Polly Bartlett: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|First known serial killer in Wyoming}} |
{{Short description|First known serial killer in Wyoming}} |
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{{Infobox criminal |
{{Infobox criminal |
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| birth_name = Polly Bartlett |
| birth_name = Polly Bartlett |
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| death_date = October 7, 1868 |
| death_date = October 7, 1868 |
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| death_place = [[South Pass City, Wyoming]] |
| death_place = [[South Pass City, Wyoming]], U.S. |
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| death_cause = Homicide by gunshots |
| death_cause = Homicide by gunshots |
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| other_names = The Murderess of Slaughterhouse Gulch |
| other_names = The Murderess of Slaughterhouse Gulch |
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'''Polly Bartlett''', also known as '''The Murderess of Slaughterhouse Gulch''', is |
'''Polly Bartlett''', also known as '''The Murderess of Slaughterhouse Gulch''', is purported to have been a 19th-century murderer from the [[Wyoming Territory]]. She is said to have been the first serial killer in [[Wyoming]], before it was even incorporated as a state. While the story has been repeated in several publications, Wyoming historians such as Phil Roberts and Jon Lane say that there is no proof that the story is true.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.wyomingnews.com/opinion/bill-sniffin-column-bartlett-tale-would-be-a-fine-movie/article_3e68c9b1-c7a7-594f-acb8-6907f2ef3fef.html |first=Bill |last=Sniffin |title=Bartlett tale would be a fine movie |date=May 24, 2015 |newspaper=[[Wyoming Tribune Eagle]] |access-date=6 April 2023}}</ref> |
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According to stories, Bartlett killed men who entered her family lodge with the complicity of her father Jim (whose name is otherwise given as John and Stephen in other accounts<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.y95country.com/150-years-ago-wyomings-first-serial-killer-claimed-22-victims-2/|title=150 YEARS AGO: WYOMING'S FIRST SERIAL KILLER CLAIMED 22 VICTIMS|website=[[KCGY|Y95 Country]]|date=January 14, 2020|access-date=March 19, 2023}}</ref>) in 1868, amounting to a total of 22 murders, every victim found buried on her property.<ref name="Dean W. Ballinger">{{cite news|url=https://buckrail.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/PollyBartlettWyomingsAmazingPoisoner.pdf|title=Polly Bartlett, Wyoming's Amazing Poisoner|work=Real West |date=July 1963 |first=Dean W. |last=Ballinger |pages=22–25, 58–60 |via=Buckrail|access-date=March 19, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/wyoming/first-wyoming-serial-killer-south-pass-wy/|title=The Story Of The Serial Killer Who Terrorized This Small Wyoming Town Is Truly Frightening|last=Magaraci|first=Kim|website=[[Only in Your State]] |date=October 7, 2021|access-date=March 31, 2023}}</ref> |
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| ⚫ | As the accounts go, Bartlett lured businessmen and other wealthy travelers into her lodge with extremely valuable belongings on their person, typically gold. Every time she gave them meals and whiskey, they would always be laced with [[arsenic]] to poison them. Jim helped bury the men's bodies, and if anyone asked about their disappearances, the daughter and father would lie [[Native Americans in the United States|indigenous Americans]] and [[outlaw]]s took them. |
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| ⚫ | A 1963 article by Dean W. Ballinger and published in the popular ''[[Real West (magazine)|Real West]]'' magazine is one of the earliest and most detailed accounts of the Bartlett family murders.<ref name="Dean W. Ballinger"/> Today, South Pass City is a [[ghost town]] in [[arrested decay]], and Bartlett's Inn is regarded as a [[folklore|folk tale]] by the local citizens.<ref>{{cite podcast|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrku_zxR1H4|title=Murderess of Slaughterhouse Gulch, Polly Bartlett (Truth or Legend) HD 1080p|work=50 States of Madness |via=[[YouTube]] |date=October 6, 2022|access-date=March 19, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://unknownmisandry.blogspot.com/2020/07/blog-post.html|title=Polly Bartlett, Serial Killer? Old Legend or 1960s Hoax? – Wyoming, 1868|work=Unknown Gender History |via=[[Blogspot]] |date=July 1, 2020|access-date=March 19, 2023}}</ref> |
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| ⚫ | Polly and Jim had early beginnings in their career crimes, where they ran a saloon in [[Ohio]], Polly isolating men for sex before Jim robbed them. Polly's first victim, Lewis Nichols, left her and Jim with a quick $4000, leading to her and Jim constructing the lodge for their murder scams east of [[South Pass City, Wyoming|South Pass City]], where much traffic came during American [[gold rush]]es. When they killed Theodore Fountain in August, the son of mine owner Bernard Fountain, Barnard hired investigators from [[Pinkerton (detective agency)|Pinkerton]] to track his son's whereabouts. |
