He told of sleeping in doorways covered with newspapers to keep warn. At one point he lived in Skagway, Alaske as a cooks helper during the Gold Rush. He gave his daily allotment of canned milk to a sick Eskimo child and was then named Skoomum Cook. The meaning is Brave-Kind. He met Cathering at her sisters' boarding house in Dunlap IA. We are told she helped him get a diploma and was able to pass the government tests to become a meat packer. This is the job he held for 25 years until he died, in his sleep of a heart attack at the age of 58.

In his obituary, it is noted that his sister, Mrs Chris Rogers [sic?] was visiting and planned to leave on Thursday to return to her home in Chicago. Also at the funeral was his brother Thomas from St. Louis.

Peter became a naturalized citizen March 30, 1897, Cooke County Ill. Citizenship registered Cooke County, Ill.