Poem

“December 12, 1884: George Cooke”

Laramie, Wyoming

Click here to listen to Jill McDonough read this poem.

On the scaffold, his gait and voice were firm and clear:
It was at once evident to all that Cook
meant to die game. Reporters saw not fear,
but wonderful courage. The next day, readers could look
at the front page of the Laramie Boomerang
to see Cooke face this headline: HE DIED GAME.