did not
agree with that Of Mrs. Cooks, as
she stated when she visited the Cook
nome II WAS o."V otioSh shoHues
morning. She also told the jury Of
her talks with the girl, and in every
instance all reports had been stoutly
/ denied
/ DR. Gray related to the jury the re-
suit Of his examination, saying that
there were finger prints on It's throat;
that blood had clotted in Its throat,
and from all indications the child had
/ breathed.
This concluded the testimony. and
the jury after short deliberatioa re-
turned the following verdict: We,
the jury. find that the child came 70
its death at the hands Of It's motnerl
Bessie Cook