New-York tribune., 1907-12-31
COOKE FOUND AND LOST
at WORK As DECORATOR.
In Humble San Francisco Fiat scfth
Floretta WhaIey and Baby.

San Francisco Dec 3e.-In a pelti1s RAIN ana pe
fore davbreak the Rev Jere hnode Cooke iorihet
,v nastor of St Georges Church. at feinpste0u'
Tonr Island and F1oretta Whaley, the seventeen
,,earold beress with whom he eloped elght iloi1is
a,o deserving a wife 20 whom he had been mar
RED for nine years. stole away tooay from 'ii0
little fat which they had occupied at NO 1Iss Greer,
street in this city, where they were olseoVereo
,,ar,ersaz, living under the name OF Mr.. and MIS-
f-e-ald y.aIcorn taking with them their baby boy
born two months ago. They left oehlno an tHeS
had managed through rigid economy to save our
tns the eight months that search for them had peeh
made throughout the country Where lney went
mas not yet been ascertained-
The police declare that request has been mace
to them TO apprehend the couple, and that no eror'
IS being made to find detain them
The discovery OF Cooke and the girl was naoe
through the fact that Captain Cleary of the Morse
Patrol Agency who had met them Mr. and
Mrs. Balcom' when they arrived here last June
from Los Angeles recognized the girls picture
when il was published last week in connection
with a dispatch from Louisiana stating that Cooke
had deserted Flcretta Waaley and had given her
.away to FANNY there who were educating her
Yesterday afternoon representative from a local
newspaper called at the home where COOKE anu
his companion lived under their assumed names.
Cooke, d Yale graduate, worked at painting anu
decorating, ana when necessary did any manual
work he could get.
The only notice ever taken OF the couple by
neighbors and those who lived in the same building
To
the devotion of Balcom the giriish mother and
child.
When the newspapernan called yesterday balcom'
or Cooke admitted his identity, but sent the young
mother and the baby into another room. asking
reporter lower his tone that she might not
learn of the discovery of their identity.
My God. What an awakening from our happi-
ness" exclaimed Cooke. -'An / want is q chance
TO get away. L don't mind Sing Sing or he'll but
it is she The child was born two months ago. and
f-5lFr
Pacing back and forth, Cooke told the reporter
the story Of mis- life and of his elopement with
Miss whaley.
The inexorable law must be maintained he
said. Il have preached it often ought TO know
There is nothing that viii paint black sheep
white. But have my reasons. For ten years L
have kept silent. For the last eight months have
borne without murmur all the abuse. the vilest
lies that newspapers could concoct'
Cookies father died when Cooke was five years
nld He was adopted by uncle and learned the
trade of paperhanging and decorating. He worked
his way through Yale. and finally entered the min
tstry- Cooke told of his marriage and his
happy married life He declared that his wife ad-
nlitted him that she had married him for no
other reason than that IL would prove a convenient
stepping stone for her social ambitions He added
that it would be 'caddish TO date on my marriage
troubles"
Then j awoke TO love, and everything else was
worthless" he continued. You know the end. On
position and wealth. and the other love and
poverty. I chose this"
He pointed TO the scantiiy furnished room II
don't praise myself for the step took II was
weakness. it was unmanly; but L am only human
and as am TO be judged by human beings it is
but right that they should know that / gave up
all that had fought for and won Now all 1 ask
is to be let alone.
Il am doing mans work. / have sinned but
] have suffered Now I beg the world to let me
alone with my wife and child i can live the life
OF good citizen They say f a good deco
rator- L was kept work long after the other
men were let go during the financial stringency
ask the world TO let a painter nothing
more; TO do mans work enjoy the average
society and happiness Of the average man"
Cooke said he afflicted with heart disease
and several times he the verge of collapse
during the interview. On lhe promise that Mrs
Balcom' would not be apprised of the fact that
their identity had been discovered, Cooke accom-
panied the reporter a newspaper office to be
sketched.
On the way downtown Cooke tainted in the
streetcar.
Cookies neighbors spoke in the highest terms OF
the pair Mrs. s NJ Miles, who lives in an ad-
Joining apartment, said that she saw Cooke and his
companion, or Mr.. and Mrs. Balcom, as she knew
them, leave their fat early this morning and go
out in the storm The had a few pieces of
baggage and the girl carried the baby closely
wrapped. An efforts to find the pair to-day were
in vain