New-York tribune., 1920-04-14
Croker Gives Out
Alleged ''Slacker''
Letter From Son
Guess | Haven't the Courage
to Enlist Last Paragraph
in Note Said to Have Been
Written by Richard .Jr.
Special Dispatch to The rr;bun.

1
WEST PALM. BEACH, Fla, April 10,
-Richard Croker tonight gave oct for
publication letter purporting to have
been written him by his son, Richard
Croker jr- May 8, 1918. The elder
Croker, in answering charges made by
the children in their suit, had said that
both his boys were slackers during the
war, that when the situation was be-
coming desperate overseas he wrote
Richard the war had gone far enough
without his sons getting into it, and
got' back a letter which "made him
sick; that all he could get out of it
was that "they were afraid to CO."
This assertion was answered by their
counsel, William F. McCombs, who de-
MED that the sons had evaded war
service, though they did not enlist. In
making the letter public tonight Mr..
Croker said he wished to show justifi-
cation for his comment. The letter
was written from 321 Madison Avenue,
New York, in long hand, was addressed
Dear father" and signed Richard"
The last two paragraphs read:
"In conclusion, let me tell you of
Howard, whom you have called a
Stacker. Because he must support his
family, and also because he is now re-
covering from a painful accident to his
eye with which he met about four
months ago while working on some ma
chinery in his factory, he is not in a
position to offer his services to the
government.
"As far as I am concerned, I guess I
haven't the courage to enlist"
The subject of Mrs. Croker's Indian
pareptage is discussed by Cherokee In
dian Chieftain F. H. Mayes, of Mays
County. Okla, in an affidavit made pub
lie to-day. He tells of being an init
mate acquaintance of her family, says
that Mrs. Croker's father is a full
blooded white man and her mother of
one-eighth degree Cherokee blood, and
that Mrs. Croker is. therefore, one-six-
teenth Cherokee Indian, and that she
is SO enrolled in the official polls of the
Cherokee Nation. He tells of Mrs.
Croker's school days at the Cherokee
National Seminary, at Tallequah, and
concludes: that her reputation in her
home always was and is the best and
that her character, where she is thor
oughly we'll known, has never been
questioned"
Huston B. Teehee, register of the
Treasury, in supporting affidavit,
says that he is related to Mrs Croker
and has known her intimately for
twenty years. He says that her par
ents and other relatives are in the
first and best families of Oklahoma.
Samuel Untermyer, in an affidavit
received to-da:'. tells of Mrs. Croker's
solicitude for her husband during his
serious illness here, a year ago last
winter, when she called Mr.. Unterryer
to the Wigwam to join his influence
with hers in an endeavor to have Mr..
Croker get specialist from New York
During this visit" Mr.. Untermyer
says. 81 discussed with Mr.. Croker his
affairs. He had remarkable grasp of
all the details Of his business. Mr.
Croker then told me that Mrs. Croker
now owned the Palm Beach property
He was very proud of the business ac-
complshments of his wife and loud in
his praise Of her for her untiring de-
votion to him throughout his long i'll
ness"