The Unceremonious Exit of Colonel Cook
North Yakima’s marshal, known for his relentless attention to public cleanliness, is replaced in a surprise council shake-up.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Councilmen-elect and Mayor Nichols were sworn in on Monday, immediately proceeding to municipal business. While Colonel Cook, the outgoing marshal, was lauded for his vigilance and personal pride in the city’s order—despite a perceived arrogance that he 'owned' the city—he was ousted. The council replaced him with Ben McMurtry, who secured the position on the first ballot. The sudden transition was attributed by some to a deal made earlier that afternoon, marking the end of Cook’s tenure.
“There is occasionally impressed upon one the opinion that he owned the city.”
The transition of power in local law enforcement remains a defining feature of Yakima’s civic life. Cook’s reputation for 'vigilance' and order mirrors the historical tension between town-building boosters who prize cleanliness and the political mechanisms that remove them.
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