Rigney

Rigney, a bartender in the saloon of the Cosmopolitan Theatre, was held in the Miles City County Jail in Montana. According to newspaper dispatches from Miles City, on July 25, 1883, masked men overpowered the jailer, took Rigney about a mile out of town and hanged him from a railroad tie over a culvert. Accounts differ on whether a fire that destroyed the Cosmopolitan Theatre came before or after the hanging, and it was generally believed to be retaliation for it.

Cause of death, as reported: Killed by another person in custody

News reports (4)

• Savannah Morning News, July 27, 1883, page 1 Savannah Morning News, July 27, 1883
• The Daily Dispatch, July 27, 1883, page 3 The Daily Dispatch, July 27, 1883
• Huntsville Gazette, August 4, 1883, page 1 Huntsville Gazette, August 4, 1883
• The Grenada Sentinel, August 4, 1883, page 2 The Grenada Sentinel, August 4, 1883