Lordsburg Stories

When Gabriel Dubois, Lordsburg's town drunk, dies of a heart attack in the middle of the street after being harassed and humiliated by four ranch hands, his death inadvertently opens a can of worms. Sheriff William Riley and Doctor Brent Ellison discover that Gilbert had no personal possessions in his room at Ma Baker's Boarding House, other than a tin box with two letters inside. Dubois had lived in the boardinghouse from 1892-1902 and worked as an assistant to the blacksmith. When they approach Ma Baker for an explanation, she has nothing to tell them.Skeptical, Doc Ellison reviews his records. There have been a number of deaths at Ma Baker's: six young men over a six-year period, all allegedly dying in their sleep. Both the doctor and the Sheriff believe they were poisoned and their possessions stolen then sold by Ma Baker. They speak to Mortimer Trask, the town's mortician, and he agrees to exhume the body of one of the victims who had no family or heirs. The local chemist agrees to sample the bones and tissue remaining and determine if the man died of Wolfsbane poisoninga plant the Doctor and Sheriff found in the backyard of the boardinghouse. The chemist confirms poison and, armed with a search warrant, they uncover a tincture hidden in the kitchen's spice cabinet.During the search Sheriff Riley and Doc Ellison discover more evidence which leads to the arrest of Ma Baker. She denies the charges, but when the case is picked up by various newspapers across the United States, several men come forward, claiming to be survivors of her poisonous treachery more than fifteen years ago. Before buying the boardinghouse in 1890, Mira Norwood had been widowed twice, both husbands dying in their sleep before their first anniversaries. Mira was their sole beneficiary.Her trial in the territorial court before three judges is scheduled for September 16, 1902 in Silver City, New Mexico, with the Sheriff and Doc Ellison as witnesses. Ma Baker, now revealed to be Mira Norwood Penny Thompkins has hired an attorney, Aurelio Perillo, whom Steve Dillon, the territorial prosecutor, thinks is a hack. As the trial enters its second day, a shocking revelation brings the proceedings to an abrupt halt. With the prospect of a new trial looming, Steve Dillon suggests Mira Norwood be sentenced to thirty-five years in prison without parole. Will the judges accept his recommendation? And if they do, will Mira agree to spend more than three decades in a new territorial prison for women in Yuma, Arizona?Follow the investigation as the doctor, Sheriff, mortician and the prosecutor work together to seek justice for the young victims and their families.

A Deputy Sheriff with a talent for creating life-like sketches; a sixteen-year-old boy unsure of his future; and a stranger purporting to be the young man's real father, intersect with the disappearance of Tommy Harrison from the home of his legal guardian. Jake Mackey arrives in Lordsburg, New Mexico in a bright red 1907 Matheson Touring car. He stops at the Sheriff's office to inquire about the Hamilton family. When Deputy Malcolm McGregor tells him Suzanne and Peter Hamilton were murdered in 1905 by the Silver Gang, Mackey asks about "Thomas." McGregor tells Mackey that Tommy and his sister are alive and living across the street with their legal guardian, Agatha Nelson, a seamstress. Malcolm, suspicious of Mackey's long, apparently rehearsed soliloquy and motives, sketches his face and waits for the Sheriff to arrive. In the early morning hours of May 31, 1907, Jake Mackey stealthily enters Agatha's tailor shop and goes upstairs to find Tommy awake. He tells the boy he is his real father, born from a years-long affair with Suzanne, his mother. He convinces Tommy to go with him to California, where they can establish a new life. By the time Agatha discovers that Tommy is missing, he and Jake have already entered Arizona and are on their way to Casa Grande. Sheriff Kirby sends Wanted posters, using his deputy's sketch, to police agencies in three states. He learns Mackey is wanted in Oklahoma for stealing mining equipment. He contacts his predecessor, William Riley, now a special investigator for The Symington Agency in Santa Fe, along with his wife, Cynthia, a senior detective. In 1905, they were instrumental in taking down The Silver Gang and finding a guardian for Tommy and Sally. Cynthia, five months pregnant, and Will arrive in Lordsburg and speculate Mackey is headed west. They develop a plan to intercept him in Yuma before he and Tommy cross into California. In Arizona, Tommy tells Mackey he's made a mistake and wants to go home. Jake promises him a train ticket when they get to Yuma. But the Matheson has already broken down twice, delaying their trip by days. Thanks to Deputy McGregor's sketch, the two are spotted in Tucson and Casa Grande. This gives Will and Cynthia a chance to catch up to them in Yuma by taking their car onboard the train. Weary from the Matheson's mechanical problems, the blazing heat, and Tommy's continual sarcasm, and derogatory remarks about his cowardice in not defending his mother against his brute of a father, Jake lets his guard down. Does Mackey's mishaps and inattention lead to his arrest and Tommy's rescue? Follow Will and Cynthia Riley as they doggedly pursue each lead in order to bring Tommy Harrison home.