The Mount Holly news., 1916-11-28
Cook Shot His Wife.

A jury summoned by Coroner Gas
kill, to investigate the cause of the
death Of Bertha Cook at Bordentown,
ON November 18th, after being out
nearly four hours, returned verdict
that she had died from gunshot wounds
inflicted by her husband, Edward
Cook, but did not state if the shooting
had been accidental or intentional.
The inquest was held at Bordentown
on Friday. Prosecutor Kelsey repre-
sentsd the state, and Robert Peacock
appeared for the defendant.
Cook did not seem to be much inn
pressed with the gravity of his position,
% he laughed outright when some OF
the witnesses were testifying.
According to the testimony of Charles
c. Reed, neighbor, and other wit
nesses, Cook rushed into the Reed
home less than a minute after Reed
and his wife had heard shot, followed
by thud and q moan. "Oh. Mrs.
Reedl" Cook cried, according to the
testimony Of the Reeds, Wont you
please come in! Bertha has been fool
ing with my gun again and has shot
herself"
Reed said he entered the Cook home
by the rear door and found Mrs. Cook
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and dining room. The shotgun stood
stove.
Cook told him, said the witness, that
he had been upstairs writing letter to
his aunt when he heard the shot and
rushed down to find his wife's body in
the kitchen. Mrs. Reed admitted that
there was no friendship between the
Rooro nrd Ern1 nxufv1 IN hn 1af
alleged treatment of his wife. Mrs.
Resd said that Mrs. Cook, several
weeks ago, brought her clothes into
the Reed home when she planned to
leave her husband.
Detective Ellis II. Parker testified
that after being arrested, Cook told the
story about being upstairs when his
wife shot herself, but fterwards ad-
mitted that this was untrue, and that
he had killed her accidentally while
handling the gun downstairs.
The state claimed that the woman
was shot by her husband as she sat at
the table in the kitchen, and that the
gun was fred from the adjoining room.
The charge, according to the testimony
Of DR.. Mendenhall, tore across the
front OF her head, threw the skull back
without even disarranging the back
hair and combs and the conclusion
tossed the woman's entire brain out
upon the table. Grewsome photo
graphs Of the scene of the tragedy and
Of the wound in the victims head
were shown the jury.
Prosecutor Kelsey sought to prove
that the course taken by the shot in
dicated that the victim had been shot
from the adjoining room, where Cook
admitted keeping his gun. Attorney
Peacock claimed that other shot marks
indicated that the prisoner latest con-
fsssion, that he stumbled as he was
taking the gun from the dining room
into the kitchen to put it in its case
and that accidental discharge killed
Mrs. Cook, was the correct version Of
the slaying.
Marie Schmidt, sister OF Mrs. Cook,
was not called at the inquest. The
child has told county officials and
again declared when interviewed, after
the inquest that while she was visiting
the Cooks a week before the tragedy
Cook had seized the gun and pointed
IL at both her and his wife. She said
she ran into the adjoining room and
that she heard her sister tell Cook that
she was afraid OF him.
That insanity may be the defense of
Cook was intimated by his attorney.
"Cook ID cigarette fiend," declared
former Asssmblyman Peacock to news
paper men. He is constantly de-
manding the dope-sticks. He has
changed the story of the shooting O.
half-dozen times"
Cook was brought from the Mount
Holly jail to the Bordentown city hall
In motor car, shacklsd between
Sheriff Stecher and Deputy Sheriff
Fleetwood. His first plea after the
hearing was for q cigarette and he
walked from the room back to the
motor car, nonchalantly putting away.