harold-noice-01-02-16-008

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commercial value of this colony on a basis of the fur catch alone was an
asset worth in the vicinity of $15,000 to the company, and the value of the
island itself was not less than $50,000. Now it appeared that Stefansson
was actually trying to get possession of my money, not for a monument but
for some purpose best known to himself and I quite naturally resented it very
much indeed. I had unfortunately mislaid the letters I had received from the
company and had only the contract with the Alliance to support my case where-
upon Stefansson claimed that it had been necessary to draw up a contract in
my name because I was the one to write the articles, but that I had agreed
orally to turn over the money to the company. Stefansson's great reputation
and the testimony of his officers convinced people that I was a crook and
had taken advantage of a legal technicality.

Since my return from Brazil I have unearthed the letters and
telegrams which clearly prove all of the foregoing contentions and I intend
to bring suit against Mr. Stefansson for the recovery of the $1500 which he
has prevented me from getting for over a year.

One of the many stories Stefansson has put into circulation
with the apparent intention of discrediting me is that when I first arrived
in New York I was penniless and that he fed me for two years. As a matter
of fact I had made $4,000 in fur on my expedition of 1918—1921 to Coronation
Gulf and when I returned from the Arctic in 1921 I met Stefansson who was
then in financial difficulties and loaned him a considerable amount of money.
Later on when I sold one of my Ethnological collections to the Heye Museum
I again loaned him money. Stefansson eventually paid back the money in
small checks. The only foundation for this story was that during the winter
previous to my departure for Wrangel Island I had borrowed funds from him
for the purpose of finishing a book I was writing about his Canadian Arctic
Expedition and had agreed to pay him out of the royalties of the book. Mr.