Valdez daily prospector., 1912-04-30
ANOTHER IDOL
 HAS FALLEN
Former Worshipers at Musher's Shrine Now Deride Hero
 of Trail


 with by Valdez heretofore cham pion musher. The letter tells the story better than We can:
 You remember, how l, with scv- cral other admirers of 'men who can do things" have sat or stood l around in your barber shop at Valdez and listened to the stories | told by "Goldie," your partner, of the great mushes he has made when on the trail to and from the interior, both in mid winter, when it was bitter cold, or in summer, when it was swell | tering hot; in fact, it was most 1 always too hot or too cold for the 1 rest of the mushcrs to venture out; but not for Goldic, as he told it. He was never a trailer but was always in the lead, always had the largest pack, always got to the camping ground first and had the coffee boiling and the bean pot hot for the rest of the party when they arrived, almost too tired to cal. You remember, Fred. how we almost wOrshiped him as d hero and were tempted at times io risk our few shckcls that hr could mush further in a given lime than any man in Alas ka. not even barring Bob McIn- Josh or Jap Wada. But, alas, Fred, our mushing idol is shat tered; he was Dr. Cooking us. Since coming tO Chitina 1 have got inside information from re- liable sources. namely: Dick GilinauX and Charley Crary that G0ldlc never was q muSher: in fact, he never was in the lead only as the party left or return cd to Valdez, and then he always bribcd them to let him go ahead.
 No doubt when GOldic gets back to Valdez this fall he will tell you how he broke trail this spring for Pete Cashman and Andy Suprcnant, but I don't in- tend to have you fooled again, Fred, by this wonderful barber shop musher. These are the facts: Goldic, Pete and Andy started from Valdez over ThomD- son pass, intending to go down the TaSnuna river, but shortly af- ter getting over the summit, Goldic went lame. Pete said he acted like a horse that had thrown a shoe. Andy and Pete held a pOstmorlcm, or some thing of that sort. over Goldir and decided it would be better lo leave the Tasnuna trail and carry G"ldic down the TOnsina river to lakes place, about eight miles from where GOldie quit on them: so they riggcd up a sort of "go- devil" affair and hauled the 'mushing" @ lonsOrialist in to Jake Ncfstcd's roadhousc and Inc next day hired Jake to bring him 10 Chitina in wagon, where Marshal Joe Brown took him to his hospital and. examined his foot and leg and could find nolh- ing whatever the matter with him.
 Charley Crary and Dick Gilin- aux, who arc in here nearly ev- cry summer, say this trip of Goldic's is just q repetition of what he does nearly every sum- mer. The party lost three days here in Chitina waiting for Gold ie to rest up. Jack Miller, Ernie Wheat and Charley Crary came in one evening on the train on their way up the line, and they per- suadcd Pete, Andy and Goldic to go up on the train with them the next morning; so they all met at the depot about 7:30, as the train was going to leave at 8. When the engine came up the track from the roundhouse not iced Pete and Andy look at each. other and sort of tremble, and when the engine whistlcd they both started on the run up Inc track; we tried to stop them but couldn't. l looked to sec where Goldic was. Erpic Wheat and Charley Crary both had hold of him, and after n great deal of coaXing and assurance that nolh- ing could hurt him got him on Inc car. Dick Gilinaux gol in Inc cab with the engineer and said he would keep on the look ont for Pete and Andy and if the train could overtake them he would fry and pcf ibcn, in o,I