Please read the overview and all the descriptions of the suspects before the party. Sometimes we hide clues in these descriptions.

Overview

Yesterday in Mitchido Richard Woods – a wealthy landowner– was shot down in cold blood whilst he was riding to town. He leaves behind his wife Katherine and daughter Annabel. There is a gathering of his family and the townsfolk to discuss what should be done. The people at the meeting look uneasy. They are not sure who will be arrested as the murderer and they are afraid that the gunslingers that are present might take the law into their own hands if they don’t like the verdict.

Suspect descriptions

Katherine Woods

(widow of the murdered man) My parents moved to the country. I was annoyed, because I preferred the city where I could go to the opera. The people in Mitchido bored me. They were so uncultured. Joe was the only one who seemed to read. We used to discuss Shakespeare together when we talked after Church on Sundays. When I turned 17, the men came courting me. I liked Joe the best, but my parents said his parents were poor and that he would not be able to provide very well for me. Richard also came a courting. He seemed rougher than a rodeo rider’s chaps, but my parents insisted that I marry him. I hated him, but there was no way to escape him. He decided that I was never to leave the ranch for any reason and so I have been kept here like a bear in a trap. He wouldn’t even allow ladies to visit me in case they might mention their husbands. His jealousy knew no bounds. I wasn’t even allowed to go to Church. Dress suggestions: Conservative period wear (eg long skirt with half apron, bonnet, gloves & boots).

Annabel Woods

(daughter of the murdered man) When I was little, I remember hearing Mummy crying. The next morning she looked sad. I guessed Mummy and Daddy had argued because they weren’t talking to each other at all. When I asked Daddy why he’d been mean to Mummy, he said that it was because Mummy didn’t love him. When I was growing up Daddy and I spent quite a lot of time together. I was his helping hand. He taught me how to ride and shoot and he called me his little tomboy. Spring Leaf and I also spent time together when I was young. She taught me all sorts of Indian secrets. One time, Spring Leaf and I exchanged blood and swore to be blood sisters for the rest of our lives. I told Daddy and he was very angry with me and with Spring Leaf. When I turned 12, Daddy tried to get me to give up wearing pants. He said it was time I acted like a little lady. I refused but he insisted. After that, I avoided spending time with Daddy. I wore a skirt but I continued to act as if I didn’t. Dress suggestions: Wear pretty period wear (eg long skirts with long half aprons, bonnets, gloves and boots).

Clyde Williams

(Sheriff) Richard and I went to school together. He was one of the school bullies and used to beat me up all the time when I was younger. Later, when I had grown up to be taller than him and learned how to box, he stopped beating me up. But the resentment was still there. My father was the town Sheriff and he was grooming me to take over from him. Richard’s father was doing the same. He was a landowner. Richard’s father and my father were great friends, so we had to be civil to one another. It wasn’t till I was about to take over from my Dad, that I realized why he had been great friends with Richard’s Dad. It was because Richard’s Dad always gave him a supplement to his Sheriff’s wages. I protested to my Dad that it was unethical, but he said it was the tradition and that if I wasn’t courteous enough to accept Richard’s Dad’s generosity, then he wouldn’t recommend me to become Sheriff when he retired. Dress suggestions: Make a cardboard star as a badge.

Joe Calsis

(barber) When I was at school, Richard teased me and said I was the son of the red and white pole – meaning I was the barber’s son. Richard always picked on my weakest points. He knew I was proud of my perfect hair, so he got some other boys to hold me down and then he cut large chunks out of my haircut. I had to wear a hat. My father refused to say anything about it to Richard’s father, because he was hoping I would win a scholarship and Richard’s father was the main contributor to the school scholarships. Although I had been groomed to be a barber from an early age, I still dreamed of another type of life. My books were my escape. My mother said it was a shame I couldn’t be a librarian. I knew I would never be allowed to marry Katherine, but it didn’t stop me from loving her. Dress suggestions: A barber’s apron, carry a small striped barber’s pole and/or some scissors.

