Today In Wyoming's History: More Than 50 Years Later, ‘Rawlins Rodeo Murders’ ...

Today In Wyoming's History: More Than 50 Years Later, ‘Rawlins Rodeo Murders’ ...:   More Than 50 Years Later, ‘Rawlins Rodeo Murders’ Of Young Girls Remain Unsolved

Tuesday, January 27, 1976. Earthquake at Rawlins and the White Hall Flasher.

Today In Wyoming's History: January 27: 1976   A small earthquake occurred near Rawlins.

The White Hall flaster was arrested.

Oddly enough, "flashing" was a trend in the 1970s which continued on into the 1980s in the form of "streaking", running through a public area naked.  Comedic singer Ray Stevens even authored a song about it, "The Streak".

Laverne & Shirley premiered.

It was a spin off of Happy Days and ran until 1983. Depicting two single women employed in a brewery in Milwaukee for most of its run, it was set in the 1950s to early 1960s. The last season was set in Burbank, California.

I can't say that I was a fan.

The Royal Moroccan Army attacked the Algerian Army at Amgala.

The House passed a bill already passed by the Senate to ban the sale of US arms to or to provide aid to paramilitary groups in Angola.

Last edition:

Wednesday, January 21, 1976. Supersonic.

Labels: 1970s, 1976, Aircraft, Angola, Bahrain, Brazil, France, People's Air Force of Angola, Transportation, United Kingdom

Tuesday, July 1, 1924. Airmail.

Regular U.S airmail commenced with a fully established Transcontinental Airway System at New York City; Bellefonte, Pennsylvania; Cleveland and Bryan, Ohio; Chicago; Iowa City; Omaha and North Platte, Nebraska; Cheyenne, Rawlins and Rock Springs, Wyoming; Salt Lake City; Elko and Reno; and San Francisco.

President Coolidge held a press conference:

Press Conference, July 1, 1924

Japan held a national day of protest over the new US immigration act.

Last edition:

Monday, June 30, 1924. Teapot Grand Jury comes in.

Labels: 1920s, 1924, Álvaro Obregón, British League of Nations Mandates, Calvin Coolidge, Health, law, Mexico, Palestine, Zionism

Tuesday, July 18, 1911. Premier game of the Wyoming State Penitentiary All Stars

 

New warden Felix Alston organized the team following his appointment to the position in 1911. He chose  George Saban, convicted murderer from the Spring Creek raid, to be head coach and team captain due to their friendship.  The only team they played against was the Rawlins Juniors, which they played four times in 1911. They won all four games.

The team was comprised for the following members:

Coach: Saban, George.  Convicted of murder, he escaped and disappeared from history in December, 1913.

Cameron, Thomas Convicted of Sexual assault, his sentence expired in June 1912.

Pendergraft, Harry A.  Convicted of Larceny , he was granted parole in Jan 1912

C, RF:  Powell, James.  He had been convicted of rape.  Powell was black.  This was an integrated team.

1B: Rowan, Eugene.  He had been convicted of rape, and breaking and entering.  He was granted parole in Nov 1913.  Rowan was also an African American.

2B: Fitzgerald, Frank.  Breaking and entering.  His sentence expired in Dec 1911

SS: Guzzardo, Joe.  Manslaughter.  He was pardoned in July 1912.  Guzzardo had killed a woman in 1908 while shooting at a man who was threatening his life.

3B: Crottie, John.  Grand larceny. He was released in Nov 1911

LF: Carman, Ora.  Grand larceny.  He completed his sentence in Sept 1911.

LF: Stone, Earl.  Breaking and entering.  He completed his sentence in Sept 1911.

CF: Potter, Sidney.  Forgery.  He completed his sentence in June 1912.

RF, C, SS:  Seng, Joseph.  First-degree murder. He was hanged in May 1912

Their August 29, 1911 game was their last.

Contrary to a myth about the team, they were not all on "death row", and indeed only one of the men, Joseph Seng, was. Seng had killed his supervisor after he was fired from his job as a watchman in Evanston.  He was the first man to be executed at the Wyoming State Penitentiary.

Russian backed and equipped deposed Shah of Persia Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar landed at the Caspian Sea port of Astarabad with an army in an attempt to regain the throne that he had lost in 1909.

Last edition:

Saturday, July 15, 1911. Unreasonable demands.

Labels: 1910s, 1911, Africa, Agadir Crisis, Albania, French Empire, German Empire, Morocco, Ottoman Empire, Republic of Congo

Transportation, late 19th Century

A modern highway map shows as distance of 211 miles from Worland, in the southern half of the basin, to Rawlins, and 293 miles from Cody to Green River, but modern transportation systems are not remotely like those of 1879. In practical terms, Green River and Rawlins were further from the Big Horn Basin in 1879 than they are now from Outer Mongolia, and criminal prosecution was nearly impossible.

There were no roads leading south from the basin, only trails. At least one yearly trip to the Union Pacific had to be made, though, because in the early 1880s this was the nearest railhead, the only real opening to a market to sell cattle and get supplies. E. W. Copps declared that the cattle drive from Buffalo to Rawlins, a trip that did not require a traverse of mountains, took eighteen days. Coming from the basin, however, a cattle owner first had to get out, and any exit required going over an 8,000-foot pass, such as Birdseye Pass or Cottonwood Pass; thus, David John Wasden's estimate of six weeks for a round trip seems about right. Of course, the return trip, when cattle were not being driven, did not take as long but was still arduous. Owen Wister describes a 263 mile excursion from Medicine Bow "deep into cattle land," a trip taking several days by wagon, while "swallowed in a vast solitude." His description sounds like a journey north into the Big Horn Basin.

Goodbye Judge Lynch, by John W. Davis.