Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1925-04-16
Doc Cooks Oil Schemes
Another Bluff Called
DISCOVER OF THE NORTH POLE
HITS THE LONG TRAIL FOR
LEAvENWoRTH
BY Robert Fuller

against HIS VIII, out nevertheless IOr
the next II to IA years, should his
health permit, medicine will be his
profession. His services are free. He
is ministering to tae ills of his fell
low convicts in the Federal prison
here. He is No 23,11S.
So opens one, of the late chapters
in the career of Americas greatest
buffer. Should he live to serve out
his term of IL to IA years, he will be
u years of age when he again steps
into the sunshine of freedom. He was
born in Sullivan County, N. Y. June
10, 1866.
Doc" Cook the man who has bluff
ed in big way all through life, has
never yet put one of them across.
But he is still trying. Only last week
in Fort Worth, Tex, he attempted
bold and grand bluff-of how he had
refused to join a Jail delivery. This
was just before his transfer to the
government prison here. Wardens
Bididle and Zerbst of this institution
will perhaps have many such bluffs
and brainstorms Of the famous doc
tor to deal with before he says good
bye.
If the reader is of the younger gen.
GRAFTON, perhaps they are not familiar
with the doings of Doc Cook. Here
are some of his bluffs-one of which
he cashed in on-5ut was caught.
Doc Cook claimed to have been the
first man to scale Mt. Mckinley. He
was given seat In the hall of fame
beside such explorers as Agassiz and
Herschel. Later his claim was disap-
proved. This was in 1906.
Claimed He had
Reached North Pole
In 1909 he returned from the North,
less than two weeks ahead of Admiral
Perry, the real discoverer, claiming
that he had reached the North Pole.
He returned by way of Denmark
which country official honored him.
New York gave him the freedom of
the city and hung garlands of roses
about his neck. Perry's sudden return
with authentic data and proofs of he
himself having reached the pole was
tse hss h1ch exploded all of Doc
Cooks claims and the praise and
honor he so gloried in was quickly
turned to ridicule and scorn.
The nations scorn was so great that
Doc Cook left the country, going to
Borneo. There is no record of his
bluffs on the wild folks of the East
Indies, but that there were some, there
is no doubt
No sooner had the famous" explor
er returned to the United States, than
he was busy again "stringing" suckers
His ideas were along new avenues,
however, for whereas he always had
specialized on scientists, royalty and
a trusting general public, he now turn
ed his attention to widows, orphans
and poor folks who wanted to get rich
quick by the oil-well route-and he
strung them to the tune of some
$4,000, OOO
His Oil Ideas
Brought 100000
It would seem that his idea of a
going concern was to consolidate some
300 bankrupt oil companies with dry
wells and make them into one big
solvent company with flowing wells,
He sold" the idea of the big company
SO well to the inexperienced and igno-
rant, that he was rolling in millions
when the government stepped in to in
yestigate.
Conviction was obvious from the
first. He was sentenced to serve IA
years.
To show the workings of Doc Cooks
brain-he sued Fort Worth newspa-
per for libel, claiming $1,O0O,OOO dam
ges-after he had been convicted.
Doc Cook had rare gifts, had they
been used in the right direction. He
was endowed with rare personality,
beaming smile and affability that
won the confidence of strangers. He
started life we'll enough-but he never
could control the desire to bluff. Leav
ing the home place up state in New
York he went to Brooklyn where he
drove milk wagon until he had earn
ed enough money to start through
medical college.
He was member of Admiral Per.
rvs party on one of the earlier explor-
ations-but had been missing for some
years when he came from the north
with the announcement of having
reached the pole. Even after all of
his claims were disapproved he main
tanned his stand and even went forth
on the lecture platform to carry out
his bluff However, his pictures were
old, his dairies falsified and in no
way had he data which would stand
inspection
He made the gun-drop candy fam
ous-by claiming that by feeding the
Eskimos these colorful sweets, they
braved the intense cold and lead him
to the pole
If in the prison library here there
is Who's Who, Doc Cook will like
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