Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-03-21
uthor of "Tarzan" Stories Gets
Note About David Innes and
"At the Earth's Core"
ppINTED IN THIS PAPER
r,sning Ledg Published Strange Ad-
centuries in /. nd at Earth's Center.
(, Reply to Message Saturday


~. falr. to eclipse even the war In the In
....st II will arouse. In his story AT the
....,h,s Core" Mr.. Burroughs took David
s... b,s hero. and Professor Perry in
,..,er,s new invention 500 miles through
,r,b,s crust to a new land in which
areat sun shone continuously in the
-.,,,h There was no night and time was
.,u,ovs eternity. The land. Pellucidar, was
..,oa bv animals corresponding to those
.,,, Inhabited the earth during the stone
.,e and by men in the lowest stage Oh
eiyilization. =, ,,,,,,
sAfer wears of adventure In Pellucidar
80 returned in the Iron Mole to the earth
A. get stores and civilization's greatest
rroducts for the federated Iipes over
Ps,ah he ruled He then bored his way
wi, IN Pellucidar and his wife, Dian, but
oot until first leaving complete telegraph
NJ. Mat in the sands Of the desert This in
.tr,,ment he connected with one IN the iron
Woie and. provided with hundreds OF mics
r,,ro started back. There Mr.. Burroughs
c , eli trace of the intrepid adventurer,
Va "At the Earth's Core" came to an END.
Tho letter which Mr.. Burroughs received
..,,ows The authors reply will be printed
~ Saturdays EVENING LEDGER:
srdear Rice Burroughs, ESQ,
"Oak Park Illinois.
- The most remarkable condolences in
U.odern literature. But let me start at the
beginning: ,.o, ,,,,
.se face of the earth. I have no trade-nor
any other occupation. -...
;My father bequeathed me competency.
.ome remoter ANCESTOR lust of roam. L
nave combined the two and invested them
= .oreful,v and without extravaganza
"For the last year 1 have been purchas-
,no adventure in North Africa. Several
montbs ago came upon some back num-
hers of the EVENING LEDGER in the read
ing room of club here IN Aigiers'
"I became interested in your story, AT
xhe Earth's Core not so much because OF
the probability of the tale as of great and
abiding wonder that people should be paid
real money for writing such imposslple
trash You will pardon my candor but II
is necessary that you understand my mental
attitude toward this particular story-that
YOU may credit that which follows.
"Shortly thereafter I started for the Sa-
hara in search Of a rather rare species or
antelope that is to be found only OCCASION
ally within limited area at certain sea-
son Of the year, My chase led me far from
the haunts of civilized man.
at was fruitless search, however, in so
far as antelope is concerned but one night
as I lay counting sleep at the edge of lit
tie cluster of date palms that surround an
ancient we'll in the midst of the arid, shift
ing sands l suddenly became conscious
Of strange sound coming apparently from
the earth beneath my head
ut was an intermittent ticking
=, 'No reptile or insects with which ! am
familiar reproduces any such notes. l lay
for an notwithstanding intently.
AT last my curiosity got the better of
me. / arose. lighted my lamp and COM
menced to investigate
lzz.l. L., ctr ,nI
directly, upon the warm sand. The noise
appeared to be coming from beneath the
rug. / raised it, but found nothing-yet,
a intervals the sound continued.
II dug into the sand with the point Of
my hunting knife. A few inches below the
surface of the sand 1 encountered solid
substance that had the feel of wood be-
Meath the sharp steel.
''Excavating about it, unearthed a small
wooden box From this receptacle issued
the strange sound that l had heard.
How did it come here?
What did it contain?
in attempting to lift it from its burying
place discovered that it seemed to be held
fast by means of a very small insulated
cable running farther into the sand beneath
Il.
MY first impulse was to drag the thing
loose by main strength but fortunately I
thought better of this and fell to examining
VIC poA' SOOH saw tHdt II WAS cONeTeu
by a hinged lid, which was held closed by
simple screw hook and eye
1T took but moment to loosen this and
raise the cover when, to my utter aston
ishment. discovered an ordinary telegraph
instrument clicking away within.
What in the world thought I, is this
thing doing here?'
That it was French military instru-
ment was my first guess but really there
didn't seem much likelihood that this was
the correct explanation, when one> took into
account the loneliness and remoteness Of the
spot.
'As sat gazing at my remarkable find
which was ticking and clicking away there
; In the silence of the desert night trying to
convey some message which / was unable
TO interpret my eyes fell upon bit of
paper lying in the bottom Of the box beside
the instrument, l picked it:up and exam
ined It, Upon 1t were written but two let
bafied
Once in an interval of silence upon the
part of the receiving instrument, l moved
tne sending key up and down few times
instantly the receiving mechanism COM
menced to work frantically.
Il tried to recall something of the Morse
Code, with which I had played as little
Doy--but time had obliterated it from my
memory. Z became almost frantic as / let
my imagination run riot among the possi-
oiiities for which this clicking instrument
might stand.
Some, poor devil at he unknown other
sna might be in dire need Of succor. The
Some poor devil at the unknown other
Sashing betokened something of the kind
And there sat ], powerless to interpret,
ana so powerless to help
1t was then that the inspiration came to