Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1920-03-19
TELLS STORY Of HIS
LIFE THAT LED HIM
TOD0ORS OF PRISON

X oole former prohibition agent.
WINE awaiting sentence of the federal
curt Tor Violation of the Mann act
declares that, while technically guilty.
ne IS not morally guilty of any crime
Cole, who is to be sentenced shortly
Tor bringing Mary Moore, a trained
nurse, from Baltimore to Arizona. for
me Hrst time yesterday gave his YER
SION OF the story. In his interview
cole denied that he had ever registered
at a Phoenix hotel with the nurse as
Mr. and Mrs. Cole" He again adj
mltted he was the father of the five
months old child brought west by Miss
Moore.
interview:
L have always acknowledged that [
am the father of the child" said Cole,
as he sat in his cell in the county Jail
awaiting sentence at the hands of the
federal court as a result of pleading
guilty to violation of the Mann act
the other day
A man may plead guilty to
charge, be technically guilty of vio-
lating the law, and yet not morally
guilty of any crime" he continued.
Human beings sometimes have mo-
tlves not made public"
Mr.. Cole then began to unfold the
story of his life during the last three
months, filled with adventure, romance
and love which he saws led him into
a technical violation of the law and
placed him behind prison bars.
Three times he was injured in air
plane accidents while in the army
service Only a few months ago he
upset his plane while trying to avoid
hitting some people who were stand
ing on the field and went to the hos
pital.
Another time, when the navy was
trying out a special lighting apparatus
TO enable seapIaneS TO land in the
q IN rat
this apparatus and as a result he land
ed in a hospital for the third time.
Ii was then that he says he met the
woman in the case. She was a nurse
in Washington and was aSs<ned to
nurse him. Later the hospital became
crowded, and Cole could draw pay
for quarters, he was removed to a
private place in Washington and the
woman went with him as nurse. He
acknowledges that he is the father of
the child and said that he told the
woman to use the name of Mrs. Cole
TO save herself from embarrassment.
Cole finally was discharged from
the marines, and first he went to San
Francisco, where he succeeded in get
ting connected with the department
enforcing the prohibition act Cole
says that he wanted to marry the
woman in question. but that he was
already married and could not remar-
ry until he obtained his divorce. Il
he said. In fact, she knew I was
married because she often read my
Wife's letters to me-"
While in San Francisco Cole got n
wire from the woman that she was in
hard circumstances and asked for s25.
He later went to Phoenix and there
sold a pistol he owned for $25 and
says he sent it to her. In the mean
time Cole says he heard that his wife
was trying to get n divorce.
As the woman was a nurse, Cole
says he told her to make application
for the position as narcotic agent and
wanted her to come to Arizona mot
until | got in Jail did / know anything
about the law in this state preventing
people from marrying until one year
after divorce he said.
Things went from bad to worse with
the little woman. and finally he sent
her money to come to Arizona on, ex-
pecting to get her job as soon as she
arrived For some reason he had to
go to Phoenix, and says he wired over
for reservations for two rooms. Upon
his arrival he says that the hotel
keeper told him he could not give him
but one room, and he gave that to the
woman. while Cole says he went else
where to sleep. Il never signed the
register. as I reserved the rooms by
wire, and do not know what names APP
pear on it, but I am told that the reg
lister showed Mr.. and Mrs. Cole as
occupying the rooms
He claims that he had practically
the same experience here. He said he
arrived at the Santa Rita during the
cattlemens convention; that they
could get only one room, and he told
the woman to sign the register as Ma
mic Cole. He said that he even tried