Thank you. The author not knowing this and then projecting his ridiculous meaning on the gesture... well, beginning from false premises doesn’t encourage reading the article.
Mrs. Carey mentioned the incident in the supplementary material on the DVD of “The Searchers.” Harry Carey, Sr., was a benefactor of John Wayne’s in his early career, and Harry Carey, Jr., was a regular in the John Ford cast.
Mrs. Carey said John Wayne surprised her with the gesture, and she was very touched.