Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-06-12
COOK, LEAVING COURT AS
VERDICT is READ, LEAPS
OUT THIRD FLOOR WINDOW
Murderer of Two Jumps
to Death After Jury Or
ders Him Hanged.

Under sentence to be hanged,
Robert Cook cheated the gallows
when he ended his own life last
night by leaping through a third
story window at tine courthouse
after he had heard the verdict OF
the jury.
1t was a few minutes after 10
O'Clock that the jury announced
that a verdict had been reached.
Cook was summoned from his cell
and brought into court. An effort
was made to locate his attorneys,
William Schroeder and Roy White
side, but unsuccessfully. At 1920
Harry Olson, foreman Of the jury,
read to the court what Cooks fate
was to be.
AS the death penalty was pro
nounced, the color receded from
Cooks drawn features. His body
went limp; his head sagged to the
table. He did not utter a word az
he realized that he must forfeit his
life for the murder of Cecil Nesbit
and Mrs. Ida Woods as ordained by
the II men in the jury box.
During the few minutes in which
the relatives of Cecil Nesbit went
forward to shake hands with the
jurors and thank them, Cooks
body was a shapeless, inanimate
form in his seat where he had
skunk down. At 10:30 Deputy
Sheriff Jesse Hanna touched him
lightly on the shoulder.
Come on Bob" the deputy
spoke.
Not a sound that the man had
heard, then a little more firmly;
Bob, you will have to come now"
The doomed man stirred almost
! impercepGbly; then made an effort
! to arise. He was assisted to his
! feet by the deputy and further aid
was given as he drooped saggingly
out of the court room. In an outer
room the handouts were applied.
Sheriff in Lead.
Sheriff John Miller walked ahead
as the start back to the cell was
made. Cook followed with Deputy
Hanna behind almost in lockstep
with the convicted man. Deputy
James Cartwright brought up the
rear of the escort.
During all this procedure, Cook
maintained absolute silence, ap-
parently incapable Of trusting his
own legs to hold him, and not say
ing a word. The door leading to the
rear stairway was opened by the
sheriff and Cook filed through. He
had taken only two steps inside the
passageWay when his body became
living, breathing thing again. In
d flash he had thrown his form
through the quarter-inch plate
glass window which looks out on
Third avenue. His body poised for
the fraction of second on the
projecting ledge of the building.
Deputy Hanna had sprung into ac-
, tion only the briefest part Of an in
slant later as Cook crashed through
head first from the ledge, Hanna
succeeded in touching his heel
Prepared to shoot il Cook arose
from the ground, Hanna saw him
light; saw his body rebound or
the ground, and then lay still.
Hanna was the first to reach the
outside. He found the body lying
on the right side, feet pointing to-
wards Third avenue. There was
still breath left in the man, but
scarcely a muscle quivered- DR..
Joseph DeSilva was called and he
arrived few minutes before the
man expired. A cursory eXamina-
tion and the physician pronounced
death only a few minutes away.
Cook breathed perhaps ten minutes
following the leap.
The body was removed to the
O'Malley undertaking parlors
where an examination showed his
chest completely crushed. The
broken ribs had pierced the heart
and lungs. On the left knee, the
right hand, and on the face and
ears, were deep cuts caused by the
glass. The right hip was broken.
The theory is advanced that Cook
struck the ground with his chest
causing the body to rebound, turn
in the air and alight on the side,
hands stretched and pointing to-
wards the Jail. The fact that Cook
pushed out from the ledge per
mitted the body to alight in the
grass, clearing the cement walk
and iron railing about eight feet
The distance from the ground to
the window is approximately forty
feet.
Contemplated the Act.
That Cook contemplated self
destruction rather than permit the
hangman to snuff out his life on
the gallows is an accepted beliet.
1t was learned from the prisoners
with whom Cook came IN contact
that he had said to them that II
he was sentenced TO hang the YER
dict would never be carried out.
During the progress OF the trial
Cook had plenty OF opportunity 20
figure out the means of escape that
he took. In the daytime it has
been customary to keep the win
dow open, and it is thought Cook
was counting On this in aiding him
10 effect a possible escape.
The suddenness with which he
carried out the deed took the sher-
gff a1d dapt.ffag roYY1 r1afaIv T1ya eVTr.