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| ⚫ | Polly and Jim absconded in August once realizing they were found out, leading to the police unearthing the remains of the men they killed once combing through their property. When a [[Bounty (reward)|price]] was put on the heads of the duo, Ed Ford, who evaded being murdered by the Barletts', only for his brother Sam to end up a victim, set out to capture them. On October 7, Ed shot Jim dead and turned Polly in for trial and execution. That evening, Polly was shot dead through the window of her jail cell by Otto Kalkhorst, a German-born man assigned to one of Fountain's mines, who wasn't charged by Esther Morris, the first American female justice of the peace, so the country could put the case to rest.<ref name="Dean W. Ballinger"/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://buckrail.com/wyomings-worst-serial-killer-murderess-slaughterhouse-gulch/|title= |
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| ⚫ | As the accounts go, Bartlett lured businessmen and other wealthy travelers into her lodge with extremely valuable belongings on their person, typically gold. Every time she gave them meals and whiskey, they would always be laced with [[arsenic]] to poison them. Jim helped bury the men's bodies, and if anyone asked about their disappearances, the daughter and father would lie, saying that [[Native Americans in the United States|indigenous Americans]] and [[outlaw]]s took them. |
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| ⚫ | Polly and Jim had early beginnings in their career crimes, where they ran a saloon in [[Ohio]], Polly isolating men for sex before Jim robbed them. Polly's first victim, Lewis Nichols, left her and Jim with a quick $4000, leading to her and Jim constructing the lodge for their murder scams east of [[South Pass City, Wyoming|South Pass City]], where much traffic came during American [[gold rush]]es. When they killed Theodore Fountain in August, the son of mine owner Bernard Fountain, Barnard hired investigators from [[Pinkerton (detective agency)|Pinkerton]] to track his son's whereabouts. |
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| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | Polly and Jim absconded in August once realizing they were found out, leading to the police unearthing the remains of the men they killed once combing through their property. When a [[Bounty (reward)|price]] was put on the heads of the duo, Ed Ford, who evaded being murdered by the Barletts', only for his brother Sam to end up a victim, set out to capture them. On October 7, Ed shot Jim dead and turned Polly in for trial and execution. That evening, Polly was shot dead through the window of her jail cell by Otto Kalkhorst, a German-born man assigned to one of Fountain's mines, who wasn't charged by [[Esther Hobart Morris|Esther Morris]], the first American female justice of the peace, so the country could put the case to rest.<ref name="Dean W. Ballinger"/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://buckrail.com/wyomings-worst-serial-killer-murderess-slaughterhouse-gulch/|title=Wyoming's worst serial killer: The Murderess of Slaughterhouse Gulch|website=Buckrail|date=December 8, 2017|access-date=March 19, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://mycountry955.com/is-polly-bartlett-wyomings-most-deadly-serial-killer/|title=Is This Woman Wyoming's Most Deadly Serial Killer? |last=Schwamle|first=Bill|website=[[KWYY|My Country 95.5]]|date=January 29, 2019|access-date=March 19, 2023}}</ref> |
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== See also == |
== See also == |
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== References == |
== References == |
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{{Reflist}} |
{{Reflist}} |
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== Further reading == |
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* {{cite book |title=South Pass and Its Tales |first=James L. |last=Sherlock |publisher=[[Vantage Press]] |year=1978 |isbn=9780533032969}} |
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[[Category:American female serial killers]] |
[[Category:American female serial killers]] |
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[[Category:American murder victims]] |
[[Category:American murder victims]] |
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[[Category:American outlaws]] |
[[Category:American outlaws]] |
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[[Category:American robbers]] |
[[Category:American robbers]] |
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[[Category:People whose existence is disputed]] |
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[[Category:Serial killers from Wyoming]] |
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Latest revision as of 20:14, 7 February 2024
Polly Bartlett | |
|---|---|
| Born | Polly Bartlett |
