MUSEUM GUIDES TELL DODD ABOUT NORSE FINDS

The News Chronicle
Port Arthur - Fort William - Westfort - Schreiber - Nipigon
October 22, 1938 page 1
From the 'Fenwick Papers" collection Nipigon Museum Archives

MUSEUM GUIDES TELL DODD, GILL ABOUT NORSE FINDS AT BEARDMORE

no by-line

J.E. Dodd, who is now being credited with a bona fide find of Norse relics at Beardmore, is home from Toronto with an interesting story of his experiences in company with Fletcher Gill, who was also his companion in the Beardmore venture.

Mr. Dodd and Mr. Gill left early Sunday morning last and arrived in the provincial metropolis early Monday morning.

Evidently the newspapers of that city had been tipped off about the arrival of the men who had upset the more than 400 years old belief that Christopher Columbus had discovered America.

Reporters were at the station to meet the northern prospectors who had come into fame and to demand that they pay the penalty thereof.

'They wanted us to pose for photos," said Mr. Dodd, "but we told them they would have to wait until we had a chance to clean up a bit. The reporters were after us all day long. They telephoned my brother's home continuously, but we didn't stop there. However, we did give them something, but not much, because we have already told all we know and it has been printed all over the country, but they made some good stories out of the little we did say."

"The autograph hunters were at us in force and i never had so many pretty girls around me at one time in my life. It was just a pity to have to dismiss them by signing their autograph books. We were invited to dine and to accept other entertainment but we hadn't much time for that as we had other business to attend to."

"One of our purposes was to go to the Ontario Museum, where the relics from Beardmore are on display. We went in the front door and soon found the Beardmore sword in a case near another which contained a similar instrument taken from the Thames River. One found at Paris, France was in another case. Guides were there and told us about the things we had found, explaining their belief that they were genuine. After a time professor McIlwraith came a long and introduced us to the guides and they were quite surprised."

"Because our pictures were in the papers we were recognized on the train coming home and again had to sign a number of autographs and answer all sorts of questions. It certainly was an interesting and exciting trip. I don't know whether I like that kind of fame or not."

Mr. Dodd added that plans were being made to protect the site of the finds and there were to be movies made of it. He and Mr. Gill had been invited to get in the pictures, but he wasn't sure what he would do about that.