The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1876-06-28
THE LARAMIE PLAINS TRAGEDY.
FuII DsiaIIs-suIclde Of Chandler, the
81 uFIts

Murderer Vi uFGs
The eoFoners inquest oYer the
body of Albert G. Curtis, who was
murdered on the Laramie Plains last
Saturday by one Chandler, as re-
ported in Mondays Laramie Chron-
icle, developed the following inter
esting details:
Howard Clugston and Albert G..
Curtis, who have been partners in
the stock business for some months
past, decided a short time ago to Sc
lect a summer rancho a short dis
lance from their winter quarters, and
the latter gentleman went to Chey-
enne, and procured the necessary pa
pers at the land office for the piece
of ground so chosen. Last Saturday,
everything being in readiness, the
transfer of the stock was iuaugurated,
and the march commenced. The
herder started with his sheep and,
owing to having misunderstood his
employers instructions, permitted
the stock to stop within the confines
of the hay rancho of Rand & Larkin,
instead Of taking it to a point about
a quarter of a mile beyonsi. Messrs.
Clugston, Curtis and Hathaway over
took the herd while thus resting and
drove their wagon over to the herder
~iustructing him to drive on. AT this
time the wagon was directly in front
of Rand & Larkin's house, and as
the party started to drive off they OBJ
served M Chandler, who was in
charge of the premises, coming out
of the door with a rifle in his hand.
Chandler appeared to be in a terrible
passion, and Mr.. Curtis remarked to
his companions that she wondered
what that meant Walking very
fast and diagonally towards the We
hicle, Chandler soon overlook it and
when within fifty yards exclaimed,
chats a s-of a b-of a way to do.
Herding sheep on man hay claim"
Nothing of the kind, Chandler"
replied Curtis, ''the herder misun-
derstood me, and l just told him to
move on" ''Well, you do that trick
once more and I'll put a hole throupb
YOU was the response. mo, Won
won't, Chandler; you'lld do nothing Of
the kind, said Curtis, in a j%ocnlar
way. BY this time Chandler ,xas
not over forty yards distant. and
dropping down upon one knee be
drew up his rifle, saying, s.Il give
you one just for luck" pulling Tho
trigger. The ball struck Gnrt;s
two inches above the right hin hone
coursing upward toward the heart
Curtis was sitting on a roll of blank.
cts and a tent at the time, and fell
over out of the wagon, striking the
ground between the two wheels. Mr..
Cfugston was driving and immedi.
ately stopped the team, got down
and dragged the unfortunate man
from under the wheels. AS Curtis
fell he said, Boys, | am going to
die; I'm a dead man" He ern;red
in five minutes time. The murder-
er put another cartridge in his rife.
advanced a few steps toward the wa.
gon, then turned and walked off
down the creek where he took REFUGE
in the brush. Neither of the party
in the wagon We're armed, conse-
quently they could make no resis-
lance ta and, very wisely, kept quiet,
though watching every movement of
the assassin.
Mr.; Clugston placed the body ofhis
murdered partner in the Wagon,
drove back to his old rancho and
gave the alarm. News of the deed
was spread at once among the neigh
boring stock men, and a special cou-
rier dispatched to town for a~ssiss-
lance. A search revealed the fact
that no firearms were in the vicinity
except a shotgun and several revolt
vers, but the herder remained with
his stock and kept track of the des-
perado. Chandler emerged from his
hiding place shortly after Clugston
had departed and went to his cabin.
He stood at the door for u while
eursing the herder and endeavoring
to provoke the latter to retort,
doubtless wishing to kill him also.
Sheriff Brophy, Deputy Sheriff
Dugan and Messrs. Prime, w. O.
Downey, Capt. Metcalf and Col.
Dana, went out to the scene Satur-
day evening to arrest Chandler, but
upon arriving there we're told that
he had poisoned himself and was in
a dying condition. When arms had
been procured from town an advance
was made upon the cabin and Chand-
Ter was found sitting in a chair in an
unconscious state, with q revolver
grasped in his right hand. Hand
cuffs were placed upon him in order
to prevent any possible escape and
such remedies as were obtain:. BILE
We're used to counteract the poison.
but to no avail, as he died at two