Just after Goldie married Harry Sterling (a.k.a. Harry Smith and Harry Walters) they were involved in an accident while performing in the holdup skit with the Deadwood stagecoach during a Buffalo Bill Wild West show.
It was a grisly accident, and Goldie’s new husband Harry was driving. The stagecoach landed on its side, and Goldie’s friend, Arline Finn, was dragged beneath the coach. William DeMott, his wife, and Goldie also suffered various injuries, including broken bones and lacerations.
From the newspaper story: “The hold-up scene had just been concluded and the coach, drawn by four mules, was rounding the arena when a wheel struck a rut in the ground and the axle snapped. The coach toppled over, and the occupants were thrown out except Mrs. Finn, who was caught under the wreckage and dragged over the ground before Harry Smith, who was driving, could stop the mules.” Goldie was sitting next to Harry, and the newspaper reported they were both thrown clear, although Goldie suffered a broken leg. The injured were taken to the Homeopathic Hospital.
Goldie kept a newspaper article about the wreck in her scrapbook, and it was the basis for several scenes in my book about Goldie, including the wreck and her time in the hospital.
