stefansson-wrangel-09-14-012

Brewer

October 18, 1923.

Dear Mr. Brewer:

This letter is to carry forward the Noice developments, but first there is my proposal to visit Dayton, November 3rd. This will now be impossible, for my managers have booked me to speak in Cleveland the "morning of November 3rd." Of course, if it is early enough I may be able to catch a train around noon and get to Dayton in the evening. I very much hope so. I shall try to reach Dayton the morning of the 4th if I am unable to make it the 3rd.

According to Taylor's instructions, I induced Anderson to stay over. He spent about half the day with Noice but reported no progress. From his account I am a little inclined to feel sympathetic because Noice seems to really be out of his head - almost if not quite insane, at least for the time being. For one thing, he has an extreme case of megalomania. He proposes for the time being to stand strictly on his rights but generously says that he will never be ungrateful for certain kindnesses he has received from us, and that in later years if any of us are in financial or other difficulties he will be glad to come to our assistance.

Anderson thinks it is possible that Noice may honestly have thought from the beginning that he was to have the money for the despatches. Anderson met Noice's fiancee and got a very favorable impression. He thinks that she is in complete ignorance of what Noice is going and that in all probability she would set him right if she knew the facts. Meantime it does not seem easy for us to get at her in that matter.

I put the legal side of the case before my lawyers. They say there is no doubt Noice could be arrested for misappropriation of funds since it can be established that he received the $3,000. from Pickering on behalf of Taylor. However, he thinks that it is possible we might fail to secure a conviction, in which case there would be a suit for damages against us. But in either case he advises that we do nothing, for the public interest in Wrangel Island and in me is so great that wide circulation will be given to anything that Noice cares to say against me. It is the nature of newspapers that they give less currency to the rebuttal of a charge than they do the charge itself. Consequently, the one against whom the charges are made is always the loser irrespective

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of how absolute his defense may be.

I went to see Pickering, who impressed me very well. He says that when Noice came to him asking for the $3,000. he had not the remotest idea of handing it over but telephoned Toronto to get authorization from Taylor. He sees both the legal and moral rights of the case exactly as we do, but he is even more impressed than the lawyers with the folly of standing on our rights. He paid the three thousand to Noice considering him Taylor's agent. He thinks that the $1,500. bargained for should be similarly paid to Noice. For Noice has written and has already shown him a story of Wrangel Island which seems approximately correct and which puts our company in a very favorable light. If Noice did not receive the money he would not hand over this story nor would he offer it for publication to anyone else but he would doubtless suppress it, deny that his sentiments had ever been those which he has written, and would concoct a wholly new story in which, even if he were in his own opinion truthful, his resentment would color the narrative so as to make it more or less injurious to us. Pickering suggests our attitude should be that this is a bad debt which must be struck off the books. We must admit to ourselves that we have been successfully blackmailed, that being the less of two evils.

However, if he pays the money over to Noice as Taylor's agent, Taylor can later write Noice to the effect that he has heard from Pickering that the money has been paid over and ask Noice to send it along promptly. When Noice declines to do this, as he doubtless will, Taylor can impress upon him that it is our money and that we are considering what legal action to take to get it. Mr. Pickering suggests that that attitude will be a threat hanging over Noice's head, as sort of counter blackmail which will prevent him from actively and openly trying to do us harm later.

We realize that even now Noice is in a frame of mind to do us more or less injury, for apparently he really honestly believes in his own position and thinks that he has cleverly prevented us from cheating him. Thinking that we tried to cheat him and thinking that he outwitted us, he would be naturally inclined to develop that attitude in talking and writing and begin to imagine more and more of the same sort of grievances that he thinks he has in our attempt to prevent his getting all the money.

Anderson got the impression not only that Noice's fiancee is ignorant of the situation but also that the fundamental reason for Noice's attitude may be that he feels in desperate need of the money with which to make the necessary social appearance before his intended's relatives when they come out to New York from their fine estates up the Hudson. This is borne out by a note I received from Noice last night, of which the following is a copy:

"Dear Mr. Stefansson:

I hope you will not form too hasty an opinion of

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the events of the past few days. Things which may now seem inexplicable to you will all be explained satisfactorily in due time. I would like to have a long talk with you in the course of a few days.

(Signed) Noice"

Immediately after dictating this letter I am leaving for downtown to have a second talk with Mr. Pickering. We may change our plans but I have little doubt we shall follow his advice, as outlined above. In case we adopt any other plan, I shall let you know.

I want you to get this letter as soon as possible, so I am asking my secretary to type it after I leave and send it off unsigned.

I shall be expecting you for breakfast on Tuesday.

I know you have told Katharine and Orv all the news. I am especially glad that Taylor has had a chance to get to know them better. I want to know all about what sort of impression he made, but you needn't bother to write. You can tell me of that on Tuesday.

As said above, I hope to be able to reach Dayton the morning of the 4th at the latest. Before leaving Ohio I shall also want to visit New Philadelphia. As I remember, it is in the eastern part of the state so I suppose that will be after I leave Dayton. I shall probably reach Cleveland the evening of November 2nd and shall be staying at the Statler - which last and some other things in this letter I am putting in because I know you will read it aloud to Katharine and Orv.

V. STEFANSSON

Griffith Brewer, Esq., c/o Orville Wright, Esq., Hawthorn Hill, Oakwood, Dayton, Ohio.

P. S. Just after finishing this letter I have noticed that I am booked to speak in Dayton, February 21st. I am delighted with that and hopeful that if I cannot catch influenza over again, I can find some semi-serious malady to detain me a few days.