| Died | October 7, 1868 South Pass City, Wyoming, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Homicide by gunshots |
| Other names | The Murderess of Slaughterhouse Gulch |
| Occupation | Innkeeper |
| Years active | 1868 |
| Parent | Jim Bartlett |
| Relatives | Hattie Bartlett |
| Motive | Robbery |
Reward amount | $3000 (Oregon Territorial Legislature) $10000 (Bernard Fountain) |
| Wanted since | August 1868 |
Time at large | Approximately 2 months |
| Details | |
| Victims | 22 |
| State(s) | Wyoming |
| Weapons | Arsenic |
Date apprehended | October 7, 1868 |
Polly Bartlett, also known as The Murderess of Slaughterhouse Gulch, is purported to have been a 19th-century murderer from the Wyoming Territory. She is said to have been the first serial killer in Wyoming, before it was even incorporated as a state. While the story has been repeated in several publications, Wyoming historians such as Phil Roberts and Jon Lane say that there is no proof that the story is true.[1]
According to stories, Bartlett killed men who entered her family lodge with the complicity of her father Jim (whose name is otherwise given as John and Stephen in other accounts[2]) in 1868, amounting to a total of 22 murders, every victim found buried on her property.[3][4]
A 1963 article by Dean W. Ballinger and published in the popular Real West magazine is one of the earliest and most detailed accounts of the Bartlett family murders.[3] Today, South Pass City is a ghost town in arrested decay, and Bartlett's Inn is regarded as a folk tale by the local citizens.[5][6]
Case history[edit]
As the accounts go, Bartlett lured businessmen and other wealthy travelers into her lodge with extremely valuable belongings on their person, typically gold. Every time she gave them meals and whiskey, they would always be laced with arsenic to poison them. Jim helped bury the men's bodies, and if anyone asked about their disappearances, the daughter and father would lie, saying that indigenous Americans and outlaws took them.
Polly and Jim had early beginnings in their career crimes, where they ran a saloon in Ohio, Polly isolating men for sex before Jim robbed them. Polly's first victim, Lewis Nichols, left her and Jim with a quick $4000, leading to her and Jim constructing the lodge for their murder scams east of South Pass City, where much traffic came during American gold rushes. When they killed Theodore Fountain in August, the son of mine owner Bernard Fountain, Barnard hired investigators from Pinkerton to track his son's whereabouts.
Polly and Jim absconded in August once realizing they were found out, leading to the police unearthing the remains of the men they killed once combing through their property. When a price was put on the heads of the duo, Ed Ford, who evaded being murdered by the Barletts', only for his brother Sam to end up a victim, set out to capture them. On October 7, Ed shot Jim dead and turned Polly in for trial and execution. That evening, Polly was shot dead through the window of her jail cell by Otto Kalkhorst, a German-born man assigned to one of Fountain's mines, who wasn't charged by Esther Morris, the first American female justice of the peace, so the country could put the case to rest.[3][7][8]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Sniffin, Bill (May 24, 2015). "Bartlett tale would be a fine movie". Wyoming Tribune Eagle. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
- ^ "150 YEARS AGO: WYOMING'S FIRST SERIAL KILLER CLAIMED 22 VICTIMS". Y95 Country. January 14, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
- ^ a b c Ballinger, Dean W. (July 1963). "Polly Bartlett, Wyoming's Amazing Poisoner" (PDF). Real West. pp. 22–25, 58–60. Retrieved March 19, 2023 – via Buckrail.
- ^ Magaraci, Kim (October 7, 2021). "The Story Of The Serial Killer Who Terrorized This Small Wyoming Town Is Truly Frightening". Only in Your State. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
- ^ "Murderess of Slaughterhouse Gulch, Polly Bartlett (Truth or Legend) HD 1080p". 50 States of Madness (Podcast). October 6, 2022. Retrieved March 19, 2023 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Polly Bartlett, Serial Killer? Old Legend or 1960s Hoax? – Wyoming, 1868". Unknown Gender History. July 1, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2023 – via Blogspot.
- ^ "Wyoming's worst serial killer: The Murderess of Slaughterhouse Gulch". Buckrail. December 8, 2017. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
- ^ Schwamle, Bill (January 29, 2019). "Is This Woman Wyoming's Most Deadly Serial Killer?". My Country 95.5. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
Further reading[edit]
- Sherlock, James L. (1978). South Pass and Its Tales. Vantage Press. ISBN 9780533032969.
Categories:
- American female serial killers
- American murder victims
- American outlaws
- American robbers
- Folklore
- Fugitives wanted by the United States
- Fugitives wanted on murder charges
- Murder in Wyoming
- People whose existence is disputed
- Poisoners
- Serial killers from Wyoming
- Serial killers murdered in prison custody
- 1868 deaths