A Vicksburg Story--1885 Distant Cousin Lillie Cook Cowhides her Cousin Reese Cook

These are not close kin. I got onto their stories because one of the Freedmen's Bureau sub-commissioners, J. H. Matthews, lied about some of my closer cousins, the McGehees, and tried to capture and probably kill one of them, all because he got the name wrong from some wild rumor. This man the year before, 1865, as a Captain in a Colored Infantry, had gone out in a marauding party and killed a member of Lillie and Reese's family and then in a short time another raiding party went out and shot the previous victim's sister in law. This time the military officials had to pay attention, and hanged 9 of the murder-party (this became a famous episode) but no one every reproached Matthews. He got away with it and had some shining hours in D.C. lying to Senator Boutwell, who loved it all--confirmation of all his hatred of the South and his determination to punish it.

Anyhow, the deaths left some awkwardness in the family. In 1885 "a handsome young lady of Warren county," Miss Lillie Cook, "cowhided her cousin, Dr. Reese Cook, also of that county . . . because the doctor failed to keep his promise to wed her. They are cousins and the young lady had prepared her trousseau for the momentous occasion, when the doctor 'went back' on her."

What this article in the Natchez Democrat does not say is that Lillie's brother was said to be in the room holding a revolver on his cousin Reese while Lillie cowhided him.

Now, I had better say that the kinship is through the McGehees, but far far back. No Costners or Bells need be uneasy.