Los Angeles herald., 1907-05-29
DR.. Long Says Teddy
Has Accused Him
Falsely
Author Of Animal Book
Throws Down the
Gauntlet
Intimates That "Square Deap Talk of
the Chief Executive of the
United States Is All
Sham
BY Associated Press.

AoJ <ASSOSidtCo cSSs
STAMFORD, Conn.,, May 2S.-Dr.
William j. Long today made public d
letter sent by him to President Roose-
welt. The letter said in part:
ITO his excellency, Theodore Roose-
welt, president of the United States:
Dear Sir: The issue between you
and me is not one of animals but of
men. 1t is not chiefly matter of nat
ural history but of truth and personal
honor. In a recent magazine article
you deliberately attack me as we'll as
my book. You have used the enor-
nous influence of your official position
to discredit me as a man, to injure my
reputation and incidentally to make a
poor man even poorer by the destroy
ing, if possible, of the sale and in
f1uence of his work.
I'm my book have given the result
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
preface 1 have stated, and now repeat
the statement, that every incident I
have recorded from my own observa-
tion is true as far as an honest, edu-
Gated man can see and understand the
truth.
In your. recent attack this is what
you chiefly deny. have spoken the
truth and you accuse me of deliberate
falsehood and Misrepresentation. AS
president of the United States you
have gone out Of your way publicly to
injure the private, citizen who was at
tending strictly to his own business;
as man you have accused of false
hood another man whose ideals of truth
and honor are quite as high as your
own.
This is the whole issue between as.
1 meet it squarely, and so must you.
If 1 have spoken falsely, if in my book
or words of mine I have Intentionally
deceived any child or man regarding
animal life I promise publicly to re-
tract every such word and never to
write another animal book.
Wants Teddy to Apologize
"On the other hand, if I show to any
disinterested person that you have ac-
cused me falsely you must publicly
withdraw your accusation and apollo
gize. AS a man and as president no
other honorable course is open to you.
"You base your charges chiefly on
the matter of a big white wolf killing
a young caribou by bite in the chest,
described by me in Northern Trails
You declare the thing to be math-
ematical impossibility, and declare by
no possibility could wolf perform the
feat"
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
s. K. Hapidan, an educated Sioux In
dian, who states he saw a horse which
a wolf had killed by tearing it's chest.
In addition to this DR.. Long says he
himself had seen a deer which had
been, slain In this manner by wolf,
and further recites that an Indian,
Matty Mitchell of Bonny Bay, New
foundland, declares that the big white
wolf frequently kills caribou in this
manner.
Throws Down the Gauntlet
Continuing DIR. Long says: "These
are the facts underlying the incident
which you declare to be impossible and
false. If this testimony is not enough
l will fill it up to full scripture meas
ure.
You cannot at this stage, Mr.. Roose
velt, take refuge behind the presiden-
tial office and maintain silence. You
have forfeited your right to that silence
by breaking it and coming out in public
to attack me, private citizen If
your talk of a square deal is not all
a sham, if your frequent moral preach
ing is not hypocrisy, 1 call upon you
as president, as a man, to come out
and admit the error and injustice of
your charge in the same open and
p.blic way in which you made it."