Evening star., 1909-09-13
mo DEMAND ON MRS. PEARY'
DENIES ASKING FOR
MONEY FOR MRS. COOK.
Letter a Protest Against Seizure of
Depot-Confirms Story
Of Hansen.

NEW YORK, September 13-Angered
by the statement that Mrs. Peary had re-
ce1ved letter from him demanding that
5000 be sent Mrs. Cook to prevent trou-
BILE, Rudolph Francke last night made
public his letter to Mrs. Peary.
The letter contains no request for
money.
Francke says that he makes known the
contents of the letter in justice to Mrs
Cook. who refuses to take any part in the
discussion of the claims Of Peary and her
husband
"As Mrs. Cook will not speak," said
Francke, Il feel that must not allow
Mrs. Peary's charge to go unanswered.
She claims that 1 wrote her two letters
stating that she should send $1,000 to Mrs
Cook to prevent trouble over my asser-
ton that Peary wrongfully appropriated
property belonging to DR.. Cook.
That seems to me to intimate that Mrs.
Cook was trying to use me to get money
out of Mrs. Peary. Nothing could be fur
ther from the truth
Francke accompanied DR.. Cooks expedi-
tion and was left at Etah by the explorer,
plies. He asserts that Peary took the
furs. forced him to open DR.. Cooks trunk
and held him practically prisoner for a
time.
Wrote to Protect DIR. Cook.
Upon his return to this country. Francke
says. he was advised to write complaint
to Mrs. Peary as q protest and to protect
DR.. Cooks legal rights. should he wish to
begin suit for the value Of the property
alleged to have been taken.
The letter follows:
'Hoboken. October 10. 1908.
I've
LAS sorry and sad as 1t makes me feel,
I cannot help but write you these few
lines. | am surely not unknown to you.
Your husband must have written to you
In his last letter of our meeting in Etah.
When I met your husband I was, so to
say. from all sorts of trouble and sick
ness, down and out-that Is, people said 1
could not live much longer. 1 spoke very
openly and truthfuly over everything that
belonged to the Bradley expedition and
DR.. Cook, and was very glad. in the condi-
tion / was in, to make his acquaintance,
and was glad to find somebody to SYM
pathize with me. On my return on the
act opposite. / will explain the reason
more plainly to you.
Said He Needed the Furs.
Among other things your husband said
he could not allow DR.. Cooks skins to go
home with me, as he needed the same
for his winter\ clothing. etc. Further
more. he never saved any furs to take
south with him. Your husband knew
quite well that the furs and walrus be-
longed TO DR.. Cook. and he knew what
he was doing. When I threw it up to
him the next day about his mean work
he said very roughly to me: Do you
think would allow you to go home with
the furs aboard the Erick? 1 never
did it in my life-that is, send furs home.
will shoulder the responsibility with
DR.. Cook himself All right 1 said,
and then our dealings were ended.
LAS my sickness was getting better and
1 could crawl around on board the Erick,
I saw how your husband must have al
lowed himself to send home furs, for
with my own eyes l saw the boxes and
bundles. l noted quite a few addresses
on board the ship, and heard, too, how
furs were being dried in the salon, which,
without doubt, were DR.. Cooks property.
If your husband was short of clothing,
why then did he not keep the furs up
there for himself and crew, instead of
making you and other persons presents
of them? / think / was very fair with
your husband, for the moment the Es-
kimos told me of your husbands unfair
dealings and that he was coming up
again did no more exchanging. and
left him everything that would be of
use to him.
"Get in Touch With Mrs. Cook"
Il am now writing this to leave truth its
honor, and therefore 1 write you this. The
honor of your husband will be'very much
doubted after this. and / leave it TO you
to make everything all right. and advise
you to put yourself in touch with Mrs. DR..
Cook of Brooklyn. Noble women are al
most always able to get themselves out
of trouble, which for men is almost I'm
possible to undertake. You can help to
settle these things. I am writing you the
truth, and can prove the above statement
If it should come to court.
Yours honorly, r. FRANCKE."
F'rancke states that this letter was first
written in German and sent to Mrs.
Peary. Three persons knew of 1t, and
Francke preserved copy.
When he did not receive any reply from
Mrs. Peary he consulted his friends. 1t
was suggested that Mrs. Peary might not
be able to read German. SO a translation
was made and sent to her by registered
mail.
Francke says the object of the letter
was simply to register his protest at the