Evening Times Republican

SCANDAL AND TRAGEDY
Eldora man kills himself because of sisters' misdeeds.
Lewis Cook narrowly escapes tar and feathers.
Cleveland Crosser Hangs Himself From Fenco and Indignant Citizens Prepare to Punish Man Who Deserted Family For Crosser's Sisters and a Life of Dissipation.
Special to Times-Republican.
Eldora, May 30.—A suicide and a near tar and feathering all in one day may seem pretty good for one town, but this nevertheless is the record of Sunday.
Some time ago one Lewis Cook, once a prosperous business man, of Eldora, together with his brother from Nevada, deserted their wives and families to live in Cedar Rapids with two sisters from Eldora, Crosser by name.
The Cooks started a restaurant in Cedar Rapids, living overhead with the two girls without the formalities of securing divorces and marriage ceremonies.
After about a month of this life the police there got wind of the affair and the four were arrested. They were given jail sentences, and were only released last week, the girls returning to the home of their parents.
Cook Follows Women.
Cook made his appearance in the city on Saturday and went to the Crosser residence. His wife has been divorced less than a year, the wives of the two men starting divorce proceedings immediately after they were deserted.
Brothers Resent Presence,
The parents of the girls seemed to offer no objections to Cook's presence, but the brothers of the girls were considerably wrought up over the affair, so much so that they were ready to resort to desperate means. One of the brothers in particular, Cleveland Crosser, aged about 25, who has been working at the Burninghausen mine north of town, was desperate, and Saturday evening while under the influence of liquor, was endeavoring to borrow a gun with which to kill Cook. The young man was taken home, and on seeing Cook again flew into a violent rage. He left the house and on his not returning a search was made for him, without result until early Sunday morning, when he was found dead some distance back of the house. He appears to have gone from the house to a barb wire fence located some distance from the house and to have taken his belt from around his waist, placing it on the fence and then around his neck, and by sitting down strangled himself. Some have advanced the theory that he alone was not entirely responsible for his death, but this theory seems without foundation.
Cook is Threatened With Tar
The audacity of Cook in returning to Eldora after all that had happened is surprising. Sentiment ran high here all day Sunday, and Sunday afternoon a number of citizens secured a barrel of tar, while one of the number secured a pillow filled with the plucking from certain barn yard fowls, and placing the tar and feathers in a buggy with some other paraphernalia, were on the lookout for Cook.
The authorities got wind of the matter and quietly informed Cook that he had just thirty minutes in which to leave the city to save his hide. He was not completely dressed when he received the notice, nor did he take time to complete his toilet, but hastened to the Iowa Central depot, dressing as he went. On reaching the depot he managed to purchase a ticket for Marshalltown and boarded the cars just in time to save himself, for there was a large delegation waiting for him on the depot platform, in case he did not make the train.
Cook's downfall is attributed to liquor.