The Monroe journal., 1922-11-14
Find COOK CAME TO HIS
DEATH BY HIS OWN HAND
Despondent Over Financial Troubles,
Jackson Township Man Swallowed
Quantity Of Strychnine.
HAD TOLD HIS PEOPLE HE
WOULD BE AWAY SOME TINE

HAD TOLD HIS PEOPLE HE
WOULD BE AWAY SOME TINE
When He Failed to Return, Family
Became Uneasy and Instituted .
Search That Finally Revealed His
Body in a Stretch of Woodland
Left Letter in Which He Blamed
Prominent Citizens of Waxhaw For
Not Coming to His Aid-Deceased
Was Sixty Years of Age.
Waxhaw, K. F. d. l, Nov. l3.-This
community was greatly shocked Fri
day to learn that Mr.. Harper Cook,
who had been missing from his home
since Wednesday noon, had been found
dead near a path leading through a
piece of woodland between his resell
dence and sca. Of Mrs. Adam McMa-
nus.
Mr.. Cook had left home ostensibly
for the purpose of going to his moth
er-in-law's to assist in the adjustment
of some business matters with the
settlement of the estate of the late j.
d. Petty, and remarked to his wife
as he departed that Il may not get
back tonight"
On the strength of this remark no
uneasiness was felt until the second
night. when inquiry revealed that Mr..
Cook had rot been at the home of
Mrs. Petty a. all.
This knowledge. of course caused
alarm, and Immediate search result
ed in the finding of the lifeless body
as above stated.
Mr.. Cook vas sixty or more years
old, and had been citizen of the
Bonds Grove community since boy
hood. He was consistent member
of the Methodist church, an excellent
citizen. a good aeighbor and a man
whose friends and neighbors speak
OF as above reproach.
Evidences found with the body
pointed clearly to an act of suicide.
A note written by himself, evidently
after taking the drug that ended his
life indicated financial troubles as the
cause of the rash act.
Sheriff Fowler Immediately sum-
moned Coroner Davis, who ordered an
inquest. Tie finding of the jury was
as follows:
North Carolina, Union County.
Be it remembered that on this the
10th DAY OF Nov. 1922, |, 7. B. Davis,
coroner Of said county. attended by q
jury of good and lawful men, to-wit:
J. L. Walkup, T. E. Blythe, r. A.
Grow, A. B. McManus, L. M. Riner
and J. S. Plyler, by me summoned for
the purpose according to law, and af-
after being duly sworn and emparei-
ed in Sandy Ridge township, Union
county, did hold an inquest over the
dead body of j. Harper Cook, and at
ter inquiring into the facts and cir.
cumstances of the death of the de-
ceased. from a view of the corpse and
the consideration Of all testimony to
be procured, the jury returned as their
verdict that the deceased came to his
death by an overdose of strychnine
administered by his own hand, as will
appear upon reference to the verdict
of said jury hereto attached. Attach
ed to this is also the evidence taken
before said jury. Affidavit request
ing coroner to inquest made by Clif-
ford Fowler, High Sheriff of Union
county. This Nov. 10, 1922,-T. B.
Davis, Coroner Union County.
The Verdict.
We. the jury selected and sworn to
hold a coroner's inquest over the body
of J. Harper Cook, after viewing The
body, heard the following evidence
Mr.. Hight Helms, being sworn, said
he sold Mr.. Cook strychnine Wednes-
day morning, Nov. s, deceased stat
ing at the time that he wanted the
poison to kill rats.
DR.. S. H. Ezzell, after being sworn,
stated that he viewed the body early
in the morning following its discov.
cry and found no trace of violence. A
few teet from the body he found
box OF strychnine, labeled to contain
about ten grains. To the best of his
knowledge, DR., Ezzell declared the
deceased came to his death from poi
soning, and that the strychnine oox
contained five grains less than it held
when bough. from the Wolfe Drug Co.
Sheriff Fowler, after being sworn,
testified that he examined the body Of
J. Harper Cook and found on his per
son a pocket knife, pocket book
containing sixty-five cents in money,
receipt from Niven-Price Company
for seventy dollars to be applied on
bank note, dated Nov. s, 1922, ard
also a note concerning the cause OF
his death, copy of which follows,
The Note
"This is to let you know the cause
Of my Gea h. | owed three hundred
dollars at the bank and | tried to get
help. | tried Jack Sims, Luke Nc
Corkle, Henry Collins, Ricnard Mis-
bet, Barber s" llivan, ]. e. Mccain
and J. NJ. Nivn. think you men
have done me wrong. | can't see my
things took from my sweet woman
and children. NUw you men know
you have treated me wrong. Please
pay Ruth twenty dollars. ~. Harper
Cook"
We, the jury selected and sworn 20
hold the inquest over the body Of j..
Harper Cook, after hearing all the
evidence, render il as our opinion that
deceased came to his death by an
overdose of strychnine administered
by his own hand.-Signed, ]. L. Walk
up, 7. E. Blythe, R. A. Grow, A. B.
McManus, L. M. Riner, ]. 5. plyler.
When the slump in land values oc-
Cured in 1920, It is said that Mr.
Cook owed two thousand dollars on a