Try it sometime, folks, it’s a rush you’ll remember forever. They seemed to come all at once, in what clearly was my darkest hour. Mike Stepanian from San Francisco, Hal Haddon from Denver, Keith Stroup from Washington, and the ineffable maestro of motions, Gerry Goldstein from San Antonio.
Suddenly I had my own gang. My own army, my people, my friends, my warriors . . . . They came from all points of the compass and all points in time, and we stomped on the terra like champions. It was something to see, folks, and it was a beautiful war to be part of. . . . Haddon stomped through the courtroom like one of the Gallo brothers mashing grapes, and Goldstein gave them nightmares at high noon just by sitting at the Defense table with that fine cheetah’s grin on his face and shooting his cuffs now and then with obvious impatience at having to wait so long for the meal he knew was coming.
It was a rout, folks. The D.A.’s cheap bunglers collapsed in a heap and fled like rats into whatever darkness they could find, which was not much. They are on the run now. Some are resigning and others are under arrest; the judge is finished, and the D.A.’s dream of a judgeship is now a bad joke.
And, yes . . . there is more to this hellish story, but the magazine is gong to press and Keith is going crazy, so I have to quit now; but the tale is not finished. All I can say now is Thanks, once again. You boys are OK when you get the right music to dance to, and I was proud and goddamn happy for the chance to dance with you.
With great respect and affection, I remain, your friend, Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
Gerry Goldstein, in today's Aspen Times :
"Just like you read about," said Thompson's longtime friend and attorney, Gerald Goldstein. "He was a national treasure, a true American. We were very fortunate to have him live amongst us, but for too brief a time."
Goldstein, who first met Thompson in 1970 and became his attorney in 1990, said one of Thompson's most unique qualities was his ability to reach, and influence, all kinds of people. "He seemed, in the strangest of ways, to transmute to every generation ... he had something to say that was worth listening to. It didn't matter if it was my 14-year-old kid or my dad, he was provocative and stimulating," he said.
Goldstein said he was "the conscience of this village," referring to Aspen. "He never let you get by easily, he demanded loyalty and insisted that everybody plays by the rules. And he was constantly trying to make the rules better for everybody," he said. "He wouldn't let anybody get away with anything, the least of which his best friends ... he called you on anything, called anybody on anything, it didn't matter who you were.
"We're going to miss that voice in the politics of our community."
