Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-12-29
COOKS CASE STILL OPEN.

The Springfield Republican has
been an able and staunch exponent oil
the pro-Cook sentiment OF this coun-
try. which is no more than natural
result of the American desire Tor tair
play at all times. It's comments on
the decision rendered by. the Copcn-
hagen scientists are, for that reason
of more than common interest. The
Republican notes that the contents
of the box submitted to them might
as we'll have been sawdust as far as
any value for scientific purposes Is
concerned. There were no original
documents, notebooks. diaries. obser-
vational data and so on, only state
ment from Lonsdale that The things
still exist and are somewhere on the
,vay to Denmark mo wonder the
paper goes on to observe. there runs
through the report of the university
committee a note of Indignation. Inc
members. talk or act as though they
had been -hammed, and to all ap-
pearances they have BEEN A tribunal
recognized by all as eminently COM
across DR.. Cooks meager report
support of his claims. And until
further evidence appears. this is a
verdict that all will accept" But, after
this admission OF the failure of Cook
to prove his claim. the Republican
turns to the other side, as follows:
"It would be wrong, however, to
~ friends Commander
Peary are doing, that the case has been
definitely closed and that Cook must
stand branded henceforth as the
greatest impostor of all history. Many
| things remain to be cleared up. IL
word should now come that he had
| killed himself. no one would longer
question the fact of imposture. but
| there would still be much TO be ex-
| planned II, for example, he Is a
| shameless impostor why did he pre-
sent so meager a case, when a very
| fun and plausible one could easily
have been trumped up? If. as SO
| often has been urged against him,
observational data could be manutac-
! tured by almost anyone from the
| almanacs. sufficient to confuse II not
TO deceive the scientists, why was this
| not done? Would an impostor having
gone so far have failed to make such
a provision?
| again Commander Peary's petish-
ness had left open still surer way oi
escape for the deliberate impostor. HI
need not have sent any report TO the
university OF Copenhagen at this time
He need only have stated the impos'
sIbility of submitting his original re-
cords since for the most part the,
we're among his effects intrusted u
whitney and kicked off the steamer
| Roosevelt by Peary. 1t would be neceS
| -, 10 .uaJf llnfil next summer DcfOri
these effects could be recovered, AM
then his case would be made up ant
submitted along with the scientific in
struments used on the journey. AM
by next summer the impostor would b
the better prepared to fake q case
Furthermore, Peary now says ne MAJ
complete and accurate Information
the falsity of Cooks claims, befor
leaving the far North If that Is So
why his spiteful action In haVln
Cooks effects excluded from hi
steamer? Why did he not Welcom
their carriage southwark as bein
calculated to give the impostor NOR
rope with which to hang himself?
.'These and other troublesome ques
tions are suggested. And finally ther
remains to be explained the most re
markablc and troublesome fact Q
all. to which we have before calle
attention. Many physical condition
obtained at the pole were unknoW
and had been the subject OF muc
, divergent conjecture among scientist
An impostor might have guessed
ali of them and guessed right once
= twice. But by all the laws of chant
r no impostor could have guessed the
ali right. and this is what Cook did
measured by Peary's account. This 10
( alone is sufficient to keep the cas-
: omen until further developments
/ satisfactory explanation OF thes