The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-05-29
HANDS HOT ONE
TO ROOSEVELT
Dr.. William ]. Long Wants the
President to Acknowledge
That He Lied.
OFFERS TO FURNISH PROOF
WHITE HOUSE SOLOMON IN A
HOLE.

stamford, Conn.,, May S.-Dr VIII
liam j. Long today made public a let
ter sent by him to President Roosevelt.
The letter says in part:
ITO His Excellency, Theodore Roose-
welt. President of the United States:
Dear Sir:-The issue between you and
me is no longer one of animals, but of
men. 1t is not chiefly a matter of
natural history, but of truth and per-
sOnal honor. In a recent magazine
article you deliberately attack me as
we'll as my book You have used the
enormous influence of your official po-
sition to discredit me as a man. to in
Jure my reputation and incidentally 10
make a poor man even poorer by de-
stroying. If possible, the sale and in
tIucnce of his work.
His Statements True.
In my book ] have given the re-
suits of long years of watching animals
in the wilderness with no other object
than to study their habits and, so far
as man can. TO understand the mys-
terry of their domestic life. In my pref
ace / have stated, and / now repeat
the statement, that every incident
have recorded from my own ObserVa-
ton is true as far as an honest. edu-
Gated man can see and understand the
tr;th. In your recent attack this is
what YOU chiefly deny. l have spoken
the truth, and you accuse me Of de-
liberate falsehood and misrepresenta-
ton. As president of the United
States YOU have gone out of your way
publicly TO injure the private citizen
who was attending strictly to his own
business; as a man you have accused
of falsehoOd another man whose ideals
of truth and honor are quite as high
as your own.
Must Meet the Issue.
This is The whole issue between US.
J meet Il squarely and so must YOU. If
] have spoken falsely if i'm my book OF
words OF mine l have Intentionally de-
C"ived any child or man regarding ami
mai life. ] promise publicly to retract
every such word and never TO write
aLother animal book On the other
hand, if l show to any disinterested
person that you have accused me
falsely. YOU must publicly withdraw
Your accusation and apologize. AS a
lnan and as president. no -0theE-hefaor-
g bic course IS open to you. You base
your recent charges chiefly on the
ma tier OF a big, white wolf killing a /
young caribou by a bite in the chest.
described by me in Northern Trails
gu tttltiIt the tHil1S 10 De
mathematical impossibility and de-
clare by no possibility could d wolf
pclfOrm such a feat"
Proof Offered.
DR. Long declares he knows from his !
own observation and from the testi- |
mony of Indians that wolves do some |
times kill in this way and then quotes |
the signed and witnessed statement of /
5. K. Hapidan, an educated Sioux In /
dian. who states he saw d horse which /
wolf had killed By tearing its chest. |
in addition to this, DR.. Long saws he |
himself had seen a deer which had 4
been slain in this manner by a wolf. /
ana further recites that his Indian, /
Matty Mitchell of Bonny Bay, New !
foundland, declares that the big,
white wolf frequently kills caribou in /
This manner.
Continuing, DR.. Long says:
Asked to Acknowledge He Lied.
These are the facts underlying the /
incident which you declare TO be i'm /
possible and false. If this testimony
l. not enough, / will fill it up to full I
scripture measure
You cannot at this stage, Mr.. Roose-
welt, take refuge behind the presiden- 4
tial office and maintain silence You
have forfeited your right TO that 81
lence by breaking it, by coming out in |
publication to attack a private citizen.
II your talk of a square deal is not all /
n sham, If your frequent moral preach
ing is not hypocrisy, ! call upon YOU.
as president. as q man, to come out |
ana admit the error and injustice of |
your charge IN the same open and pub
lie way in which you made it