Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1909-09-17
"PEARY TOOK FOOD, / STARVED"
This Is Cooks Charge in Letter to Wife
Written in North.

This is Cooks Charge in Letter to Wife
Written in North.
NEW YORK, Sept. 13.-On excellent
authority last night it was learned the
purport of letters written by DR.. Fred
| erlck A. Cook to his wife, that will be-
come historical If the text ever is made
public.
| 1t was to these letters that DR.. Cook
referred in his announcement, cabled
| from Copenhagen, that his wife was in
| possession of indisputable evidence that
he had discovered the north pole.
In one letter, written in the spring of
this year from Etah, the explorer de-
scribed the terrible hardships of his jour
ney, starting in February from his win
ter quarters in a hole in the ground in
Ellesmere land to Etah. The distance,
about 500 miles, had to be covered with
out dogs and with insufficient food
The most striking part of this letter,
however, is that which describes the
bitter disappointment on arriving, half
starved, at his base near Etah, to find
that his cache Of supplies, which had
| been sent by his loyal wife, had been
| moved by Commander Peary.
Finds Provisions; Aided by Whitney.
DR.. Cook also tells of his subsequent
JOY of recovering the provisions and of
the great help rendered by Harry Whit
| ney, the young millionaire arctic hunter,
of New Haven.
Another letter mentions the loss of
case of furs, taken, DR.. Cook writes, by
Peary.
Friends of Mrs. Cook are discussing
a letter received by her from Peary last
| year on the return of the Erik from the
| polar regions. After saying he had seen
letter purporting to have been written
by her husband from Cane Thomas Hub
bard, Commander Peary added that she
need have no fear, that her husband
probably was in Ellesmere land, where
game was plentiful. After the name
"Cape Thomas Hubbard" it is said, the
commander put big Interrogation mark,
intimating that DR.. Cook was at an en-
tirely different place from where be pro-
fessed to be.
Suit May Follow Affdavits.
| Afidavits made by Rudolph Francke,
! q member of the Cook arctic expedition,
and Joseph G.. White, who accompanied
Peary's party, regarding the actions of
Peary when in control of DR.. Cooks
! letters and supplies, were obtained to-
| day.
Upon the strength of these atfidavits
| and other evidence one of the hackers Of
| DR.. Cooks expedition has sighihed his
| intention of bringing suit against Com
mander Peary for the value of the arti-
| Giles said to have been taken from Dr..
| Cook.
Francke in his affidavit states that he
virtually was prisoner OF Peary that
a trunk containing Dr. Cooks messages
and property was at Peary's mercy, and
that he Francke) was compelled to sign
certain letters praising and apparently
giving consent to what was done.
White Tells Of Francke's Arrival.
White in his affidavit states that
Roosevelt. scarcely able to walk, and
said that he had been travelling with
Cook. food was refused him.
Supplementary aftidavits have been
| made by the two men dealing more par
ticularly with the time when Peary had
possession of DR.. Cooks trunk. These
| probably will not be made public until
the rival claims of the explorers are
brought before some scientific board for
| determination.
The first affidavit of Francke is made
up largely of the contents of a letter
| he sent to Capt. B. S. Osbon, secretary
| of the Arctic club. The affidavit refers
to letters over Franckes signature pub
! lished III several New York newspapers
/ last November as chose which | had to
write at Etah Aug. II and Aug. -,
1905" The affidavit continues:
"Peary' Made Me Write"
"In this way l am in possession of my
Regarding the letters, Peary com
PEELED me to write them. Lots of times
around to the Erick to bring me e. on
board the Roosevelt to write the letters.
| did not want to write the letters, but
l did it to keep peace. | said to myself
that l was in Peary's power and at his
mercy. Lots of things in my letters are
/ forced compliments.
"Peary knew very we'll how to clear
! himself of suspicion of appropriating
these furs, and l will now try to show
! you what | mean. In my letter of Au-
| gust 13. 1908. l wrote under No. 2:
| The inclosed letter authorizes you con-
corning the five boxes, one bundle of mar
whal horns. and one trunk of furs and
one compass, and what to do with them.
| This is all DR.. Cooks property except
one horn. Why did Peary not publish
| this Letter? DR.. Cook wrote it, TO whom
! it may concern, and those who found
| them were requested to send the furs
! home"
Made to Open Cooks Trunk.
Nov, what did Peary do after he got
| the letters? He sent the Eskimos and
some of his men down with two boats to
| bring the stuff up The boxes were
marked 5 and 6 and Dr. Cooks trunk
was brought into Peary's ship. l was
| called from the Erick to Peary in his
| cabin and / was compelled to hand over
! the furs to him. He ordered me to open
I Dr.. Cook S trunk, which l was obliged
to do. He wanted to Keep DR.. Cooks
| letter to me, but after several demands
! gave it back to me.
Il had to hand over the furs as the
enemy in war has to hand over their arms
to the victorious party. Some of the
| furs were wet and widowed, but Of ex-
cellent quality, and nearly 200 in num-
Der. Peary had no right to take the furs
and horns. He"is an employee Of the
Peary Arctic club, not king of the Eski-
| mos"