The Thibodaux sentinel. (Thibodaux, La.) 1905-1912, 1909-09-25
DR.. COOK SENDS MESSAGE
Flashes People to Have Con-
fidence in Him.
FOUND PEARY'S MEN IN Charge
Threatened to Kick Them Out, But
Re1ented Because They Had No
Other Shelter-Peary Knows
Nothing of His Records

On Board the Steamship Oscar II
At Sea.-Via Marconi wireless tele.
graph to Cape Race, Mild. TELL the
people OF America to have the fuues,
confidence in my conquest to- tbs
pole. have records nhservar
Eti0ns made by me. which will prove
| my claim. i shall be glad again to
set my foot on American soil.o
This was the brief message DR..
Frederick Cook asked the Associated
Press to give to his countrymen as
he nears home on the steamer Oscar
II, bound from Christiansand, Nor
way, to New York.
DR.. Cook discussed freely with the
Associated Press correspondent the
assertions of Commander Peary that
he (Cook) had never reached the
North Pole and drew from him a de-
tailed story of the causes that
brought about dissensions between
the two explorers.
When he departed for the North
DR.. Cook said, he left depot of pro-
visions at Annatook, north of Etah,
in charge of Rudolph F'rancke and
several Eskimos. Francke had in
structions to go south aboard whal-
er and return later. This he did,
but missed the returning vessel ow-
ing to slight illness. He was then
taken aboard Peary's ship, the Roose-
welt and proceeded north.
ndor fo.,od x,,u e,,,>
ply depot at Annatook," DR.. Cook
continued, and the Eskimos in
charge told him that was dead,
which they fully believed to be true
at the time.
'Peary placed two men in charge
of the depot, Boatswain Murphy and
another. Harry Whitney, the New
Haven hunter, also remained there.
Murphy had orders not to search for
me, but was told he could send Eski-
mos northward the following spring
from the relief depot.
when I returned from the pole
Harry Whitney was the
first to see me and tell me what had
occurred. Whitney was placed IN
possession of the facts concerning my
journey to the pole on condition that
he would not inform commander
Peary or his men Of them. AT the
same time the Eskimos who had ac-
companied me north were told to
maintain the strictest silence.
when went into the depot there
was dispute between myself and
Murphy, who showed to me written
Instructions he had received from
oeary, although he himself could
leither read nor write. These in
tructions showed that she was max
ng trading station Of my depot, the
contents of which he had used in
rading for furs and skins"
DR.. Cook said he was intensely an
loyed at this alleged, wrongful use
# his supplies and threatened TO
lick out Murphy and his companions.
finally, however, he consented on
heir remaining at the depot as there .
7as no other shelter in the vicinity
or them Said he:
le abruptly. Have you been beyond
7, but / was, determined not to let
cary know of my movements and re-
lied evasively that had been much
orther north. From this statement
as been concocted the declaration
nat / had said that / had not reach
d the pole"
DR.. Cook declared that neither
larry Whitney nor his (Cook's) rec
rds are on board the Roosevelt and
hat therefore Peary's information
oncerning him emanated from Boat
vain Murphy, who knew nothing of
Is movements. DR.. Cook said also
lat he had made arrangements for
he two Eskimos who went with
i'm to the pole and Knud Rasmus- :
n, whom he met in Greenland to go
New York and confirm the story
his discovery.