The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1910-06-16

In IN
ADMITS He WROTE
TENDER EPISTLES
Declares That They Have No
Right to Blazon His Burning
Letters to a Ribald
Public.

New York. June 13.-Professor Harry
Thurston Peck, of Columbia university,
has broken his silence in the matter OF
the breach of promise suit brought
against him by Miss Esther Quinn. OF
Cambridge, Mass, formerly on the staff
of the Smart Set Magazine.
Professor Pecks' first wife divorced
MIN in 1903. He remarked in 1909.
MISS Esther Quinn, who sues him for
e Of promise of marriage, alleges
that he asked her to marry him just
about the time his first wife divorced
shock some months later on discovering
that he had married a sweetheart OF
his youthful days. Professor Peck is
now about Sd years old.
1T Is a fact" he said, that / am
being sued for breach Of promise by
Miss Quinn. but the fact that the com-
plant and answer has been filed gives
he newspapers no right to publish let
tiers that she says I sent her. / intend
to show people what their rights are in
such matters. l expect to get a good
deal of enjoyment-er. well, perhaps
not enjoyment, but saskatchewan Of
finding out just how far newspapers
may go.
Miss Quinn may have shown these
letters, or perhaps typewriter copies of
them, but the case hasn't gon to trial.
Suppose they should be forgeries?"
DO you characterize them as for
geries?" Professor Peck was asked.
i do not" he replied. But suppose
these letters are not brought out in
e%vidence?"
us there any intention of settling the
matter out of court?" was inquired Of
him.
Certainly not" Professor Peck said.
smiling. I nave placed a general de-
NAL of the charges in my answer. TIC
settle it out of court would be submit
ting to blackmail, wouldn't it,"
d you term this a blackmailing
suit? 2" he was asked.
"No-I don't think I said that. But
If such charges are made and a denial
entered to them, and then a settlement
is made-if the charges are not true
that would be blackmail, wouldn't it,"
In answer to other questions, Pro-
fessor Peck said: MY friendship with
Miss Quinn was %tenuous I met the
young woman several times, but always
our meetings were most matter of fact
in character-meetings on business"
Were there no dinner parties at the
Cadillac hotel and other places-no
purely social meetings."
Professor Peck smiled anew and
shook his head firmly in the negative.
You did write her some letters?"
about II or Is"
Might Have Been More Letters.
only IL or 1872"
well, there may have been more. OF
course, 1 knew her for about 10 years
and there may have been more. But
there was nothing in any of those let
ters that could possibly furnish a foun-
dalton for the suit that has been
brought"
Professor Peck exhibited the pale
gray volume of poetry Of his writing
entitled "Greystone and Porphyry."
Miss Quinn declared three poems-"All
for the Professor" Verses of Passion"
and when Love Becomes Despair
were sent to her by him.
The Columbia scholar declared that
the entire collection of poems contained
in the book was published fully a year
before he ever met Miss Quinn. He
said, moreover, that he held the p
right, and that he would take the mat
ter of the publication of any of the
poems to Law
"Rudyard Kipling permits newspa-
| pers to publish only five lines of any OF
his poems," said Professor Peck.