In October 1899, the peace in the frontier town of Glenrock, Wyoming, was destroyed with a single gunshot.

The window of the post office was shattered and James Barker, a local coal miner and former deputy sheriff, slumped to the ground at the feet of his wife.

He was mortally wounded, and the only suspect was the local blacksmith, John Blessing.

Within days, The Natrona County Tribune and other papers reported the story in every lurid detail, immediately defending the accused murderer. The press and the Freemasons rallied around Blessing, claiming he was too good of a citizen to have shot Barker in cold blood.

This cold-blooded murder caused an uproar in Glenrock.

Most of the townsfolk also sided with Blessing and denied that it was he who killed Barker. When it looked like Blessing

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