The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1907-05-05
EL0P|NG PASTOR
HAS BRAIN STORM
RECTOR WHO SKIPPED WITH
HIS HElREss WARD WRITES
TO HIS BISHOP.
NOT TO BE PUNISHED
BY Church Members Who Are wiring
That Scandal Should Drop
Bishop Thinks Desert'on
Deliberately Planned.

New York, May 1.-THE Rev ,lere
Knode Cooke. former pastor of s..
Georges Protestant Episcopal church
of Hampstead, l.. l.. and II yearold
Foretta Whaley, who disappeared
simultaneously last Monday. have
last Monday, have been located at
Peekski.. N. ". according 10 infor-
nation received here today 1t was
announced that the. officials OF Mas
sau county have issued warrant for
Cookies arrest, ami that officers have
been sent to Peekskill to serve it.
New York, May 4.-Bishop Fred
erick X. Burgess of the Long Island
diocese of the Episcopal church gave
IL as his opinion tonight that the
Rev. Jere Knode Cooke, rector of ST..
Georges church in Hampstead. was
in his right mind when he disap
peared from that place last Tuesday
with Floretta Whaley, his 17-year-old
orphan ward
You believe then. that it was de.
liberately planned sin?" the bishop
was asked
Il regret to say, | do" was his re-
ply
The Bishops opinion is directly at
variance with that EXPRESSED by the
governing officers of St Georges
church in statement which they
made public Wednesday night after
a long conference with the bishop. In
that statement August Belmont and
other officers of the church said they
were inclined to the belief that Cooke
was of unsound mind
Keeps Letter Secret.
Bishop Burgess refused today to
make public the lettr which he re
ceived from Cooke on Wednesday,
which led TO his being formally de-
posed from the Episcopal ministry on
the following day The bishop said
this letter involved the names of
other persons and he would not give
it up unless it was through the courts.
He would not even deliver ii into the
hands of the district attorney of Mas
san county, he said. unless compelled
to do so.
He belived the publication of this
letter in'full would give new sensa-
tional turn to the case. A man who
is familiar with the contents of the
letter minated as much. The bishop
refused to say tonight if any criminal
accusations were made against any
body by the missing rector i'm the let
ter. The inference from the bishops
remarks was, however. that the rec
tor disclosed the troubles of his life
other than his infatuation for the IL
year-old girl.
Says He Has Brain Storms"
From a source outside the bishops
office it is learned that Cooke in his
letter att.ibutes his disappearance to
a brain storm he used that expires
sen He tells the bishop he has de-
cidel to leave his parish aud the min
isiry. as he feels he has not lived up
to his opportunities. Then. with a
more despondent air. he saws he is
going away. going to disappear from
the face of the earth He says he is
aud miserable. and has
brain storms" No mention made
in the letter of the girl.
Il is evident now that none Of the
offers Of the church will attempt TO
have him punished. The general feel 1
Ing Of the cong e. alton is that both
Cooke and Miss Whaley have dissp-
pesred forever so far as Hampstead I
3 concerned. They have no desire 70
Keep the scandal alive.