TALA Tales: William Cook--Cooked Alive

Photo by Donnie Nunley Source: Only in Your State

The summer of 1891 was pretty rough for the Weston State Hospital, also known as the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum. Over the course of two months, four patients died tragically by their own hand, either through suicide or accident. I’ll discuss those other patient tragedies in upcoming blogs, but for today’s story, I wanted to discuss the horrific fate of William T. “Frank” Cook. 

Cook was a thirty-seven year old cigar maker from Wood County, WV who had been admitted to his second stay at the hospital on August 15, 1890. After being released the first time, he spent a few months at home before once again becoming erratic, and needing treatment. Generally known as being from a good family and being a calm and inoffensive patient, it’s probably safe to say that in an overcrowded hospital, Cook was most likely not watched super closely…at least not as closely as some of his fellow patients on Ward 3. 

On Saturday, August 22, 1891, Cook was suffering from diarrhea associated with dysentery, and had become quite weak. After he had accidentally soiled himself, instead of waiting for the help of a nurse or other staff member, Cook entered the bathroom and drew his own bath. After climbing into the tub of water, it was found to be scalding hot. Too weak of mind and/or body to remove himself from the scalding water, Cook remained in the tub until, as the sensationalized headlines of the time reported, he cooked himself alive.  

Around 5pm a staff member finally entered the bathroom and found Cook in a horrific state. It is noted that when he was removed from the water, his flesh literally fell off, leaving exposed skeleton. One would imagine the shock associated with such injuries would result in a quick death, but Cook would cling to life until the next day. He died on Sunday, August 23 and was buried in the hospital cemetery. 

GHOST ALERT!

Cook is believed to be one of the spirits still haunting the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum. According to the Miami Ghost Chronicles, he has been known to communicate on Ward 5 (2nd floor) by turning flashlights on and off in response to questions. His spirit has also been witnessed on Ward 3 (third floor) in and around the bathroom where his accident occurred. He makes himself known through loud bangs, dragging noises, and the sound of footsteps moving through water. 

More stories from the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum can be found at my page:

Collections: The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum

The Wheeling Daily Intelligencer  28 August 1891

The Courier (Waterloo, IA) 29 August 1891

West Virginia Argus 29 October 1891