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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 10, 1909)
5 COOK'S ATTORNEY SEEMS IN DOUBT PHOTOGRAPHS SHOWING HOW DR. 000K, NOW ASSAILED AS FRAUD, WAS HONORED UPON. HIS RETURN HOME FROM) NORTH. Henry Wellington .Wack Ha's Dropped Explorer as His Client, Says Friend. BOUGHT FIGURES CITED FOR MEN AND. BOYS THE MORNING. OREGONIAN, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1909. RAINCOATS-., and - i, ..::.:..-:" .W. " " " " " " " ' " " !' --v-- .- - r-. i f,..,;-.,i.,,, ...... 'VJ.'-- i fiSiniaaff- i ii - ii ii TS. i mmmmmttlt'.r "m'itir.i n- limlmliiiJ iihTi ir -A n1" i is imi Lawyer Hints Doctor May Have Se cured Navigator's Observations to Check Ills Own Just - " Walt, Is frged. x kjsw YORK. Dec. 8. Dr. K. A. Cook s personal lawyer. Henry Wel lington Wack, has severed relations with his client. Mr. Wack refused to night to confirm or deny his with drawal, but It can be. affirmed on com petent authority that, after a consulta tion with his partners, Mr. Wack wrote Xr. Cook as far back as November 30 bat he must beg him 'to seek legal ad vloe elsewhere. "I have not the remotest idea." said Mr. Wack tonight, "where Dr. Cook is keeping himself or why he persists In seclusion when his presence is vital to Jiis own interests and his friends'. x neara mat he is in Brooklyn, in a sanltarlumi in Maine, in a Philadelphia asylum, but personally I Incline to the libeller that he Is ab road. j Affidavits Are Cited. I "One thing, however, is. certain there is agreement tonight, for the first 4ime, among those who have always be Klleved that Dr. Cook discovered the (North Pole, those who have never be lieved and those who have been wait ing to be informed on disinterested authority. Partisans and skeptics alike mow concede- certain cardinal facts iiwhlch admit of no argument, namely: J Jr. cook has sent his ecords to the University of Copenhagen, for the In spection of a commission; twotmen, one a broker who says he acted as a go between, and one a skilled navigator, have' sworn that they supplied the I doctor with a complete set of fabrJcat I ed observations, covering his trip northward step by step to the pole, in agreement with his narrative aa origi nally published. These sworn etate , tnents carry within themselves their own proof or disproof. , "That is' to say, if the papers now In the hands of the University of Copen hagen contain any considerable por tion of the boreal observations which Captain August Loose says he worked out. 'by the reverse route," no further north than the Gramatari Inn, In Mronxville. N. T.. the deduction Is that -Dr. Cook felt no confidence In the ade quacy of his own proofs. Observations May Be Check. "If. on the contrary, the Copenhagen .records show that Dr. Cook made no . evident use of the calculations Captain Loose says he supplied, it will be fair to assume that he accepted them only aa checks on his own data. The Inquiry will then revwrt to its first status: Are the original' observations of Dr. Cook suffi cient?" . ' - Asked flatly if he had or had not with drawn from Dr. Cock's alTairs, Mr. Wack said: "This is not the time for an announce ment. It might be thought I had deserted l'r. Cook in his need. He may be de lirious In a sanitarium or on the ocean, unable to defend himself." A close friend of Mr. Wack reiterated. .riowever, mat 'jur. vvacK had long ago de cided to close dealings with a client who did not keep his counsel Informed of his Intentions or movements. Mrs. Cook Writes. . Mr. Wack received a "letter from Mrs. Cook, December 6, dated December 4. end posted December & in Brooklyn, ask ing him to discontinue all expenses on the doctor's account, and to forward cer tain papers, which Mr. Wack understood to be affidavits bearing on the doctor's disputed asoent of' Mount McKinley. These affidavits the doctor had ortelnally Intended to take with him, to Europe, where they could be available for the University of Copenhagen, If desired. Others of Dr. Cook's friends granted tonight that Captain Loose consulted j freely with him and even occupied rooms adjoining him at the Gramatan Inn. ' Whether this propinquity served as an opportunity for co-operation merely, or i Jor collusion, is a point on which not even Captain Loose cares to