The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-12-01
tspseial to rhe Times Dispatch

fSpccial to The Times Dispatch
New York. November 30.-pr. Fred
erick a. Cook is not sure that he
reached the North Pole. He has said
50 hatfootedly, and adds that his pre-
vious positive statements on the dis
coyeryH were the result of near insan-
ity. and that he wants TO confess and
be esteemed again by his fellow
countrymen. The confession Is TO be
published shortly as his own story
In Hampfon's Magazine. which pub
lislied Peary's own story Dr., Cook
begins:
.Did get to the North Pole: Per-
hnps I made mistake In thinking I
did. Perhaps did not nake a mig
take. After mature thonght, con-.
fess I do not know absolutely whether
reached the Pole or not. This may
come ms an amazing statement. but 4
am willing TO startle the world ii by
40 doing 1 can get nm opportunity to
present my case. By my case l mean
not my cusc ns geographical dis-
coyerer, but my cnse Hs man. Much
as the attainment of the North Pole
once meant to me, the sympnthy and
confidence OF my fclIow-men mean
more.
"Fully, freely and frankly 1 shall
tell everything, and lcnve the decision
with you. If, after reading my story,
con say Cook is sincere and honest;
haIf-crnzed by months of Isolation and
hunger, he believed TINT be reached
the Pole, he In not n fnker, then I shall
be satisfied
DIR. Cooks story.
A synopsis of DR.. Cooks story, as
given out. is In part as follows
DIR. Cook tells his life story and pic
lures the overpowering ambition for
exploration that beset him until ii
finally eliminated In his effort to reach
the pole. He declares that5at the time
he convinced himself that he had dis
covered the pole he was haf-mad. He
spent two years in his quest, and DUR
ing that time endured hunger and pri-
vation that, he says, would unbalance
|, any mind. He declares that 1t would
be impossible for any man to demon
strate beyond question that he had
been to the North Pole. Ne character
ICES the region as a region of insan-
ity, where one cannot believe the evf.
dences gathere by ones own eyes He
says that he had always looked upon
the discovery of the pole as an achieve
ment for his own personal satisfaction
for the satisfaction of a craving and
desire that was greater than any
other factor In his life. When he
found how tremendous sensation his
| statement that he had attained the
pole caused, he was overcome with
| bewilderment,
Never Disguised.
| One OF the most remarkable facts
| brought out by his story is the one
| that in all the time he has been away
! with the shreudest newspaper men IN
| the world on his trail every day, witt
/ newspapers Offering sums that range
] into the thousands for the slightes
definite news of hts whereabouts, he
1 has never worn disguise and ha.
| never taken any unusual plecaution.
TO conceal .his Identity. Part of TIL,
time his wife has been with him. an,
part of the time his children. I,ht
children arc now In a convent II
France and Cook and his wife are i,
Europe. Most of the time during hi
exile he has been In London He hn.
gone about among Americans ther,
with the utmost freedom, and at time.
has registered under his own name.
Yet despite the fact that there prob
l3ably never has been a man whose pho
shtograph has been printed SO much ani
10 often, there have been only a few
who have guessed his identity. Ant
even those who did guess 1t wer,
\ turned away with case by the rcmari
I the doctor used every time any on,
would say he looked like Dr. Cook
"Why, yes; ] have been told that he
! FORE" s
With tho opportunity for though
4 that his exile has given him---he say
lihe never even had time to sleep NOR
7, than three or four hours between hi
4 arrival at Copenhagen and his disap
i reararce from New York he has foun,
i growing stronger and stronger the de
sire to return to his own country t
be understood BY his own people, II
: realized better than. any one else tn
esteem In which he was held
4 He Stands Unique.
4 ~ have birn. called the greatest liza
in the woIlN .tlse8 most monumental
! ilaposterrin hlstors,'' he says in start
! ing his story,..s:. NJ believe that In
& very undesirable way u stand UNIQUE
4 tEa object of such suspicion and vttll
Y Continued on Eleventh Page.l