Wednesday, May 25, 2022

Thursday, May 25, 1922. The mysterious death of Anna Richey.


The headlines in the paper in Casper dealt with the mysterious death of Anna Richey, the only woman to ever have been convicted of rustling in Wyoming.

You can read more about her here:

The Strange Life and Death of Anna Richey

Richey had died several days prior.  Her ranch hand had been sickened in the same incident, attributed to poisoned coffee,  and had only just sufficiently recovered to provide a statement. What ultimately basically transpired is that the two had worked that morning until about 10:00, when the mysterious stranger discussed in the article arrived, and then they'd gone into eat. Whomever the man in corduroy was, Richey had said nothing about her encounter with him at all.

Richey was out on a gentlemanly bond, having been given six months to get her affairs in order before being required to present herself for incarceration due to her conviction.  She would have served time in the Colorado State Penitentiary, which was more suitable for her gender.  She was poisoned, however, in what remains an unsolved mystery.  Prior to the poisoning, as noted, and according to the herald, she was visited by a man who rode in on horseback and who was dressed in a corduroy suit, and wearing a "large" sombrero.  It should be noted that, at the time, "sombrero" often simply meant a large cowboy hat.

The information from Richey's ranch hand on the mysterious stranger led to the release of Richey's brother-in-law, who had at first been arrested on suspicion of being the culprit in her murder.  Whatever led to that suspicion, however, really isn't addressed by the arrival of the stranger.  Whoever poisoned the coffee had done so prior to their consuming it.  That it was not suicide seems evident by the fact that both Richey and her ranch hand drank the coffee, not just Richey.

Old and young soldiers were on the parade grounds at Ft. Meyers.


Gen. Nelson A. Miles and Anson Mills at Fort Meyer. May 25, 1922







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