Year: 1859

Cook has been visited throughout the
Imprisonment by the Rev. G.. North at the
request of the prisoner, as also ofGov. Wise
and Willard. Rev. Mr.. North was present
at an interview between Coppic and Mr.
Butler, a Quaker gentleman from Ohio who
raised the prisoner. He describes it as q
very affecting one.


An uncle of Coppic, of the same name,
from Ohio, also visited him. He seemed
deeply distressed at the sad fate which
awaits his relation.


All apprehensions of an intended rescue
had long since been banshed


At quarter past eight o'clock last even
ing the whole town was thrown into commo-
tion by the report of rife under the Jail
wall, followed by several other shots in the
vicinity Of the guard house. The military
was called to arms, and the excitement was
intense. The streets and avenues of the
town were in possession of armed men and
it was with some difficulty that the cause OF
all this turmoil could be ascertained


Rnmors of every description were ahoat.
1t was at one time thought that the prison
ers had overpowered their guards and made
their escape, and then that an attack had
been made on the Jail by parties attempting
to rescue the prisoners.


The bodies of the negroes, after being cut
down, were placed in poplar coffins and car
ried back to the jail. They will be inferred
tomorrow on the spot where the gallows
stands, though there is party of medical
students here from Winchester who will
! doubtless not allow them to remain there
long


EXECUTION OF Cook AND CoPP1c.-The
bodies of the negro prisoners having been
brought back to the Jail, at about quarter
| to IL o'clock this Z. NJ notice was given
to Cook and Coppic that then time was
approaching, only one hour more being al
lowed them The military movements,
similar to those at the first execution, were
repeated, and wagon with two more cof-
fins was standing at the door of the jail
At half past II o'clock the same military
escort was in readiness. Meantime the
closing religious ceremonies were progress
ing in the cell. Since the failure of the at
tempt of Cook and Coppic to escape on the
10th, their assumed composure and appar-
ent resignation had given way, and they
now looked at the reality of their fate with
the full conviction of its awful certainty
They were reserved and rather quiet, and
joined with fervor in the religious ceremo
nies conducted by the Rev. Messrs. North
Leper and Waugh. When called upon by
the Sheriff they stood calm and quietly
whilst their arms were being pinioned, and
after bidding farewell to the guards of the
JAIL were helped into the wagon and took
seats on the cofins. Their appearance was
rather that of hopeless despair than of res
ignation. They seemed to take but little
notice of anything as the procession slowly
moved on to the field of death. The wag-
on reached the scaffold at thirteen minutes
before o'clock, and the prisoners ascend
ed with determined firmness scarcely sur
passed by that of Capt. Brown


A brief prayer was offered up by one of
the clergy, the ropes were adjusted, the
caps drawn over their heads and both were
launched into eternity in seven minutes after
they assembled the gallows They both ex-
hibited the most unainching frmness say
ing nothing with the exception of bidding
farewell TO the ministers and sheriff At
ter the rope was adjusted about Cooks
neck he eXclaimed-"Be quick, as quick as
possible" After hanging so minutes both
bodies were taken down and placed in black
walnut cOffins enclosed in popular boxes.
That Of Cooks was labelled as follows.
"Ashbell P. Willard and Robt. Cawlev,
lO4 William ST.. n Y, care Adams Ex-
press" Coppic is to be forwarded to his
mother in Iowa.


The sentinel stationed near the Jail re-
ported that quarter past eight O'Clock he
observed man on the Jail wall whom he
challenged, and receiving no answer he fir
ed at him. The head of another man was
also seen above the wall but he returned
as soon as the first one had been fred at
The man on the top of the wall seemed at
first determined to resist, and was about
making an attempt to jump down when the
sentinel declared his intention of impaling
him on his bayonet He then returned in
to the Jail yard with Ooppc and both gave
themselves up without further resistance
Cook afterwards remarked that if he could
have got over and throttled the guard he
would have made his escape. The Shenan-
doah mountains are within ten minutes run
OF the Jail wall, and had he reached them.
with his thorough knowledge of the noun

tains, his arrest would have been difficult.
especially as but few of the military could
have followed him during the night. They
had succeeded after two weeks labor, when
ever alone, and at night when their he'd
clothing muffied the sounds of saw which
they had made out of an old barlow knife,
IN cutting through their iron shackles, so
that they could put them off at any mo-
ment that they should have their work CON-
pleted.


They had also made a sort of chisel
out of an old bed screw, with which they
succeeded, as opportunity would offer, in re-
moving the plaster from the wall, and then
brick after brick until space sufficient for
them to pass through was opened, all ex.
cept the removal of the outer brick. The
part of the vail on which they operated
was in the rear of the beds on which they
slept, aud the bed being pushed against the
wall completely hid their work from view.
The bricks they took out were concealed ID
the drum OF stove and the dirt or plaster
removed in the course of their work was
placed between the bed clothes.


They acknowledge that they had been