Frank Reyes

(landowner) When I was growing up, Richard was in the same year as me. He was always attacking the younger boys. When I married Nancy, I was the happiest man alive. We had a big celebration. I even invited Katherine and Richard. They had been married about a year by then and Katherine was very pregnant with Annabel. Richard came and left his pregnant wife at home to fend for herself. A year after our marriage, Nancy died giving birth to our son. He died too. I was devastated. I could never think of re-marrying – my memories of Nancy are so strong, I could never forget her. Annabel loved to ride. She looked like a princess on her pony and she took to visiting me even though she knew her Dad and I were feuding because he dammed up a river, rendering a fifth of my property useless. Dress suggestions: Wear check pants, flannel shirt, bow tie or tie and braces, as you are a farmer you may like to add some straw poking out of your shirt.

Eddie Thomas

(African farm worker) My parents worked for a family who were very cruel and made them work 7 days a week. They were Richard’s parents. When I was 4, my father died. He was only 45. When I was 5, my mother died of a sickness. They put me in the orphanage in town till I was 9 and old enough to work. In the orphanage, I became friends with Luke. We were great buddies and they were fun times in my life. The Nuns in the orphanage were strict but kind. Ever since the orphanage, I have been a devoted Christian. And God has been kind to me. He sent me to work for Mr Frank and he is a good boss. He lets me have Sundays off so I can go to Church. Being black, I only get to stand at the back of the Church, but I’m just happy to be there. Mr Frank lets me ride in the back of the sulky, so I don’t even have to walk to Church. I’m very lucky to work for him. Dress suggestions: Curly black wig, check pants, plain shirt, bow tie and braces.

Luke Hansen

(farm hand) My parents were wealthy, but they were killed by Indians when they were coming by wagon to settle the land. I grew up as an orphan in Mitchido. And Eddie was my friend. The Nuns gave me an education. After I finished school, I found work with Mr Woods as a farm hand. I worked hard for him and I enjoyed the work with the cattle. Mr Woods taught me how to ride like a bronco buster and to shoot like a bounty hunter. I felt sorry for Mrs Woods because she was never allowed to leave the ranch or even to speak with us farm workers. Last year Mr Woods sacked me because I had romantic intentions towards his daughter Annabel. Now I work for Frank and he treats me like a son. Dress suggestions: Plaid pants rolled up, plain shirt, bow tie/tie & braces. Hay poking out.

Red-Eye Mitchell

(gunslinger) My parents were killed when I was little by Crow Indians, but I was lucky because one of the Indians liked my red hair and took me back with him. They called me “Red As The Sun”. My hair’s not as red now though. The Indians taught me how to ride bare-back and hands free. I learnt how to shoot a gun going full gallop. But when I became a man, they said I had to leave because I wasn’t one of them. Then I worked as a stockman for a while, but word got around about how good I was with a gun. Being brought up Indian, I haven’t been held back by all these Christian ethics. If a man is bad, I have no hesitation in killing him. People pay me to kill for them. The money is good and I can hide well because of my Indian training, so the law never catches up with me. Frank Reyes has brought me to town because he wants someone on his side to help with a showdown. Dress suggestions: Bring a toy gun, water pistol or cardboard cutout of a gun (no real guns, please).

Lulu Peachy

(Can-Can girl) I dreamed of being an opera singer, but my mother was too poor to send me to singing lessons. My father abandoned us when I was little. I suppose that’s why I have never really trusted men much. After I turned 12, I went to work in a factory. When I turned 17, someone offered me a job as a Can-Can girl. I thought it sounded more fun so I did it. After I had been with the show about a month, they said that they had been offered a permanent spot in Mitchido in the country. Being young, I thought that sounded exciting. The sponsors of the show get a front row seat. Richard was my sponsor and I was his filly – as he liked to call me – for over a year. He felt that gave him the right to tell me what I should perform and how I should live my life. Someday I would prefer to be a singer in a larger town. Dress suggestions: A Can-Can girl outfit with lots of petticoats (starched stiff).

