, 1922-05-25
foul MURDER
At kEMMERER
MRS. ANNA RICnEY, UNDER SENTENCE
FOR CATTLE Theft, FOUND
POISONED ON RANCH

One of the most sensational and
at the same time most mysterious
criminal cases in the annals OF crime
and criminal procedure in the state
Of Wyoming, came to an abrupt and
tragic end last Friday at Kemmerer
when Mrs. Anna Richey, convicted
two years ago by a jury, OF cattle
stealing and working over brands,
was found dead beside an irriga-
ton ditch on one of her ranches near
Kemmerer.
Nearby was Otto Palsenberger, a
ranch employee. writhing in con
v%ulsiOns. indicating conclusively that
been poisoned by some cowardly
was at once taken to Kemmerer and
Palsenberger was removed to the hos
pital, where he is rapidly recovering
and may be able later to shed some
light on the crime which may lead
to the apprehension Of the per-
pretrator. g.
The history OF the case OF Mrs.
Richey is too we'll known to require
detailed repetition, as 1t was given
more than statewide publicity at the
time OF her trial. She was accused
by several cattle owners of having
collected cattle belonging to them
from the range. and Of rewOrking
the brands to make them resemble
her own and of shipping a carload
of the stolen stock to Omaha. In
terested parties visited Omaha and
brought bach the hides alleged to
have been m~isbranded and these
were offered in evidence at the trial
which was sensational and in which
every legal step was holly contested,
and in which prominent attorneys
from Salt Lake City and Cheyenne
took part.
A jury found Mis-. Richey guilty,
and she was sentenced by Judge
Arnold to a term In the penitentiary
at Canyon City, Colo. An appeal
was taken and this hung fire in the
supreme court until within a few
months. when it was announced that
a ~re-hearing had been denied and
the case remanded to the district
court for resentence. Pending this
action, which could not take place
until the July term. Mrs. Richey has
been at liberty on bail, and has at
tended TO the management of her
two ranches personally, as her aged
father died but a few weeks ago.
: When her body was discovered.
and when unmistakable signs Of
poison were found a postmortem was
at once held and the vital organs sent
to the state chemist at Laramie for
examination. Up to this time he has
made no report, but in the mean
time a brother-in-law of Mrs. Richey,
Dave Haddenham, who had been in
litigation with her and who was
known to be unfriendly, was placed
in Jail on suspicion, but later re-
leased as he seemed to be able to
give Q satisfactory account of his
movements on the day of the
woman's death.
This is likely to be n of the
most sensational cases of murder and
mystery ever known in the inter-
mountain west as the general opinion
has always been that Mrs. Richey. II
she were really guilty. had accom-
plices which she had hitherto pro-
tected, hut whom she might be
tempted to expose II promised i'm
munity and a pardon. Since the re-
versal of her case by the supreme
court, a petition asking for executive
clemency has been circulated and
generally signed, some, however, who
would otherwise have signed the
petition, have withheld their eni
dorsement until Mrs. Richey could
be induced to tell the whole story
and assist in the arrest and p%rosecu-
tion Of others who it is confidently
believed are as guilty as she.