The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1908-03-19
DAMNED, BUT HAPPY
Eloping Preacher Thinks He Is
Right.
TELLS HIS LIFE STORY
Rev. Cooke, Who Eioped With
FIoretta WhsIey, Says Marriage Was
His First Big mistake-Realized
Penalty OF His Crime.

His First Big Mistake-ReaIized
Penalty Of His Crime.
San Francisco. March l7.-writing
"as a sinner to sinners" Jere Knode
Cooke. unfrocked rector of st. Georges
church. Hampstead. l. l., who is liv-
ing here with Floretta whaley. with
whom he eloped. told the story OF his
life. Cooke said;
81 attempt no justification Of my act.
walked TO mine own damnation with
my eyes open. The church has
damned me. the world has damned me
and damned ! stand on the isolated
peak OF my love-happy. When
stopped to the mire of the pit | rose
TO the glory OF the heights.
The question is whether happiness
lies In the beaten trail which the mil
lions follow. or in the forbidden land
on either side. Each must answer the
question for himself. have answered
mine by my act. On my deathbed
shall discover who is right and who Is
wrong-the million or myself. There
is no question IN my mind as write
now and glance at Floretta whaIey
sitting by me. softly singing the song
OF motherhood TO our child at her
breast
my parents died when | was very
young. but remember my mother
making me promise to enter the min
istry. was adopted by a man named
Cooke. When L was sixteen years old
was apprentIced to a painter and
decorator and there learned. the
trade which am following. The lit.
tie l earned I saved, and eventually
had enough TO allow me TO enter Yale.
had to work my way through col
lege. and on graduating was appoint
ed curate OF a church In Baltimore.
While there ] met and married the
woman the law calls my wife. There
made my first big mistake. When,
three days after the wedding. she
coldly informed me that she had mar
ried me simply as a stepping stone
to social success. and that she saw
In me one who was going to rise.
recognized the bitterness OF my lot
From Baltimore was appointed
rector OF ST. Georges church. in
Hampstead. As rector Of st. Georges
| met Fioretta Whaley. She was a
mere child then. and grew up under
my eyes. I always regarded her as a
child until one day awoke to the
fact that she was a woman, and that I
loved her.
AT this time I was at the height
OF my success. The near future prom
ised for me all the sacerdotal world
had TO offer. threw aside everything
and took the girl.
IT knew exactly what the payment
would be. knew the storm that
would follow. knew became a GRIM
inal.
"In the east I would have been
stoned and put in Jail. In the west,
people came to my aid 20 help me out
They understood that had only one
course to pursue, and that was to stick
to the mother OF my child. I expected
q bounding; instead. I received moth
ing but kindness and offers.
"And now all I ask is 10 be allowed
to live my life. not as Jere Knods
Cooke. the unfrocked pastor &c ST
Georges church. but as Balcolm.
painter and decorator. who draws a
weeks wages for a weeks work"
In HIS story Cooke has not confined
himself strictly to the truth. He re-
fers to his graduation from Yale. As
a matter OF fact. he was never gradu-
ated from that institution. He was
raised by Lutheran family. and his
way was paid through the Lutheran
Theological seminary at Gettysburg
Pa He entered the Lutheran minis.
try. but quickly deserted that church