New Britain herald., 1926-01-08
Artists of Swindle

Nef NNN'~ sS"Nt NN'S eAsS'b themselves in their inner offices, in hotel lobbies.
 Is there another axiom. just ss self'evident in the get.rich.quick game:
 "once c bunk always A bunk'?" TYR, FREDERICK A. COOK. con. D victed of using the mails to de. fraud, Is in his Texas cell. his oil promotion schemes history.
 But this has not been the first time he was accused Of having at. tempted to bunk" the public.
 Once he gave glowing accounts of having reached the peak of Mount Mckinley,
 Later he thrilled the world with announcement that he had attained the North Polo.
 In Fort Worth he sought-HE DID-extract more money from peo- pie who had already lost money in wildcat oil promotions.
 A NEWsPAPERMAN, Philip A Gibbs of the London Chronicle. "blew up" Cooks claim of North Pole discovery.
 Gibbs met pr. Cooks ship at sea. on the return voyage. and obtained an interview with the explorer hours ahead 0. all the other newspaper men who were awaiting him In Copen hagen.
 Dr. Cooks contradictions and ,h. fact that he had absolutely no rec ords to prove his claim of discovery. aroused Gibbs suspicious.
 Gibbs asked him for his diary. Cook replied with "a strange. de. fensive look" in his eyes that he had no diary.
 But surely" said Gibbs, "you have brought your journal with you? The essential papers?''
 T have no papers," replied the ex. plorer, and his mouth hardened.
 Perhaps I could see your astro. nomical observations" suggested the newspaper man.
 Haven't I told you that have brought no papers7" came the an. swer In violently angry tone. You believed Nansen, and Amundsen and sverdrup. They had only their story to tell. Why don't you believe me?"
 When Dr. Cooks boat neared Co. penhagen, thousands of people had gathered to greet him. The water was crowded with craft of every size and type, from steam yachts to rowing boats, with flags afutter.
 But Dr. Cook was hiding in his cabin, and had to be dragged forth. When he appeared on deck hs had A hvid look. according to Gibbs.
 From thereon coil of evidence was woven about him. Consistently 1t was shown that Dr. Cook had no papers nor no scientific proof that hs had reached the North Pole. And In time the whole world was laugh ing at him.
 nR. COOKS conviction in the oil D swindle cases at Ft. Worth, Texas, was accompanied by one of the most scathing denunciations ever uttered from federal court bench.
 "So you have nothing to say" Judge John N. KIllits told him. You have come to the point where your peculiar personality falls you. The 20th century should be proud of you. History gave us Ananias and Sap, tfhira. They are forgotten, but we still have Dr. Cook"
 While he may never have had knowledge of the adage. Dr. Cook, too, seems to have worked on the principle of "once q sucker, always a sucker"
 As president of the Petroleum Fro. ducers' Association, he worked a scheme of extracting more money from men and women who already had lost in oil Investments"
 He sent out letters to stockholders of various oil companies informing them, as they already knew, that their stock stood against assets which had not been profitable. He would tell them further:
 ''In the present endeavor to pro. tect and make profitable your invest. ments, your lot has been cast with tho Petroleum Producers Associs. tion because of the advantage of greater united action and better financial and operating facilities" nR. COOK. exploiting his schemes. U would advertise:
 How Would You Like to See & Gusher Flowing Profits Directly Into Your Pockets?"
 That sounds like foolish oues. ton, doesn't 1t. my dear friend7 And guess 1t Is foolish question number about s.4ss,s2s"