Murder, Mayhem, and Mystery: Coroner Inquests in Fremont County Wyoming 1885-1900
"Conspiracies, legends, scandals, cattle kings and political chicanery are all here in this wonderfully entertaining and informative book. Mark Stratmoen has done a superb job of compiling and making sense out of the records of coroner inquests in Fremont County between 1885 and 1900, when ranchers, railroaders and town settlers had to be as tough as the Wyoming landscape to survive. InMurder, Mayhem and Mystery, the voices of the past speak for themselves through actual transcripts from the inquests. Added to such valuable primary evidence are commentaries that place the murders within the historical context, such as the famous Johnson County Wars.Stratmoen, a coroner's investigator himself, also brings the perspective of modern forensics and investigation techniques to the historic cases. The result is a fascinating encounter with a time when the wild frontier was struggling to become a civilized society.  Historians, writers, teachers and everybody drawn to the mystery of the past will want a copy of this book to peruse and read and pick up again and again."- Margaret Coel, author of the Wind River Mystery Series.