valley Frontiersman
VOL. II.
PALMER, ALASKA JUNE 9, 1949
No. 27
Body of Missing Man Found By River
Child Shot
Accidentally
While Hiking
Charles Adams of the Davis
Children’s Home, was wounded
late last Tuesday evening, when
a rifle was accidentally dis
charged while being loaded by
Allan Davis, 16-year-old son of
Mr. and Mrs. Sanford Davis. The
boys, in company with a third
youth, were on an overnight hike
and had taken the rifle as pro
tection against bears.
They tramped until nearly
dusk, when they decided the rifle
should be loaded. Allan reported
later that he observed his cus
tomary caution in loading the
gun, which he had handled many
times. He believes that the safety
failed to hold as he completed
the loading operation. The
Adams boy crossed directly in
front of the rifle as it discharged.
The bullet struck the boy in
the thighs, passing through the
fleshy part of both legs. A neigh
bor was rushed to the scene of
the accident, and he carried the
wounded boy to the Valley Hos
pital on a tractor.
Medical examination showed
that the bullet had cut muscles
and tendons, but had broken no
bones. Chuck is expected to be
able to leave the hospital this
week, to continue his conval
escence at the Davis home.
The boy is the son of an An
chorage woman, an employe of
The Alaska Railroad.
New Superintendent
Is Elected Here
William T. Zahradnicek will be
Palmer’s next superintendent of
schools, it was announced this
week by Glenn Woods, school
board member. Mr. Zahradnicek
has notified Mr. Woods by letter
that he will accept the position,
and it is understood that he is
now on his way to the Valley.
The new superintendent taught
in Anchorage High School two
years ago. He was offered a po
sition in Palmer last year, but
refused it to accept the school
superintendency at Telluride,
Colo. He was offered a principal
ship in Anchorage for next year,
but already' had accepted the
Palmer position.
Mr. Zahradnicek has a boy in
high school, who will be remem
bered here as a member of the
Anchorage freshman team which
played on the local court two
years ago.
Dr. Kenneth Ham
To Go To Valdez
To fill the pressing and im
mediate need for a doctor in
Valdez, Dr. Kenneth Ham this
week announced he will leave
the Valley and go to the port
city. Dr. Ham has been assisting
Dr. R. E. Garrett for the past
six months.
The Valdez situation, where no
doctor has been permanently lo
cated for some time, has become
increasingly more serious as
summer construction gets under
way there A large asphalt farm
has been constructed by the
Alaska Road Commission, just
outside of town. Also, there is
strong possibility that construc
tion soon will begin on a pipe
line between Valdez and Fair
banks.
The city has a completely
equipped 15-bed hospital, and
has funds available for the con
struction of a modern 30-bed
institution. Dr. Ham said. He will
be asked to organize the medical
work of the hospital and estab
lish its program. The board of
the Valdez institution also in
cludes housing in its offer to the
doctor.
Dr. Ham said he regretted
leaving the Valley and his many
friends here, but he felt the re
sponsibility offered in the new
position, coupled with Valdez’
urgent need of a doctor, made it
impossible to refuse. He added
that he hoped same day to re
turn to the Valley, should the
opportunity be presented to him.
The physician plans to leave
for his new assignment in the
very near future.
ATTORNEY GENERAL VISITS
J. Gerald Williams, newly
elected attorney general for the
Territory, was a Palmer visitor
on June 1.
Sportsmen Will Sponsor
Fair's Rifle Match
Plans for a Territorial rifle
shoot and a sportsman’s exhibit,
both to be held at fair-time, were
tentatively discussed at last
week’s meeting of the Matanuska
Valley Sportsmen. The plans were
developed at Monday’s board
meeting, when directors voted to
sponsor a small-bore match open
to entrants from all of Alaska,
and to plan a prize trapshoot.
It was decided that a $10 entry
fee for each five-man team will
be charged for the competitive
shooting. After costs of the
match are deducted, the re
mainder of the entry fee will be
given to the Fair Association.
