The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1913-02-14
CONTINUED from page one)

two, which explains the color Of the
geographic news. This society ap-
pointed a jury, three personal friends
Of Mr.. Peary, three Of his own off
cial associates. Chief in that Jury
was Rear Admiral Chester. Now.
Chester is a good fellow, but he hap
pens to be related by marriages to
the fur trader where that million dol
lars Of the illegitimate fur trade had
been divided. He was the right kind
OF an honest, disinterested juror. The
others were Of the same type. These
men promptly bartered their souls to
Mr. Peary's interest and at once said
that it was sure that Mr. Peary had
reached the Pole and that it was
equally sure that I had not. A year
later in congress, when compelled to
be honest, this same jury admitted
that in the Peary proofs there was no
proof.
"My material had been sent to the
University of Copenhagen. The Danes
were not interested in me, financially
or otherwise. / am not a Dane, as
is generally supposed. I am an Am
erican born of German parentage in
New York state. They went over
that material, severely, perhaps, but
honestly, and they promptly came to
the conclusion that on account of the
long range of unavoidable inaccuraey
in all such material and because there
was but one white man present, that
there could be no academic proof.
This did not carry the Interpretation
that the Pole had not been reached,
az the press of this country printed.
The Danes have never said that I did
not reach the Pole; quite to the con
trary, they showed their good faith
by bestowing upon me the honor of
Phi. ID. and by giving a gold medal.
The press has many times printed
that these and other honors have been
withdrawn, one of the many lies. No
honors ever extended to me have been
withdrawn, no door ever opened to
me has been closed.
"The controversy continued for
over year, during which time all
kinds of mean, undignified things
were said and printed about me.
Faxed, forged and periured news
items were sent out over the press
wires of this country from a paid
press bureau, as news. I brand them
all lies, lies with the seeming in
dorsement of the government and the
navy behind them. I am going to
prove that to you by the analysis of
4 just one charge, the one which is of
most interest to you, the climb of
Mt. Mckinley. Now, I want you to
listen carefully in this, for if what
I am about to say is not true, then
the prison doors are open to me. Mr..
Peary charged that I had not climbed
Mt. Mckinley, aiming by this side
issue to throw discredit upon my
Polar claim. I had climbed Mt. Nc
Kinley and climbed it honestly in
1906. In the last part of that climb
/ had with me but one man, Edward
Barrill, of Darby, Montana. For three
years Barrill had told everybody he
knew Just how I had climbed Mt.
Mckinley and how he was with me
at the top. The Peary interests crossed
the continent, came to Darby and
there offered Barrill a bride of a
thousand dollars to say that Mt. Nc
Kinley had not been climbed. We
next find Barrill in Hamilton, Mon
tana, and there in the office of and
in the presence of man by the
name of Bridgeford there was another
offer of another bride of five thou
sand dollars. Barrill's reply to that
was that he wanted that five thou
sand. that he needed it, but to get 1t
he would have to sell his own soul.
ftNow watch and see how that soul
was marketed. We next find Barrill
in Seattle, Washington, and there, IN
the office of the Seattle Times and
in the presence of it's editor, there
was another offer to sell that soul
as a news item for ten thousand dol
lars. Still the deal is not closed,
Then we come over to Tacoma. We
have in that community weakened
back-handed lawyer by the name OF
Ashton. Ashton said publicly that he
had been engaged to dig up the Nc
kinney BUSINESS put ho W. Net
by whom, whether by Cook or Peary
Can you imagine lawyer who deesn
know ON which side his bread is but
teredY But he was engaged. He ad
mits that, and he was engaged In
business so contemplate that he die
not dare to tell the source of the
money. We find Barrill there for two
days with him. We next find Bar
riIl in a bank in Tacoma and there
in the presence of man whom
am ready to produce that soul was
marketed, in the presence Nof mar
whom am ready to bring forth
Barrill was paid fifteen hundred dol
lars in one hundred dollar bills. HI
put those in his belt and spent tw'
of them at Nissoula, Montana. Thi
was part payment of a promised
bride of twenty-five thousand dollars