Spring Leaf

(Native American girl) When I grew up – the boy in the next tepee – “Red As The Sun” – was my friend. When the boy became a man, he was told to leave. I was very sad. My parents said it had to be because he was not the same as us. Then the whites decided they wanted our land and they came and killed us. Their leader was General Woods and he killed my parents. He would have killed me too, but he decided to take me back as his maid. I was only 10 and very distressed, because my parents and friends had been killed. I did not talk for over 2 years. I was made to do chores. After I turned 12, I became the maid of General Woods’ son Richard. His wife Katherine was nice to me, but Mr Woods treated me very badly. Dress suggestions: A Native American squaw outfit including suede shirt & skirt & feathers.

Margaret Read

(shop-owner’s wife) I went to school with Richard and Katherine, but I wasn’t friends with them. I was very good with numbers at school, but because I was a woman, I couldn’t become an accountant. My husband and I met at school and a few years after we left school, he stuttered out a proposal of marriage. I knew he wasn’t much of a man, but I loved him anyway. We found we couldn’t have children so there wasn’t much for me to do except to help my husband manage the store. My husband is a bit timid and if anyone starts to question the price of the goods, he just panics – a bit like a horse when it stands on a rattler. They rear and buck and lose the plot completely. But if I’m around, if there’s any trouble about money, I just pull out my gun. That stops most people quibbling over a few oats. Dress suggestions: Conservative period wear (eg long skirts with long half aprons, bonnets, gloves and boots).

Optional witness descriptions

Nicholas Read (shop-owner) I also went to school with Richard and Katherine. But they ignored me just like they ignored Margaret. I wasn’t particularly good at school, but I got through it. I inherited the store from my parents. They died young of tuberculosis. I met Margaret at school and when it was time, I proposed to her. I knew Margaret was a bit on the bossy side, but I knew she’d be a good wife. I’m not that timid. I just don’t like people criticizing the way I run my business. Margaret and I do enjoy our card games. We also hear a lot of talk because of the shop, but I wouldn’t call us gossips, just friendly people. Dress suggestions: Conservative period wear (eg check pants, plain shirt, bow tie or tie and braces).

Miss Norma Picket (school teacher) I went to school with Richard and Katherine, but I wasn’t really friends with either of them. I was friends with Margaret. We were best friends. We did everything together. I still visit Margaret and her husband quite often. We like to play a hand of bridge or two. They keep me informed on all the town’s gossip. My father was a farmer. I loved looking out over our fields with all the wheat waving its heads of grain. There is nothing more beautiful than a prairie, now is there? Although I’m very strict with my students, I do care about their welfare. Annabel and Luke were my students. Dress suggestions:Wear conservative period wear (eg long skirts with long half aprons, bonnets, gloves and boots). Carry a ruler or a cane.

Fifi Amouray (Can-Can girl) I was hopeless at school because all I could think of were the boys. My dad was a ill and my mother died early. So I had to work as soon as I could just to survive. I had always loved music and dancing and singing, so I decided to work in a saloon. I thought it would be much more fun than being a maid. I am a dancer at the same bar as Lulu and we are close friends. I can kick my legs higher than any other gal in the chorus. Dress suggestions: A Can-Can girl outfit including lots of petticoats (starched stiff).

Dr Conroy Splint (medical doctor) Richard Woods was a few years ahead of me at school, so I didn’t get to know him much. Frank took over the running of the family farm, but I preferred to learn how to help people, so I studied medicine. As a doctor I’ve seen what some men do to their women and I know how Richard Woods had been treating Mrs Woods. I have never married as my work keeps me too busy, but I have a few friends such as Norma Picket. She’s a fine woman. Dress suggestions: Wear conservative period wear (eg check pants, plain shirt, bow tie or tie and braces). Carry a black bag possibly with a stethoscope and/or thermometer inside.

Running Stream (Native American squaw) Like Spring Leaf, my parents were killed. We came from the same tribe. I came to work for Dr Splint as his cook. He is a good kind man. I am lucky. Spring Leaf and I are friends. We meet up briefly each week when we go to town to pick up the supplies. Dress suggestions: Wear a Native American squaw outfit including suede shirt and skirt and feathers.