The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1909-12-03
DR.. COOK AND HIS FRIENDS

cannot complain that his friends hav,
not stood Loyalty by him. Such {
manifestation of devotion has rarely
been equalled in the history of h,
world. Their devotion almost reached
the stage Of partisan frenzy.
! When DR.. Cook first landed and pu
forth his claim of having discovered
the north pole by the aid of a certain
number Of barrels of gum-drops. and
here and there someone shook his
head in doubt, as Thomas did-they
were rallied at and beaten into 81.
ilence.
When the young Esquimeaux, whom
the explorer claimed went with him
| on his expedition, denied the story
and said that he had not gone within
two hundred miles of the pole. the
friends of DR.. Cook cried aloud that
II was a conspiracy" originated by
the enemies of DR.. Cook to destroy
Ihim-the young Esquimeaux they said
had been bribed to fabricate the story
of their denial.
When his comrades who had gone
with him in his attempts to scale the
heights of Mount Mckinley came out
in sworn statement, saying that the
heights had never been scaled, and
the doctor was only romancing. the
cry again went forth that il was an
other conspiracy" organized TO ruin
the fame of the intrepid explorer. The
doctors friends said that these men
had been bribed.
Again, when the insurance agent
and sea captain made afidavits that
they had been employed by the doc
tor TO get up his north pole data for
him and the thrilling experiences and
extraordinary observations were all
the work Of fiction and were gotten
up right in the city of Brooklyn, the
doctors friends again cried out that
it was all the work of another "con-
0p4l oNS " luIL tic IdAuc u Tic udI-
ing explorer.
And who are the men charged with
these persistent and cumulative con
spiracies? The members Of the Peary
Arctic Club. composed only of men of
high character and standing. and EN-
inent as scientists.
1t appears to us that Dr. Cook heard
some intimation of Commodore
Peary's success in reaching the pole
and anticipated him in his claims 10y
few weeks, fixing the date of his
own discovery a year previous
He passed through Copenhagen. but
did not submit the proofs OF his dis
cOvery to the Royal Geographical So
ciety there, although his friends there
were the most ardent of his support
ers. but fastened TO the United States
and Immediately began to gather in
the shekels. He entered into a con
tract with the newspapers and syndi-
Gated the story of his Discovery OF
the North Pole" He also contracted
with the photograph people and
mounted the lecture platform. He
turned a penny wherever it was posi- |
BILE to do so. The motto. Make hay
while the sun Shines seems to have
itself upon him in its most
acceptable form.
If the story of the sea captain be :
true, all the while our fanciful eXplor-
er was lecturing, talking through the /
and newspapers. and cap I,
rivating the people by his thrilling !
performances at so much per- his I
proofs were being fixed up for him
in an obscure Office in Brooklyn, !
where his thrilling experiences were /
and not until they were f.
so manufactured were they transmit |
ted to the scientific society at Copen-
hagen.
To reach the north pole was the
summit of Commodore Peary's ambi- !
ion. He had spent thirty-five years
Of his life in his efforts to do so. He
1t last succeeded.
Upon reaching the confines of civ
lization the news was flashed to him
hat Cook had reached the pole the
year before. He was satisfied in his
OWN mind that with DR.. Cooks equip
nent and within the time named, that
such a feat was a physical impossible
ty. and being familiar with Dr. Cooks
for romancing, he asked
he American people to suspend judg-
nent as to his and DR.. Cooks respect
We claims. and in letter to a friend
suggested that the doctor was hand
ne out a gold brick" to the world.
Immediately Commodore Peary was /
2elted with abuse and contumely such |
as was rarely ever before heard of in
his country.