Oilman Out

In April 1925, Frederick Albert Cook, M.D., polar explorer, mountain climber, oil stock promoter, entered the U.S. penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kan., became convict No. 23,118, began to serve a 14-year sentence. Not for the doubt that had been cast upon his story of "discovering" the North Pole was he convicted, but for using the U.S. mails to defraud.

In 1921 Dr. Cook had appeared in Texas as head of a petroleum producers association. His economic theory: "A consolidation of bankrupt companies with dry wells would produce a solvent company with flowing wells." He bought up some 300 dry oil wells, claimed a capitalization of $380,000,000, sold stock by mail. Excerpts from the Cook sales letters: "We say it with cash dividend checks, not with flowers." "Oldfashioned hell is too good for the fake oil promoter, the most contemptible human rodent that ever breathed God's pure air." "We have the greatest oil pool in Texas." Ignorant "investors" lost $4,000,000 in the scheme. Where Dr. Cook claimed to have two great gushers producing 20,000 bbl. per day, the U. S. at his trial showed that from all his wells not ten barrels per day could be pumped. The sentencing judge compared him to Ananias and Sapphira.*

Convict No. 23,118 worked as night interne in the Leavenworth hospital, taught a prisoners' night school, edited the New-Era, prison publication. His behavior was excellent. He took no part in last year's Leavenworth mutiny (TIME, Nov. 18).

Last week the penitentiary gates opened and convict No. 23,118 changed back to Frederick Albert Cook. Attorney General Mitchell had approved his parole. Its prime provision: Cook must hereafter write and speak nothing but the truth. The first $12,000 he makes, the U.S. will take as the fine he still owes for his oil fraud.

Wearing a faded old suit, he met newsmen, declared:

"I'm broke, gentlemen. I still feel an impulse to explore, but at 65 one must abandon such things. ... I have no assurance that Amundsen is not yet alive. There is ample room to hope he will survive. The observations of Byrd and Amundsen verify the reports I made of what I found at the North Pole. I may have been some miles from the Pole, but there never will be absolute proof of the attainment of the Pole. . . ."

Dr. Cook went to Chicago to work on a new science he called "cellular therapy," to develop a treatment for drug addiction.

* Ananias and Sapphira, his wife, were struck dead for lying about the price of land which they had sold in order to give the proceeds to the Early Church.

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