The Washington herald., 1909-10-13
PEARY STATEMENT
HITS COOK CLAIM
Continued from Page One.

Continued from Page One.
the white men at Etah he had been
long way north. but the boys who were
with him. I-took-a-shoo and Ah-pe-lah
said this was not 80. The Eskimos
laughed at Dr. Cooks story. On reach
ing Etah. talked with the Eskimos there
and with the two boys and asked them
to describe Or. Cooks journey 10 mem
bers OF my party and myself This they
did in the manner stated below
(signeO r. E. Peary
EslSimO Boys Examined.
Signed statement OF Pery. Bartlett Mcmillan.
Borup. and Hensn in regard 10 testimony Of
Cooks two EskmO boys:
The two Eskimo boys. I-took-a-shoo
and Ah-pe-lah. who accompanied DIT
Cook while he was away from Anoratok
IN 1908 and 1909. were questioned sepe-
rately and independently. and were cor
roborated by Panolpah. the father Of one
OF them Q-took-a-shoo). who was person
ally familiar with the first third and
the last third Of their journey. and who
said the route for the remaining third
as shown by them, was as described 70
him by his son after mis- return with DR..
Cook.
Their testimony was mistaken by Cross
examination, was corroborated by otheF
men in the tribe, and was elected neither
by threats nor promises, the two boys
and their father talking OF their journey
and their experiences in the same way
that they would talk OF any hunting trip.
Traced on Map.
To 60 more into details: One OF the boys
was called In, and. with chart on the
table before him. was asked 10 show
where ne had gone with DR.. Cook. This
he did. pointing out with his finger on
the map, but not making any marks
upon It.
AS he went out, the other boy came IN
and was asked 20 show where he had gone
with DR.. Cook. This he did. also without
making any marks. and indicated the
same route and the same details as did
the first boy.
When he was through Panlkpah. the
father Of I-took-a-shoo. an intelligent
man, who was in the party OF Eskimos
that came back with DR.. Cook from the
northern end Of Nansens Strait. who Is
familiar as a hunter with the Jones
Sound region. and who has been in Com
mander Peary's various expeditions for
some fifteen years. came in and indicated
the same localities and details as the two
boys.
Pledged to Silence.
During the taking OF this testimony. II
developed Dr. Cook had told these boys.
as he told Mr. Whitney and Billy Pritch-
ard. the cabin boy. that they must not
tell Commander Peary OF any OF us any
thing about their Journey. and the boys
stated Or. Cook had threatened them If
they should tell anything.
The narrative OF these Eskimos is as
follows:
They, with DR.. Cook, Francke. and nine
other Eskimos. left Anoratok, crossed
Smiths Sound 10 Cane Sabine. slept in
Commander Peary's old house in Payer
Harbor. then went through Rice Strait
20 Buchanan Bay. After a few marches
Erancke and three Eskimos returned %
Anoratok
Dr. Cook. with the others. then pro-
ceeded up Flagler Bay. branch Of Blu
chanau Bay. and crossed Ellesmere Land
through the valley pass at the head Of
Flagler Bay. indicated by Commander
Peary in 1895. and utilized by Sverdrup
in 1880. 90 the head Of Sverdrups Bay
Fiord." on the west side Of Ellesmere
Land.
Their route then lay out through this
fords. thence north through Sverdrups
"Heuerka sound and Nansen Strait.
on their way they killed musk oxen
and bear. and made caches. arriving
eventually az a point on the west side OF
Nansen Strait (shore Of Axel Heibere
Land Of Sverdrup), south OF Cape Thomas
Hubbard.
a cache was formed here. and the four
Eskimos did not go beyond this point
Two others. Koolootingwah and Inughlto
went on one more march with Dr. Cook
and the two boys helped 10 build the snow
tgioo and then returned without sleeping
Brought Letter Back.
CThese two Eskimos brought back a
letter from DR.. Cook 10 Francke, dated
March Il. The two men rejoined the
other four men who had bean left be-
hind. and the six returned to Anoratok
arriving May Z This information was
obtained not from the two Eskimo bows
but from the SIX men who returned. and
from Francke himself. and was known
20 US IN the summer OF 1903 when the
Roosevelt first arrived at Etah. The in
formation Is inserted here as supple.
mentary TO the narrative Of the two
boys)
After sleeping at the camp where the
last two Eskimos turned back. DR. Cook
and the two boys went In a northerly Of
northwesterly direction with two sledRe,
and twenty odd dogs, one more march
when they encountered rough Ice and Z
lead OF open water. They did not ente,
this rough ice, nor cross the lead. bu
turned westward or southwestward
short distance and returned 20 HeIber,
Land at a point west OF where they haC
left the cache and where the four mel
had turned back.
Here they remained four or five sleeps
and during that time I-took-a-shoo wen