The day book. [volume], May 14, 1914, NOON EDITION, Image 13

About The day book. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1911-1917

Image provided by: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library, Urbana, IL

                
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CORA ANDERSON WAS A GOOD MAN TO BOTH
HER WIVES HOW SHE FOOLED SECOND ONE
BY IDAH McGLONE GIBSON
Milwaukee, Wis., May 14. Cora
Anderson, the woman whose amaz
ing story I told in The Day Book yes
terday who dressed, lived, worked
and loved as a man for 13 years, was
a good man to her two wives!
Today I interviewed Marie White,
who passed, as "Ralph's" wife for
over 12 years; and I also talked to
poor little Dorothy Klenowski, the
pretty blond girl whom Cora, as
-' "Ralph," married a few months ago.
I asked them both how "he" treated
them.
"For a long time Cora and I found
the relation" a good working basis.
Cora was a good companion to me
for many of those' years. But I think
during the last year both of us be
gan to tire of the arrangement. It
was not normal.
"The ambition of every girl is to
have a home and a real husband,
and we are no executions. We often
talked of breaking up the arrange
ment and last fall she left and even
got as far away as Chicago. But she
returned. I think, however, that we
both were tired ; we wanted to be real
again.
"I think at first we were both very
happy. We had the Iniowledgc. that
we were doing-something out of the
ordinary, and that, you know, is al
ways interesting.
"For a number of years Cora was
the same sweet girl chum, when she
was with me, that she had always
been, but. I began to notice a little
coarseness creep in.
"She began to think as a man a,nd
.at last. I think she began to think
she was a man. I was worried for
fear she was giving herself up to this
delusion, and I told her that she
should get back into the refining in
fluence of skirts.
. "She resented this, and we had
many differences about it and other
actions that 1 did not consider right,
and at last Cora left home, and the
next thing I heard was that she was
seen at dances with this other little
girl.
"I know I am getting the blame for
telling this secret, and perhaps it is
just as well, as I think I should have
done it later, anyway.
"A woman wants the -love of a
man. She wants a husband and chil
dren. This neither of us could have
had as long as we were posing as man
and wife."
Miss White speaks with even bet
ter diction than Miss Anderson. She
impresses you as being far above the
average person in intelligence. She
has written and is writing for some
of the. high-class magazines.
Dorothy Klenowski, the girl whom
Cora really married, was in tears
when I talked to her.
"My heart was almost broke when
I found out that Ralph was really a
woman," said she.
" 'He' was bigger to me than any
man could be," she went on through
her tears. " 'He' drd not ask any
thing of me only to be happy.
"I'll be a good chum to 'him,' if I
can't be 'his' wife, as long as I live,
because I love 'him.'
"All the other men who have tried
to make love to me seemed to have
only one purpose in view. I suppose
that-, many other girls can tell the
same story, but I have had to leave
place after place of employment be
cause of the overtures to me by feither
the proprietors or others in authority.
"When 'Ralph' came and took me
out to the shows, the restaurants and
the "dance halls and never acted as
though he wanted anything bad of
me, of course I loved him. Wouldn't
you?"
Dorothy is still living at the board
ing house with "Ralph,"' and when I
called there her mother was also with
the two girls.
When I called on Cora Anderson