pronounce positively. The captain, however, went freely Into his own motives this after I noon. i "I went to Dr. Cook," he said, "think ing I could help him. A short taik con I vinced me -he was Ignorant of some of ; the essentials of navigation. My task enlarged, but that was no question for ime to debate so long as I was paid. Now ' that the payments have ceased and the doctor has disappeared. I speak out. I supplied the figures. They were grate fully received. What use was made of them Is bound to appear. Mm .exEeCte.l Wben 1 PProached Him to do such extended work as I have t? A "rl ta,lt with con! vinced me he knew almost nothing about I1,!1 ; He was tenorajjt of some of the essentials of the science. Cook's Records Not Seen. "At first I considered it at least llkelv that Dr. Cook had got near to the Pole say to 89 degrees, or within 60 miles of the Pole. Even his observations would ihave given him that accuracy. Later ( l was forced to change that opinion. "A person not especially accurate might I thought, himself at the Pole when only within 60 miles of It. When I got deeper into the case I began to suspect that Dr. Cook was never out of sight of . land. .JT't?Banotlce thftt 1 nave never said that Dr. Cook is about to submit my cal culations to the University of Copen- f hagen aa his own observations. Dr Cook never intimated such to me. I was work ing for pay then, and was indifferent on that point. Now. I have not received my pay. I don't express an opinion about how or when Dr. Cook wrote up his rec ord books. Dr. Cook never allowed me to Inspect his original records, or. Indeed ny more of them than has been pub lished in the newspapers." " Captain Loose said the writing down r seconds in Dr. Cook's reports of his ob servations did not.show "a skillful at tempt to deceive." Thelimits of error were so great that the recording of sec onds would not be of the slightest value Jn adding accuraoy. declared the Captain "Still, of course." he, added. "Dr. Cook could have looked at his Instruments, y seen the seconds and put them down con scientiously, if in ignorance of their lack of importance." Kansas Liquor Men Indicted. KANSAS CITT. Dec. 9. Fifty indict ments were returned by the grand Jury against wholesale liquor dealers, charging them with having violated the new law requiring wholesalers'and (manufacturers of liquors to pay a graduated tax to the state. , DR. COOK AND MRS. COOK ON STEAMER, SURROUNDED BT ADMIRERS. iTi A i to x NsSX " Photos, copyright 1909 by George Grantham Bain. DR. COOK AT PUBLIC RECEPTION ACCORDED HIM. . DENMARK FOR COOK Rector of University Calls Charges "Fiction." SECRETARY IS .INDIGNANT "Totally Unfounded," Says Man to Whom Dr. Cook Dictated Report From Observations Taken at Pole, Now In Copenhagen. (Continued From First Page.) PROOFS NOT FULL Leading, People. vof Portland Reserve Opinions. ACCUSERS' CHARACTER BAD Admissions of Loose and Duakle Discredit Them, Say Some Both Explorers Doubted Josse- lyn Stands By. Cook. Portland people generally bave- decided to suspend Judgment as to the merite of the Peary-Cook controversy until the records of the two explorers have finally been passed upon by scientific experts. This disposition was manifested yesterday when The Oregonlan requested interviews from a number of prominent business and professional' men as to their opinion' of the published report that Dr. Cook had bribed George H. Dunkle and Captain August W Loose to supply him with faked astronomical observations as a part of the records on which he expects to prove the discovery of the Nojth Pole by himself. v Both Peary and Cook have partisans In Portland and many a household has found itself hopelessly divided in attempting to settle the" controversy. Charges and counter-charges of . bribery and deception have furnished the subject for 'Bo many newspaper and magazine stories that the average citizens finds himself more con fused and uncertain in his own mind than he was immediately after the first an nouncements of the Pole discovery by both men.. For this reason many de clined to express, themselves yesterday who had positive opinions on th.e sub ject a few weeks ago. - Charges Open t.o Donbt. The following opinions "were expressed yesterday on the latest charge of bribery perrerred ' against- Cook by Dunkle and Loose: Circuit Judge Gantenbein I have made up my mind to reserve a decision as to the merits of the Peary -Cook controversy until the records of both have been ex amined bv scientific experts. Dr.