Nothing Good Comes With a 2 a.m. Telegram

He left to join the Navy and never returned, but not for the reason you might think.

Augusta Chronicle (Georgia)
Saturday, 15 August 1903 - pg. 2 [via Newspaper Archive at GenealogyBank]

ADDISON C. HOOK BURIED IN MACON

Young Georgian Who Lost His Life in New York State Sunday -- Little News of How He Was Killed.
Macon, Ga., Aug 14 -- (Special) -- The remains of Addison C. Hook, Jr., of Atlanta, who was killed Sunday night in Rochester, N.Y., by an elevated railway train, reached the city this morning and were laid to rest in the old Lake burial grounds in Rose Hill cemetery.  Mr. and Mrs. Hook, parents of the young man and Mr. Sid Smith, a kinsman of Mrs. Hook, came along with the remains.

So far Mr. Hook knows little of the circumstances surrounding the fatal injury to and the death of his son.  In addition to a letter dated the 11th, received by Mrs. Hook, this morning all that is known came to Mr. Hook from the chief of police at Rochester.  Sunday night last at 2 o'clock Mr. Hook received through the chief of police at Atlanta a telegram from the chief at Rochester stating that his son had been run over by a train at 10:30 Sunday night and that he was then at the Rochester city hospital in a dying condition.  Monday morning about 7 o'clock Mr. Hook received a second telegram informing him that his son had died at 5 o'clock that morning.  Over the long distance telephone Mr. Hook was told by the Rochester chief that his son had been found beside the track with the right arm and the right leg crushed off and that he was conscious when brought to the hospital, but that he had been unable to give any account of the accident or to tell anything except his name and and [sic] home.  Mr. Hook was also notified that the railroad company demanded an inquest.  Through Hon. Hoke Smith, of Atlanta, the father arranged for the presence of attorneys at the inquest.  On Tuesday afternoon at 7 o'clock the body left Rochester in charge of the American Express Co., and taking a round about way, did not reach Atlanta until 5 o'clock this morning.  Mr. and Mrs. Hook and Mr. Smith left Atlanta over the Central at 7:50 this morning, the body being consigned to Undertaker Burghard of this city.

Young Hook left Atlanta last week for Brooklyn, N. Y., to join his brother, Robert Hook, who is in the United States navy at Brooklyn, with a view to entering the service.  He was in Buffalo last Sunday and during the day went to Niagara.  That afternoon he wrote his father stating that he would leave for Albany, where he would take boat for New York.  He probably stopped off at Rochester on his way and by so doing lost his life.

Addison C. Hook, Jr., was about 18 years of age and was reared in Atlanta.  His father is one of the best known travelling men in the south.  His mother was Miss Sally Lake, daughter of the late Francis Lake, a member of the firm of Greer, Lake & Co., years ago one of the leading grocery houses of this city.  He was a young man of good habits and good reputation and was popular with all who knew him.