The Washington times., 1912-09-11
HUSBAND AND WIFE
TO WRITE HISTORY
OF COLUMBUS LIFE
Adamses Will Publish Book
That Promises to Be an
Epochal Work.

Some time in the not too distant fu-
ture, Mrs. Harriet Chalmers Adams, the
young woman explorer and ethnoiogist,
and her husband, Franklin Adams, ed
itor of the Par-Amercan Union pub
Ecations, will write and publish a his
tory of Columbus which those who are
familiar with the plans of Mr.. and Mrs.
Adams say will be an cpochal work.
Mr.. ana Mrs. Adams have already spent.
years In research for this work and
after onother trip to Spain will be ready
to bring forth their book.
Mrs. Adams Is known to Washington-
ians as an intrepid feminine explorer, a
conqueror of the highest peaks of the
Andes, an authority on the Incas of
Peru and the pre-Incan period In that
country; a lecturer before the National
geographic Society and q writer for
various learned and scientific magazines.
In her hun1 for material bearing upon
Columbus life and deeds Mrs. Adams
became the first white woman to cross
the Island of Haiti, its length and
breadth, just as she was the first white
woman to- traverse all the Guianas.
She and her husband explored every
part OF Santo Domingo, which Colum-
bus is known to have visited, and after
this set out for Europe and Africa to
study old and gather new material on
Columbus life previous to his voyages.
with this purpose they visited the
Azores and Canary Islands, and then
they made another trip. going to Spain.
The result is that there is now in their
possession wealth Of new data hereto
fore unavailable to biographers of CO.
lumbus for study.
Seeks to Learn Birthplace.
Another trip to Europe will be neces-
sary. in the Judgment OF Mrs. Adams.
before she and her husband bring forth
book dealing in any way with the
vexed question Of Columbus birthpla ce,
over which as bitter a dispute relgns
as to where his remains lie The COM
mon assumption is that Columbus was
an Italian. born in Genoa, and in that
Italian CITY the tourist is shown the
house where the great explorer is said
| to have first seen the light.
Mrs. Adams has already delved deep
| into the question of historical authority
| for this statement. and the claims Of sew
eral places in Spain. However, she will
| spend much more time in study before
she will announce her conviction What
|
challenged by partisans OF both Spain
and Italy.
1t is no secret that this history by
Mrs Adams will uphold the now gen.
orally accredited belief that the bones
of Columbus rest in the cathedral at
Santo Domingo, although Spain as
serts most emphatically that they are
| in the cathedral at Eeville beneath the
splendid tomb erected for the casket
which Spain brought back from Ha-
wanna when Cuba was set free.
| Mrs. Adams shares the view generally
held in this country that mistake was
made when Spain sought to remove
Columbus remains from Santo Domin-
go. when that country escaped her yoke,
1t was the body OF Diego Columbus, son
of Christopher, which was taken first
to Havana and thence to Seville. Dis
covery that the mistake had been made
came long before Havana surrendered
ket In the cathedral there was taken
to Seville but the Spaniards did not
then any more than now acknowledge
they had the wrong body.
May Journey to Andes.
Before Mrs. Adams goes back to Spain
the lecture platform will claim her for
a time and another Andean journey Is
possible also previous to the trip to
Europe The pre-Incan remains are
Mrs. Adams first love and the call there
Is always insistent.
Mrs Adams interest in American his
tory and ethnology came to her in some
degree by accident of birthplace. She
, was born in southern California anC
the evidences of the Spanish occupation
of that country were always before hel
eyes. Her earliest travels were ir
Mexico. and again were called to hel
attention the historical remains of th'
Conquistadores.
"Santo Domingo is one of the mos
interesting and least visited countrie
in the western hemisphere" says Mrs
; dams. I'm the city of Santo Doming
Itself one can see many traces of tn
work of the discoverer, where he rule
as governor and where later he wa
cast into chains. In the old church res
his bones and not too far away to b
, visited is the first city he founded Il
, America. at Cape Isabella.
The citizens of San Domingo them
selves are the soul of courtesy to Wis
itors and 1t seems strange and unfor
tunate that there should be a confu
sion In the minds of many American
as to their color. their difference fror
Haitians being the difference betwee
white men and ColOred "