The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-11-03
GRAVE CRARGEs
AgaiDst the Dead Belong ANA
Ghe Living MeIYnT;el
Plain Talk by Dr. UOs.lna.

@Am A0AK 0Y DP. GOsBinA
He Places ahs Death Of DE.
Long and Party at mel
V1IIe's Door.
Minneapolis, Mimi, 2.-The T5ib-
aLl1e tomorrow will print an inter
view with Dr. D. ]. Collins. of This
city. brother of the late Jerome J.
Collins, scientist of the JeGnnetts
expedition. DR.. Collins saws 1--WE
have evidence that Capt. belong
used his official position as COM
mander of the expedition, to perse-
cute in every conceivable way some
members of the commission. NV
brother was placed under arrest for
no reason whatever. This Lieut.,
Danenhower admitted to me in New
York. Capt. belong refused toaI-
low nay brother, at certain times, to
do any kind OF work, and purposely
allowed the notes, photographs and
records of the expedition prepared
by my brother to sink. We have
evidence that the Captain forced
him to remain behind when he vol
unteered to go ahead with Ninder-
man and NOrose in search of relief.
My brother being in the best con-
ditlOn Of any member of the party.
did so. There is evidence that Bart
lett. who is now in Siberia, one of
the seamen. is in possession Of yalu-
able facts; but we believe heis kept
in Siberia purpOsely by the officers
of the expedition, that his testi-
mony may not get before the board.
We are also in possession Of full
information that en- MelVille's find
ing the bodies of the belong party,
he used most blasphemous, scandal
Gus language concerning my bro
theirs body. We also have reason
for believing the reports made by
Melville as to the condition of the
weather, which he alleged pre-
vented him going to the relief Of
the belong party were false,
for the dates on which he
declared the weather to be bad
are shown to have been good by re-
cords. Collins further asserts that
! jealousy existed between certain
officers of the expedition, the trouble
first beginning, as we learn, over an
order to the effect that all men
should undergo physical eXamina-
ton monthly. Collins and Danen-
hover were neither permitted to
assist in the retreat. DR.. Collins
adds; We happen to know that
Kusmah requested Melville to go to
| belongs relief himself, or send
some one, and that Melville would
do neither. He first gave an order
to Danenhower to go, and then
countermanded it. Kusmah and
Shagra were fifteen days in making
the round trip to Belun, to the spot
at which MelYille's party was; while
two days each way was ample time
for the journey. During the trip
these men got drunk, which Mel
vile knew. While they were gone
in search of belong, Melville and
those with him made chessmen,
checker boards, and amused them
selves, leaving the work. of search
ing for their companions to two
! ignorant, drunken natives. We have
reasonable ground for being certain
I llldU GuCIO was O
amount OF intoxicants drank during
the fifteen days that they waited the
return the two natives. We know,
from conversations with surviving
members of the expedition, that GER
tain letters and papers which we
believe were on my brothers person,
have never been produced. We
want to know what has been done
with these papers. If Melville had
gone with the natives, as he ought
| to have done, there is no
doubt that belong and his
party would have been saved;
he would have seen that beacon
fires had been lighted on the bluffs.
as is stated in belongs journal
which was found-even if he had
started out when Kusmah and
Shagrah were overdue. We there
fore make the charge that, had Mel
vile done his duty instead of spend
ing his time playing chess and
checkers, DeLOng and his party
would not have died. Melville left
them to die. He is responsible for
their deaths. Collins will print this
statement IN pamphlet form with
documentary evidence and lay it
before Congress.