Letter from William Eleroy Curtis to Theodore Roosevelt
William Eleroy Curtis describes the origination and various iterations of the bird story, comparing the process to the game of “Gossip.” What began as a story of Theodore Roosevelt shooting birds in Africa as natural history specimens turned into him killing birds in Oyster Bay for “the mere lust of killing.” Hence, the newspaper article’s comment that a man who kills birds in nests for gratification will “not hesitate to disregard the rights of any one that stands in the way of his desires.”
Collection
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Creation Date
1910-12-01
