Wicked Western Slope: Mayhem, Mischief and Murder in Colorado

by D.A. Brockett

Overview

Early promoters of Colorado's Western Slope would have had settlers believe the area was one of proper behavior and upstanding morality. But this was not the case. Hot tempers led to quick trigger fingers and Main Street shootouts. Drinking, gambling and thieving were popular pursuits, and law breaking of all kinds thrived in this wild land. From Charles Graham, whose jealous rampage in Grand Junction is still talked about today, and the mysterious Friday the thirteenth murder of Jeanette Morris to Abe C. Ong, the mischievous pioneer bootlegger of De Beque, and Riverside's Mrs. Barnes and her foul crime, "History Sleuth" D.A. Brockett reveals some of the most outrageous and remarkable crimes in Western Slope history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781609495701
Publisher:	History Press, The
Publication date:	07/01/2012
Series:	Wicked
Pages:	144
Sales rank:	1,045,527
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

D.A. "Debbie" Brockett loves western Colorado history, which is why she writes about it. Having lived off and on in Colorado for thirty-five years, she can't go anywhere in the state without wondering about its stories. Her expertise (and favorite place on earth) is the Western Slope city of Grand Junction. When she first moved there in 1981, the oil shale boom was in full throttle. Within a year, Exxon left and the region emptied out. Learning about the area's history helped Debbie endure the painful change. As she studied, she was intrigued by long-unsolved murders associated with Grand Junction and wondered if they could be solved with today's technology. When her three sons had grown, she began her series of "mystoricals" with Stained Glass Rose, which won a 2003 EVVY Award and was recently written into a play by Two Chairs Theater playwright Joe Wilcox. Debbie's most recent book, George Crawford's Attic: Dusting Off Grand Junction, Colorado's Past, won a 2009 EVVY Award for History. This fun compilation of little-known stories and facts commemorates Grand Junction's 125th anniversary.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements 11

Introduction 13

1 I Fought the Law and... 15

Hotheads, Inc. 15

Horse Thieves' Canon 21

The Circus Grandstands 23

Ketchum Catches 'Im 25

Bedwell Gets By 25

Emma Does Not 26

O Beloved-and Smart-Sheriff 27

2 Moxie Posses 30

An Ousting We Will Go 30

Have Toy Gun Will Travel 32

Roan Creek Eek! 35

You Don't Mess Around with Him 36

Motorcycle Madness 38

The Lady and the Twisted Tale 40

3 The Art of Flight 42

Harry Hahn on Halloween 44

Burning the Midnight Foil 44

A Hole in One 45

Yuletide Lam 46

Bucklin Gets Beat 47

Symphonic Reprieve 49

A Good Walk Spoiled 50

I Got You, Eddie! 50

Switched at Berth 53

A Jail Leak 55

Lock and Key 55

School's Out Forever 56

Fire Escape 57

Bathtub Break 58

4 Prohibition Punch 59

Abe Wrong 63

Palisade Prevails 65

Straight Shots 68

5 Red All Over 71

240's Sporty 72

Murdered Twice, Not Nice 74

That's Some Bad Mother! 77

6 Gentle Banditos 81

Bridges Over Troubled Water 81

Adams's Sleight of Hand 84

7 A Matter of Murder 87

Lula Unhinged 87

Shorty Jones, a Hanged Man's Chronicle 90

Charles Graham Runs Amuck 94

Joe Arridy, Innocent at Last! 97

Big Kid Eames Rolls Snake Eyes 100

He Bought the Farm 104

8 Backtracks 106

Calamity Train 107

Hold That Train! 109

Disconnected Deer 110

Stopped in Their Tracks 110

I'm Leaving on the Next Train 113

9 A Potpourri of Predicaments 116

Tramp Trouble 116

Foul Fowl 118

A Charavari Interrupted 119

He Had God on His Side 121

Meandering Bullet 121

A Fire in the Jail 123

The Judge Fudges 123

Pistol Packin' Kate 125

Attack! 126

As Innocent as Babes 129

Coax or Hoax? 130

Hattie's Wild Ride and Other Mortuary Stories 133

Strange Doings 138

If the Shoe Fits 140

Epilogue 141

About the Author 143