stefansson-wrangel-09-32-078v

O RW - Put this below the chapter heading of Chapter X, in italics
This Chapter should be omitted by all readers except those who ^ read the long newspaper story [[?]] Wrangel Island Tragedy published by NW. Harold [Noise] in 1923. To all, others it will seem only an unpleasant digression from the main [[?]] of the bank

Appendix IV

The Vicissitudes of the Wrangel Island Documents

[This is the rest of Chapter X edited to conform to the understanding with
Mr. Harold Noice when we accepted for publication in this book his explana-
tion and apology—see Chapter XIV.3

The chapter on the vicissitudes of the Wrangel Island documents
and on the painful circumstances connected therewith was written
at a time when we had a case to establish as well as a story to tell.

The arguments and proofs have at the last moment been made
almost unnecessary by the retraction and apology of Mr. Harold
Noice, the author of that misleading press account of the Wrangel
Island tragedy which we are here attempting to replace by a nar-
rative really based on the expedition records. Unfortunately, his
retraction does not make this chapter wholly unnecessary for sev-
eral minor reasons and two major ones. (1) We have evidence
that the original newspaper account made so widespread and firm
an impression that nothing but a thoroughgoing exposition of evi-
dence and motives can remove it. (2) While Mr. Noice has re-
tracted those portions of his original story which had the greatest
historical and scientific importance, he has not retracted other por-
tions which have vital significance with reference to the character
of some of the Wrangel Island party. Since the retraction was not
complete, it is impossible to destroy completely the reasoning and
evidence necessary to remove Mr. Noice’s unretracted contentions
from the reader’s mind as thoroughly as they would have been re-
moved had he himself withdrawn them.

Should this book be read by someone who either did not see Mr.

Noice’s newspaper story or upon whom it made only a slight impres-
sion, we suggest and even urge that the rest of this chapter be omit-
ted, for it is desirable whenever possible to keep untarnished by
even association with the disproof of serious, though unfounded,
charges, the simple and creditable story which Lome Knight has

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