- J. R. Wetherbee. president Port land Commercial Club The allegations of Dunkle and Loose do not look reasonable -to me from the evidence that has Keen produced. However. I am open to con vicltion. It does not esem to me that any man would spend two years of his life in the polar regions, enduring the hardships attendant on such an explora tion. Just for the purpose of faking. . Circuit Judge Bronaugh There .has been so much controversy over the discovery of the North Pole in the newspapers and magazines that I have not undertaken to form any definite conclusion as to the real merits. I shall wait until the re ports of Peary and Cook have been in vestigated 'by scientific experts before passing an opinion. Dr. W. H. Foulkes While I must admit that I ha.-e been somewhat - suspicious of Cook throughout the controversy, the charge which has been made by Dunkle and Loose doea not rl rtr-m In a tViA lac... in any sense. Men who admit-having sucn xnings as tnese two men have confessed not only stultify themselves but weaken the cause they seek to strengthen. This circumstance undoubted ly will result in making the investiga tion of Cook's records all the more rigid as to their genuineness. Give Cook Benefit of Doubt. Dr, Luther R.'Dyott In thip case, as in all. such matters, the public should sus pend Judgment until, all of the facts are known. The character of the men making tha charges that Dunkle and Loom have made should also be taken Into consideration. I would be inclined to ge Dr. Cook the benefit of every doubt, under the circumstances, until those prepared to pass on the question shall go decidedly 'against him in their SDdlngs. v Sanderson ReedP-I am yet to be con vinced that-either Peary or Cook actually reached the North Pole. Fabrications are to be found In the published statements of both of these men. To my mind, the representations of Peary and a negro should not carry acy more weight than do the contentions of Cook and an Es kimo. These charges of bribery and other faking only serve to furnish subject for -gossip and in no manner affect the real merits of the controversy. Josselyn Believes Cook. B. 8. Josselyn, president of, the Portland Railway, Light & Power Company I will believe Cook is all that he represents himself to be until he is proven otherwise. I do not give credit to the charges made against him. My reason for believing in Cook Is that I have heard so much about him. through a close friend of mine, who knows him, and who declares he Is an honest man. County Judge Webster I take no stock whatever- in the- latest. ' charge against Dr. Cook; and, besides, the Dunkle-Loose Btory should not be allowed in any way to Influence the merits of the con'troversy between the two explorers. The only way to Judge either Peary, or Cook is hy a thorough examination of the records each has submitted in support of his contention-.- If any part of the records of Dr. Cook has been faked, it will be discov ered from such an Investigation by com petent judges. "The Peary-Cook controversy reminds me of a good story I received today in a letter from a Washington friend," said. Dr.- J. .Whitcomb Brougher, who was among those declining to be interviewed. "A little negro, who was offering two) Kittens for sale, was approached by an inquislteve but prospective purchaser. "'What are the Kittens' names?', in quired the caller. " .'They ain't got no names,' was the answer. 'Why don't you call them Peary and Cook?" suggested the questioner. ""Oh, g'won. they ain't polecats,' came back the youthful owner." NOBEL PRIZES GIVEN OUT , ' Marconi Gets Division of $40,000 Award for Physics. LONDON, Dec 9. This year's Nobel prizes of $40,000 each will be distributed as follows: , For physics, divided between Mr. Mar coni and Professor Ferdinand Braun, of Straabtirg; for chemistry. Professor Wil beim Ostwald, of Lelpsic; for physiology or medicine. Professor Theodore -Kocher, of Berne; for literature, Selma Lagerlof, the Swedish authoress. there is no question that his proofs will be accepted. , Postmaster Campbell I have read the Cook story