The Sentinel=record., 1918-02-28
ATLANTA MAN IS CONVICTED OF
 BLACKMAILING
CHARGED WITH TRYING TO EX. TORT S5C0,000 FROM ASA c. CHANDLER, MAYOR OF
 ATLANTA.
Mrs Margaret Hirsch, Wife of We'll Known Insurance Man, is Also Un- der indictment on Same Charge and Will ee Tried Later

Atlanta, Ca Feb 27.-One year a. hard labor on the chain gang and a fine of $1,060; the maximum penalty for a misdemeauor case-Was the sentence imposed upon J. w. Cook, real estate agent, for an attempt to blackmail Asa C. Candler. multi mill lionaire, soft drink manufacturer and mayor of Atlanta, in the Fulton county superior court today, The jury de- liberated less than half an hour and Judge Ben Hill passed sentence im- mediately upon hearing it's report. Tho trial was one of the speediest in the history of Atlanta courts.
 Motion for new trial was at once made by counsel for the defense and Judge Hill fixed March 16 as the date for hearing of arguments on the plea. Cooks bond was placed at s3.o00, in default of which he was returned to jail.
 It was announced that the case against Mrs. Margaret Hirsh. wife of II If. Hirsh, a well known insurance man, indicted jointly with Cook, would be called Friday morning. Mrs. | Hirsch is 3S years of age and AIr. Candler 62.
 Less than eight hours time was consumed in disposing of the Cook case.
 Cooks statement before the court today was the first intimation he had given since his arrest of what his de- fense would be. He disclaimed from the outset that he had conspired to blackmail Mayor Candler He de- | scribed in detail incidents leading up to occurrences that led Mir. Candler to take the case to the grand jury. He saw Mrs. Hirsch going toward the Candler building" he said and followed with two friends" .. "We went up behind Mrs Hirsch to the third floor of the Candler building" he continued. "There," he asserted, 'I saw Mrs. Hirsch lying OH
 the lounge and Mir. Candler was in very compromising attitude with i her"
 1 All at once she jumped up and grabbed her hat and coat and ran to-
 ward the door As she opened it, l
 stood up.' Cook said
 Mr Candler's evidence was largely
 a repetition of the statement he gave
 the grand jury on which the indict- ments were returned His cross -ex-
 animation by John H. Cooper brought l only repeated assertions that his ac-
 quaintance with Mrs. Hirsch grew ou; of her activities in Red Cross work which took her on several occasions to his office and brought them into | contact lie denied that he had ever taken any liberties. He insisted that it was not until Cook appeared at tho
 door of his office on the occasion oi
 Mrs Hirsch's visit on February tha'
 he thought a trap had been laid fol l him"
 According to the testimony of For
 rest Adair. a close personal friend o
 Mir. Candler, it was his object in deal. l ing with Cook and Mrs. Hirsch tC develop their game" and when tha was done it was decided to presen
 the matter to the grand jury. , Adair testified that in a conferenc' l with Mrs Hirsch on February l2th | at which Asa Candler, Jr., was pres ent she had pointed out the grea l amount of charitable work done b. MT. Candler, declaring he could af . ford 10 he extremely liberal with her
 She said in running through news I raper clippings she saw where Mayo Candler had given $1000,o00 to Elm { orv university and said she though . hc could give her s5000O0 Adair tes tified
 "I was silent for a while and tn g silence was broken by her speakin
 of her husbands debts which she ha D mentioned previously without statin