Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-12-22

DIR. Cook is now in Christiansand,
Norway, according to William l.. Cook,
brother of the explorer, who today for
the first time made known the where
abouts of DR.. Cook. who has been
strangely missing to even his closest
friends and counsel since Nov. "a.
Mr.. Cook said that his brother had
greatly recovered from the nervous
breakdown from which he was suffer-
ing when he left here. Mr.. Cook de-
c!ared that the explorer was ready to
go to Copenhagen to give the univer.
sity further information concerning his
claims
Il discounted this decision from the
University of Copenhagen some time
ago." continued Mr.. Bradley. IN COM
mon with the rest of the world, I was
delighted at the first news from DR..
Cook that he had discovered the pole.
His actions, however, and his fail
ure to make more than the meagre
statements regarding his trip which
early followed his return to civilization
took some of the smack out of the sup
posed triumph. 1 began to weaken de-
cidedly when DR.. Cook left us all with
out SO much as word of goodbye.
When a man runs away you can't ex-
pect his friends to fight for him, and
Cooks flight, for that's what it seems
to me to amount to, killed all my inter-
est in him and his affairs. Before that
1 had never had reason to doubt Cook
and his whole course in this matter
seems inexplicable to me. But he fool
ed the world, and was only one OF the
bunch as have said.
Il am sick of the whole blooming
Polar business and don't want to
hear anything more about the North
pole or any of it's attributes" was the
way in which Mr. Bradley summed UP
his attitude.
DR.. Cook mysteriously disappeared
from this city on New. "a, when he left
the hotel in The Bronx, where he had
gone to prepare his records supporting
his claim that he had reached the
North pole. The explorer succeeded in
completely obiterating every vestige
of his trail and not even his closest
friends nor the efforts of scores Of
newspaper men could locate him. 1t
appears that DR.. Cook sailed from here
on Nov. q OH the steamship Caronia
for Naples. where he remained for sew
eTal days. This information was con-
tanned in a letter from the explorer
sent to his brother, who said:
DIR Cook has authorized me to an
nounce that he is in Europe trying to
gain much needed rest and that is all
that I can say. At the proper time my
brother will make statement for pub
LEGATION, and until he. sees fit to do SO
bor veil he ,i,,or Fo ~ fr}n m
do but to respect his wishes and allow
him to remain in seclusion."
HE has fooled us all, from the King
Of Denmark down." was the exclama-
ton of John R. Bradley, DR.. Cooks
hacker, in his Arctic trip. when APP
prised of the news from Copenhagen.
"And he fooled me with the rest" Mr..
Bradley added.
LAS a matter Of fact" continued the
sportsman, II long ago lost all inter-
est in DR.. Cook, the North pole and
everything connected with it. Polar
bears and the wild life Of the Arctic
in general is the only thing that has
ever interested me much in that con-
nectiOn, anyway.
GAS for DR.. Cook, haven't seen him
or heard from him since he left the
Waldorf Astoria on Thanksgiving day
to go to Bronxville to prepare his rec
ords for submission to the University
of Copenhagen. I wasn't in commune
cation with him while he was at the
Crammatan, and, as matter of fact,
hardly had an hours solid CONVERSE
ton with him all the while he was here
after his return from the Arctic.
Charles Wake, DR.. Cooks closest
personal friend, and the only person
beside his brother, who knew the
whereabouts of the explorer in the last
few weeks, was so dumbfounded when
informed Of the verdict reached by the
CONTINUED on Page Twelve.)