Part 53, page 249
Document date 28 November 1976
FBI 164-81, Vault Part 53 p. 249 (DB Cooper-22587), News clipping, dated 28 Nov 1976 — cooper.theunsolved.net/parts/Cooper-Part-53/pages/249
Transcript
The scan is the source; the transcript is machine-generated from it.
(Mount Clipping in Space Below)
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A party for D.B. Cooper
By BOB BURNETT Columbian Staff Writer
ARIEL, Wash. — They held a big party here Saturday, but the guest of honor never showed up.
Or at least if he did, he was incognito. Not that anybody really expected the famous skyjacker to attend. Most authorities think he's dead, that he died in his hijacking attempt.
Dead or alive, the people of this tiny community on the shore of the North Fork of the Lewis River about 10 miles east of Woodland Saturday enlivened the legend of history's first parachute skyjacker, D.B. Cooper.
About 200 persons gathered here from as far away as Southern California to help the town Cooper put on the map commemorate the fifth anniversary of the day Cooper hijacked an air- plane and disappeared into thin air with $200,000 cash.
Germaine Tricola, who, with her husband, Vince, owns the Ariel General Store, and Dave Butterfield, who has a summer home nearby, schemed up the "Cooper Caper," mainly as an excuse to hold a party.
"Why not?" asked Mrs. Tricola. "After five years of everybody looking around and everything, why not have a party for Cooper?
"Sure he's alive," she said. "I just have a gut feeling. He might be walking around in here right now. How would you know?"
"He's still alive without a doubt. That's what I think," added Vince Tricola.
He said people started arriving about 11 a.m. Carloads of curious, questioning people. The locals were eager to talk as long as the visitors were willing to listen. Somehow the tales got taller in the retelling.
Butterfield served up hefty portions of thick buffalo stew while Mrs. Tricola poured the [guess: brew]. brew.
An effigy of Cooper hung loosely from a parachute draped over the roof of the store. A Portland air-charter service provided seaplane rides at $8 a head "to search for Cooper." "D.B.
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(Indicate page, name of newspaper, city and state.)
Page 6 THE COLUMBIAN VANCOUVER, WASHINGTON
Date: 11-28-76 Edition: Author: Editor: Jack R.C. [guess: Apbell] Title:
Character: or Classification: b6 Submitting Office: b7C
☐ Being Investigated
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DB Cooper-22587