None of that is true, it was an April Fool’s joke published as close as possible to April 1 in a small weekly newspaper. The revival of it as an actual news story happens from time to time; it may have been reintroduced to a wider public by David Hatcher Childress, who if nothing else is entertaining. Thanks Quix.
Sounds more plausible than many preposterous elements of the story.
I’d have thought that Mr Emery C Kolb would have known about it and he didn’t say anything to me about it. He would have, if it had been true, I think. He lived at the top of Bright Angel Trail since 1904. Died at 90 something IIRC. He was a real character. Loved working for him.