Los Angeles herald., 1909-12-27
DR.. COOK LOSES
ANOTHER FRIEND
FAMOUS EXPLORER AT LAST
CONVINCED
CHARLES WAKE BELIEVES SUR
eEoN IMPosToR
-
One of Polar Pretender's Stanchest
Supporters Compelled to Ad-
nit Case Looks Dark
Against Him
ASSOCIATED Pressl


of the Explorers club and heretofore
one of the stanchest supporters of DR..
Frederick A. Cook, deserted the Cook
standard tonight
Although loyal for several days after
the adverse decision of the University
of Copenhagen, Wake now says that
he was deceived by the explorer. He
adds that he does not know where DR..
Cook is, except that he is in Europe,
although he is aware of Mrs. Cook s
whereabouts, which he declines to re-
veal.
Cook has had ample time to ex-
press himself since the records were
| examined" said Mr.. Wake, but he has
not done So
so long as I live 1 shall never for
get the degree of nonchalance with
which he waved his hand toward the
| beautifully engraved degree and the
! handsome gold medal that had been
conferred upon him by the University
of Copenhagen and said, There is the
best evidence
II do not know who is caring for his
children in a New York boarding
! school, but l presume relatives are
doing it. How much money he made
on his trip and what settlement he
has made of it l do not know"
! Mr.. Wake says he does not wish his
statement to be taken as an attack on
Cook, but he feels impelled to let the
! facts speak for themselves. He then
recites his experiences with the ex-
plorer, among them the following:
His Experiences
ut was finally arranged that Mr..
| Lonsdale, DR.. Cooks secretary, should
sail for Copenhagen on the United
States of the United States-Scandina-
Wan line, with copy of the type
written records, and that the doctor
and his wife carrying the originals
should sail for Genoa under assumed
names on the Celtic. leaving on No
vember 27. Lonsdale and his cOmpan-
ion were then to take the originals to
Copenha gen, and DR.. Cook was to re-
main in easy distance of a call from
the university.
1T was understood that the doctor
and Lonsdale should come to my Of
flee on the afternoon of November "a
to arrange some details Of Lonsdale'
departure. To allay the anxiety of the
doctor and his wife. l had arranged
with a detective agency to have him
constantly shadowed, and the detec-
tive was at my office to pick him up.
Cook did not appear, but Lonsdale
connected with me on the telephone
and at 8 o'clock he met me and told
me the story of DR.. Cooks disap-
pearance
He said they came down from
Bronxville at 2:20 that afternoon in
tending to go TO my office. on their
arrival they found the usual array of
detectives waiting to shadow them.
They hurried through the crowd and
saw a southbound Madison avenue car
Just getting under way. on seeing the
car. the doctor suddenly exclaimed,
Here is a chance to get away from
them, and I am going to take it. Come
along
Went to Station
They then made their way to the
PENNSYLVANIA depot by a circuitous
route and DIR. Cook took a train for
Philadelphia. On the way to Jersey
City he had his mustache shaved off
and exchanged his derby for soft
felt hat. His parting words to Ions
dale were: Now ! shall be able to get
some sleep. Tell Mr.. Wake / viii write
him, using the name of Harper. but
| tell him / trust him to keep the Sc
| cret, along with the rest"
81 was greatly surprised and at first
! highly incensed and for the first time
began to feel some misgivings. 1 con-
cIuded, however, that perhaps his mind
might have been affected and that
therefore, he should not be held too
| rigidly responsible.
! "Lonsdale sailed with the copy of the
records on the United States on Thurs
| day, November 25, and on the follow
! ing day Mrs. Cook, who knew nothing
| more about her husbands whereabouts
| than I, moved to New York.
| "The next day, the 9th, we received
our first word from Cook. 1t came in
| the form of a letter, postmarked To-
! ronto, Ont, to Mrs. Cook. In ii he
! told her to meet him in Europe at once.
"'lf the hounds are still pursuing
YOU, he said, put my original records
/ in safe deposit box and leave the key
with Mr.. Wake; if they are not fol-
| lowing you, bring the records with
you. My life is Of more importance
| than the polar matter which can wait
! if necessary
Il did not like the tone of the letter,
and said So but Mrs. Cook begged me
not to be hasty, and l promised to
stand by her l returned to her the
original records which had been given
me for safe-keeping, with the sugges-
| tion that they be Immediately sent to
! Lonsdale. Mrs. Cook then sailed for
! Europe I supposed that she had pre-
viously mailed the records, but L dis
covered that she had changed her mind
and had taken them with her.
after she had sailed l received an
| inquiry from Cook, who was then in
| Europe, for his wife's whereabouts,
which l communicated to him. The
nature of this inquiry led me to believe
! he was anxious to meet her to get his
originals and hurry them to Copen-
hagen and this strengthened my wan
| ing confidence and prompted me to
give public expression to it, / have
not heard from him since directly or
indirectly, and [ have no idea where he
is now.
"I confidently expected that he would
meet Mrs. Cook when she landed in
Europe and rush the records to
Copenhagen, which he had ample time
to do, before the verdict was an
nounced. Through his failure to do
this, and his further failure to come
out from his seclusion Gnd defend him
self since the announcement of the
verdict, which he undoubtedly has read
| in the newspapers, wherever he is,
have become convinced that my con-
/ fdence in him was sadly misplaced"
Recalled Consul Arrives in U. S.
! SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 26-Freder-
! ick D. Cloud, formerly United States
consul at Mukden, Manchuria, but who
! has been recalled by the state depart
ment, arrived from the orient today on