In return, the club will ask the
Fair Association to supply a
team trophy and individual
medals for the best marksmen of
the meet.
The Sportsmen plan to invite
teams from Anchorage, Seward,
Cordova, Juneau and Alaskan
army posts to compete in this
first Alaska-wide meet.
The Sportsmen also voted,
through their directors, to ask
for a special room on the fair
grounds in which to exhibit tro
phies and wild life specimens. A
committee composed of Clare
Stock, Ralph Goodrich, Bruce
Graham and Viola Daniels were
to inspect the Boy Scout cabin,
now located on the fairgrounds,
to see if it might be utilized as
as exhibit room.
Members of the board of direc
tors visited the site of the pro
posed rifle range on the Sandvik
property at the Butte Monday
night, to lay out a range and
clubhouse location there.
Club members learned, at the
Wednesday meeting, that the
Colony Day . trapshoot grossed
$411.50. That figure included
both lunchstand and trapshoot
receipts.
CUTWORMS AGAIN RAVAGE
EARLY CROPS IN VALLEY
Cutworms again are making
serious inroads on early garden
produce in areas throughout the
Valley, it was reported this week.
The worms have appeared spot
tily in farm gardens and fields,
and in some instances are re
ported to have wiped out com
plete acreages of early produce.
Damage, prior to this time,
can be repaired by a second
planting, but all crops destroyed
by the worms hereafter must be
considered a total loss, one man
said.
There has been no estimate of
the percentage of crop damage.
Losses have been reported on the
Virgil Eckert, Sherrod and Glenn
Woods farms. Mr. Woods said
that he had been forced to re
seed 11/2 acres of lettuce because
of cutworm loss. He estimated,
however, that the insects were
no worse than last year.
Farmers who need advice in
fighting the worms should see
Parker Lester, local Extension
Service Agent, or Harold Ste
phan, produce manager for the
Co-op. The Extension office has
a supply of bulletins whose in
structions will help the farmer
rid his fields of the worms.
TONY BUTORAC
BELIEVED DEAD
SINCE APRIL 17
The frail bones of a man wrap
ped in a sodden suit and over
coat, discovered lying on the
bank of the Matanuska River
last Friday evening, solved the
riddle of the disappearance of
Antone “Tony” Butorac. missing
since April 17.
The body was discovered by
Max Sherrod, who had noticed a
persistent odor of decay, while
working in a nearby field that
afternoon. He pushed through
the underbrush along the river’s
bank, which rises 125 feet from
the riverbed there, in search of
what he thought to be a dead
moose. He sighted the body lying
near a tree trunk on the bank,
and identified it as a human
corpse.
Deputy Marshal Bill Bou
wens, Highway Patrolmaan E. R.
Alexander and Dr. R. E. Garrett
were summoned to conduct a
preliminary examination. Dr.
Garrett found no evidence of a
violent death. However, decom
position had advanced until lit
tle more than skeletal bones and
skin remained. There were no
skull fractures and no tears in
the clothing.
Identification was made by
friends, who recognized articles
of clothing and skull and body
structure. There was no wallet,
no jewelry and no identification
on the body, nor were there any
labels in the clothing. A package
of partially eaten cookies, a per
cel of lunchmeat, two empty
pints of whiskey and a partially
consumed bottle of rum were
found near the corpse.
Nugget jewelry, a watch and
several wallets were found later
in the dead man’s luggage. That
luggage also contained a pair of
trousers identical to those found
on the corpse. A small amount of
money was found in one of the
trousers pockets on the dead
man. Acquaintances say he had
only $100 when he arrived from
Anchorage.
Identification was assured by
Con Pearski, liquor store owner,
who testified at the inquest that
he sold Tony Butorac two pints
of whiskey and a fifth of rum,
of the same brands as the bottlea
found near the body, on the
morning of April 17, Easter Sun
day. Apparently Mr. Butorac was
last seen alive by the liquor store
owner. Bernie Bouwens also re
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