of today in part only, and would say that the charges perhaps war rant an investigation at least. It can easily be learned whether the story is true or not, it seems to me, though I am not familiar with the details. Municipal Judge Maxwell The state ments of the two men are not reasonable. I cannot conceive 'of Dr. Cook doing as the men state, were he in his right mind. It seems like a "fake,"' but developments will clear the whole thing. Municipal Judge Wells I read the affi davits of the two men and immediately came to this conclusion: if there is any truth In what they say, then they know what Cook's report contain. Let them make this public before some socfety, and the truth of their statements can easily De arrived at. Edwin W. Sims, United States District Attorney The affidavits of the two men will give them a standing in court. I think an investigation is warranted by what they say. Whether their statements are based on facts or are a part of a plot to discredit the explorer, it can be learned without great difficulty. Mark A. Foote. United States Commis sioner I am for Cook. I think, like many others, that the statements of the two men will not bear Investigation. It looks like a toold attempt to discredit the Brooklyn physician and to rob him of his credit due for his dash to the Pole. . Municipal Judge Newcomer The affida vits bear all the earmarks of a "fake' pure and simple. Cook is too smart a man and nas had tod much experience to trumtt UP a deal, especially since, the two men were strangers to him. IvOOSE PROVED TO BE WKOXO Survivor of tireeley Expedition Says His Astronomy Js Not Right. SAN JOSH. Cal., Dec. 9. That the state ment reported to be contained In affi davits sworn to by Dunkle and Loose and published by the New York Times cannot be given credence by 'people who have lived in Arctic regions is the belief of Maurice Oonnell of this city, a survivor of the Greeley expedition. Connell says: "It is said that this' ex-navigator. Loose, swears 'That having the basis of an observation of the star, Capella, he warned Dr. Cook that his narrative must sav the star rose at 4 o'clock on the morning of January 15." "That star Capella neither sets nor rises during the-Arctlc night. Its north ern declination is about 46 degrees. Stars with a northern declination of more than 23 degrees never rise nor set any where within the Arctic Circle. They revolve around the polar, star, Just as circumpolar stars In this latitude do." Oo-ort to Convene at St. Helens. ASTORIA. Or.. Dec. . Special.) Judge Eakin will convene an adjourned session of the Circuit Court, at St. Helens, on IVATSOH'S NO. io Scotch Whisky Distilled in tbe Highland's of Scotland from pure' Scotcn Barley Malt. Geo. $. Clark & Co., Agents 311 .Board "of Trade Bldg., Portland, Or. . - IwM n fir We have received by express this week . a lot of NEW STYLES different in FABRIC and PATTERNS from those sold earlier in the season. If you want the LATEST and BEST it will be to your interest to come to this store of i GOOD VALUES, where MODEST PRICES always prevail. BOYS AND GIRLS No one has yet a large lead in the contest for those FIVE AUTOMOBILES which we are going to give away It is worth while striving for It costs ' you nothing save a. little energy and . perseverance and you might own an AUTO of your own with a capacity of ten miles an hour if you will only try. BEGIN TODAY. LLING LEADING CLOTHIER next Monday morning, and three civil cases are set for trial before juries during the week. Expert Will Decide on Early. WASHINfiTnv a ti r ir-.i - - . . i - - V. . J UUIIII Xk.. 1 1 ! . - 1 twice Imprisoned and -quarantined here as a -'leper," went to the Rockefeller Institute for medical research in New York, today, where hewill be examined by Dr. Simon Flexner. Dr. Flexner's de cision as to whether Early has leprosy will be accepted as final by the Wash ington health department. In return for his freedom, Early's atttorney announced that Early would drop his damage suit against Washingtonhealth officers for false imprisonment. Mian Ivy K. Woodward haa ben admitted to full membership in the Itoyal College of Phytf cians of London. Thia is the first time that the coveted M. R. C. P. has been conferred upon a woman. 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