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Show COOK DENOUNCES . DANISHJXPLOREE NEW YORK, Dec. 25 By accusing Knud Rasmussen, the Danish explorer, of "stooping to the deptha of a literary liter-ary muck-raker to yet public attention," atten-tion," Dr. Frederick A. Cook, tho Brooklyn explorer, gave out a reply tonight to Rasmussen's recent attack on Cook which was published on Nov. 0, last. Incidental lo bis defense of his own narrative of Arctic exploration, Dr. Cook says that by Rasmussen's methods meth-ods of investigating. Robert E. Pearv could, with equal case, be discredited, but declare. that he "will take Mr. Peary's word In preference to either that of Rasmussen or tho Eskimos In tho matter of his own accomplishments." accomplish-ments." Rasmussen's attack on Cook was I sent by him tn his wife in Copenhag-I Copenhag-I en and by her made public. It contained con-tained what purported to be statements state-ments from Cook's two Eskimo companions com-panions In his North polar quest, Jtukushuk and Apllak. Rasmussen "aid he did not personally talk with the Eskimos hut ih1r ci it..n.ni o I slept several nights before we reached Flagler bay. (Falso statement Ny. 2.) "The I9th day w? chanced our course westward.' To have done fo would have necessitated crossing the impassible mountains of rock and Ice of Hlberg Island. (False statement ."o. 4.) " 'Wo stopped at open water near land.' If so the returning Eskimos would have reported It. The nearest water to land was at the big lead 100 miles off. where tho land wag but a blue haze on tho horizon, (False statement state-ment No. C ) General False Statements. AH these statements, says the doctor, doc-tor, would have been found false by putting a few questions to the older men of the supporting: party, but it was not done, although there were half a dozen men who could have af-llrmed af-llrmed or denied the boys' story. Even Peary's statement, says Cook, contradicted contra-dicted these assertions. The Eskimos believe In a flat earth, continues Cook, and they cannot understand un-derstand a map of the mid-polar ba6ln, where all meridians meet The? are good map-makers of familiar hunting hunt-ing grounds of small area6, but that Is all. Me continues: "The nearest slur which Rasmussen throws, Is that of cheatlnsr th hova were taken by two missionaries who were working In tho country from which Dr. Cook said he started for the Pole. The stories were- In brief: The Eskimos left Annatok with Cook with eight sledges in February, slept once- on tho ice on tho way to Ells-nierc Ells-nierc land nnd took four days to cross the land. Eighteen days out all but tho two Eskimo boys left. The nineteenth nine-teenth d.'iy they chanced their course westward. Later Apllak came upon Cook drawing a map. He asked him whose route he was drawing. "My own." said the explorer, "but that," the statements makes the Dane say, "was a lie," because he made the route a Ion way out at sea where he had never been." Cook Winters at Cape Seddon. The Eskimos' statement continued that the party eventually reached 1 Cane Seddon and wintered there; that j Cook spent most of the time writing ' and at first sight of the sun thoy ! started home; that the explorer prom- I They were promised a knlf and a gun. They were paid before we Btart-ed. Btart-ed. Therefore Rasmussen's charge is tia false as the whole fabric of lm-a lm-a pinery weaving, but instead of keeping keep-ing to my promise. I pave them many more things and instructed Mr. Whitney Whit-ney to turn over all my belongings to them when be left. "It Is therefore In the powor of Whitney to say whether I cheated the Eskimos or not. And If Rasmussen la wrong on this baseless eharcre can he be believed in anything elRc?"'' Calls Missionaries "Half-Breede." Dr. Cook, turning bis attention' to the missionaries through whom it is nllcged Rasmussen obtained the Eskimo Eski-mo boys' statement, explains that they were half-breed Eskimo Christians who were quite unable to make themselves them-selves understood by the Eskimos to whom they preached, and yet these same missionaries are credited with sufficient intelligeuce to cross-examine the Eskimo boys about something which they themselves do not under- Ised them a pood reward, but "we did not Ret the guns he promised us. Ho pave us only a knife, some matches and a useless boat." Commenting on this rciort, Ras-mussen Ras-mussen s.iid: "I regard the report as absolutely authentic." In his statement given out tonight. Cook answers categorically the statements state-ments imputed to the Eskimo bova, denylnc each in turn and giving reasons rea-sons why h thinks they should he considered false; declares that Ras-mussen Ras-mussen has reason to dislike him; ' I says no effort was made to pet at the 1 truth in th alleged examination of the two boys, but that on th con- . irary they were plied with leading questions designed to evolve the answers ans-wers desired, and points out what he terms the well-kuown tendency of all Indians to give answers which the believe will please their questioners. Cook says Rasmussen's reputation as an Arctic pledge traveler rests up- i stanri J Cook says in conclusion- j "During all of last winter Rasmus- Uen traveled through Denmark on a lecture tour, and In his disclosure he bus vigorously defended Peary For years Rasmussen ha3 heaped all kinds of abuse on Peary, most of It not fit to print. There is something Irrational about Rasmussen's public , utterances The only rational explanation ex-planation for Ra.sDiussen's irrational course is to credit him with an ambition ambi-tion to get into the limelight for he jumps without invitation first on the Cook kind wagon; when the mutlc stops he joins the rebound of tho shouting press; then out of a Job he runs to the Peary band wapon; again when the music stops, he joins the noisy an U-Peary knockers. I hope the hawS elTen hlm th Publicity which he ha8 aimed for, But nd n explorer stoop to the depths of a etr)arv?..tUUCk raker t0 eet ni,bI1c at- on a journey rrom Tassuasuk to Cape York. "This trip." he says, "was but a step in my return voyage, ocoiipvlng onh three and on. - half days, and' it is cov- j ered by one sentence in niv narrative" narra-tive" ' Rnsmus.sen's reason to be hostile to him, Cord: finds In a snuh which h was compelled to administer to the Dane In 1907. when Brndlev arrived in North Star bay. Rasmussen came aboard, he rays, dressed in old greasy furs, and exuding a string stench of oil He and ilu. Dane bo. camo ' chummy" at once, and he said to Mr. Hradley: We must bivite Rasmussen to dinner," din-ner," Urudley, he savs. replied: "No for Onds sake, no; I will pet seasick from that odor." Cook Explains Snub. The result was. Cook says, he asked the ca-itain to take the Dnne to his mess :,n.l Rasmussen has rood reason tn take this treatment as a snub. "In Hor.- says the statement '"Kas-mussen '"Kas-mussen saw relatives and friends of the Eskimo boys who bad been with me and from them gathered information informa-tion which convinced him that I had been U the pole. Ho has no other Information now. but fur reasons best known to himself be tomes to au opposite op-posite opinion. "Now. let us examjne Ilasmussen's alest charges. II0 start.-! out by saving: sav-ing: 'Already in lfiOO there existed Sraye doubts as to whether Dr. Cook-really Cook-really bad reached the p.de.' if this Is a true statement then Rasmusr n ! convicts himself of a fal8 opinio j at the very start. For without a word I or instruction from me he came out n viperous and voluminous reports n my defense. Why did hc Jump Into tne Cook band wagon and j-hout If he had doubts' 'b H,torV which Is Mlesed came through the two missionaries Ras niussen puts the following phrases Into the moMihs of my Eskimo bovs: VI o traveled from Annatok with ek-ht siedtres in company with Dr Co-'.k I (There wore eleven sledges-faito statement No. 1.) Tron, lhor to r mereland, we s,t only ..nre.' u4 |