Notorious: Maine Crime in the Public Eye, 1690–1940

Alfred S. Cook Murder (1924)

In May 1926, authorities arrested William Gratz (1892-1978) and Herbert Willett (born circa 1905) for the 1924 murder of Alfred S. Cook (1884-1924). After intense interrogation, Willett claimed Gratz, who previously served jail time for promoting prostitution and assaulting a police officer, told him to kill Cook during the course of a robbery. The grand jury failed to indict, and the men were released. Alfred Cook’s murder remains unsolved.