The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-11-29
Fact Swallowed in Falsehood
About the Totem Pole.
.TlMEs" PUBLISHES A FAKE.
He Has Requested the Evenfng FAB
Not PResend to say That the SCI
attic Totem Pole II the One IN
His Pfcture-It simply Looks Like
lt-Romnnce Out OF aething.

The interesting photographs testimony"
prsaled Ia sha Essnlny Tines Monday
about the totem pole in Connection with
e. alleged Indirect interview with y. I.
Uougias' was as false as lse interview
Eas misleading and garfield
In the beginning Air. Douglas name WAS
not used, either fer the purpose Of mis-
beading or through the safns eareiessness
exhibited In ssln. the Information nc gave
the Timsz4
Ar. Douglas name Is A. J, Douglas. ard
he las place OF business 81 1851 First
avenue.
He says that while ne was talking about
Alaska totem poles Ia which ne Is ~ell
versesl a Times reporter heard him and
ssised for information five minutes
talk resulted In the appearance ia the
Times under such scare hsad lines aa
.~rotem Pole LEes Are Nailed" and u.
r. Douglas Testimony Important. u a
column article couched in such language
as 10 make the general reader b. sieve
that Mr.. Douglas knew all about the iuit-
viGuai totem pole which stands IN Pioneer
place. and the iocafion from which Il
came, A casual reader would imagine
that Mr. Douglas was giving a specific
history Of tae pole,
The article was nearly as much Of a sur
prise &c Mr. Douglas as IL was 10 the peo%
Douglas says IL IL true that he lived AZ
Tongass and that he took tire pie, ure Of a
group OF totem poles. which appeared III
the Times but he does not KNOW that the
SEATTLE totem pQie came from Tongass. and
did Sot intend 10 convey any such idea
He says that IL the Seattle totem pole was
taken from Tongass II II enc OF the group
IN the Times picture He says that IL re-
senahles one Of the Tongasa poles, bat that
he cannot so further.
Under the picture In the Times Was the
bold and unqualified statement, The VII
iage with tfs forest of totem poles. The
one stolen by the Post~inteilgencer ex-
eufsionists is marked with an x
According 10 Mr.. Douglas statements 10
q Posf-Intelilaeneer reporter last evening
bis remarks 10 the Times reporter did not
warrant such statement.
II did not intend 10 and do not want to
be drawn into a Newspaper controversy"
said Mr.. Douglas. 81 DO not know that
the Seattle totem pole came from Tongass
I simply say that IT looks like one saw
there and that IL II did come from roagass
Il Is IN the group I photographed
Mr. Douglas has requested the Times 10
Ysettfy the errors In It's story about the
totem pole. The errors place him In n
false position. especially az 10 dates. and
the degree Of identity 81 the pole The
Tines. be says. misquoted him In regard to
Cape Fox. anG weav.a romance about
his stay with the Indians. waieh was un-
true
The Times said: 1.-THE shipwreckesi eafi-
era we're brought to this Indian settlement
ard II was over two years before they
could get away" n fs true. Mr., Doegias
says. that he remained FIJI that district in
haeiness fer scfae time. bur he could have
left when he chose.
In ora r4rf ~ TIA distorted story thu
Tinlex talks about the erection OF totem
pale by CHIEF Saeikes and says that Mr.
Douglas says that the ceremonies eos; at
hast s7Ece san DESTROYS 81 misleading
the public and by 50 doing putting Mr.
Douglass Tn a false position tbs paper con
tnaess
'@r'fss pole tla the general view OF Tongass
village marked with the Y ia the one the
Post-Inieliigencer oxcurstonisla stole IL
h good deaf higher than the Others. ND
may undoubtedly lay claim To being the
finest on the inland. II can he easily dis
tlnEuIshe3 by the ugly crows heak pro
tfEhlng near The top
After throwing ga this statement which
r. not directly attributed ~ Mr. Douglas
bat couched IN such way that the ordi-
nary reader. would ina xine Il. was s.il
talking Mr.. Douglas II gain brought ia
thu Front. and made - say thai tass~ cx-
renses II this pole fully eeltaleti tac others
and that he can easily sse Why 5000 dam
ages are asked,
Is an unsutueachahle record os the birth or
manufacture Of tho naN notorious totem
pale. The man Who took IRE picture says
shei 0ua of the poles In the picture looks
hko the Seattle pole but that he does nsst
know that II IL thu same roie In fact he
hss no personal knowledge 81 whore the
pole came from.