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Sunday, June 3, 2018

EXCAVATING THE TRUTH ABOUT A LIFE #PrairieRosePublications #history #ColoradoHistory



I almost missed writing this post. I've been working on a number of projects, one of which is being presented on June 9 with the paper due on July 9. So what is the project and how does it apply to the title?

Our local library district has a History Symposium every year on the second Saturday in June. Each year the subject is different. This year it is: Remarkable Rascals, Despicable Dudes and Hidden Heroes. I put in a proposal on the subject of Joe Ward and it was accepted.

You may be asking, who is Joe Ward? That is the whole point and title of the presentation and paper. Trying to find the real amongst the stories, reports and other Wards who engaged in criminal activity in Colorado, especially along the Front Range has proven to be a real challenge. I know even when I finish the paper, I probably will still try to find the truth of this man and his family. With a background in Criminology and Social Work, his story is one that pulls at my interest and my sympathy.

It was a journey that started some six or seven years ago with a simple piece in the local newspaper dated February 11, 1879. It told of a man who shot a young man who'd knocked on his door late at night with two other men. The victim eventually died from the wounds. The local paper seemed to  become obsessed with the trial and eventual outcome. Joe Ward was found guilty of manslaughter and was sentenced to two years in prison in Canon City, Colorado.

Although I've yet to find original transcripts of the trial, there were pieces to the story that nagged at me. The people involved in the prosecution and defense, the judge and all the witnesses, including Ward's eleven year old daughter. All told a story that did not seem complete, that pieces were left out.

Even after Wards release in 1881, the stories continued about he and his family. Some stories contradict others in the telling. Times and places don't always match. That he killed another man in Northern Colorado is a fact, but the circumstances around that killing are still lost, and what is there is usually speculation on the part of the reporters.

His eventual death in 1885 is also still a mystery. Who killed him and why? What were the circumstances? So far only news reports have survived and those are not always accurate. So my goal is to excavate the life of Joe Ward to the best of my ability and either prove he was a truly despicable dude, a man whose life was the exact opposite or somewhere in between.

The draw of the story brought about my first and only completion of NaNoWriMo in 2009. It was a story my imagination developed from the wife's perspective. There were no stories in the papers telling her side other than she was a  'bad' woman. To me, even those bits and pieces didn't ring true.  I've used parts of that story in other work, but the 50+ thousand word novel is far from a great piece of writing. Still, I had felt compelled to tell a story of this family.

If you are so inclined, the whole symposium will be streamed live. I will be presenting very late in the day. Here is the link for the streaming: 2018 Live Stream and more information can be found here: Symposium Information.

And yes, I've also been working on a short story and short novel that I hope will see the light of publication sometime this year or the beginning of the next. Of course, it will help if I finish writing them. In the meantime, you can always read the stories that I already have out there. (Smile)


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Until then, enjoy the days of June. I know I'll be writing, working and celebrating another year on this planet.

Doris Gardner-McCraw -
Author, Speaker, Historian-specializing in
Colorado and Women's History
Member of National League of American Pen Women,
Women Writing the West,
Pikes Peak Posse of the Westerners,
Western Fictioneers

Angela Raines - author: Where Love & History Meet
For a list of Angela Raines Books: Here 
Photo and Poem: Click Here 
Angela Raines FaceBook: Click Here

14 comments:

  1. What a fascinating unsolved mystery. I'll be really interested to find out more about it. Great detective work.

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    1. Thank you. I've been fascinated by Joe and his family for years, and yet despite all the research, I feel I've only scratched the surface.It really is a mystery. Doris

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  2. Very intriguing! When I was in high we had a choice of things to do our final paper on and one was picking an unsolved crime from 19thc. I went through old newspaper accounts from the time and one thing that struck me was how filtered the account of the crime was through the mores of the time.Good luck with the Nanowrimo piece and your symposium!

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    1. Thank you Patti. Trying to decipher through some of those old news reports has been an interesting and challenging,although rewarding, experience. Someday I'll re-edit that story, the symposium is next Saturday, so...*smile*. Doris

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  3. Isn’t it fascinating how one little snippet of conversation or a few sentences from an okd newspaper article or an image will spark and become embera to a story? Thank you for the reminder of the program coming up.

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    1. It really is. I don't know what it is about this man, his family and story that just keep calling to me. One friend suggested Joe was wanting me to tell his story. I don't know about that, but it's as good an explanation as any. *Grin*.

      I do love these history symposia, they are so much fun and I learn so much. I'm thrilled that stream them life across the world, for there is just so much history to share. Doris

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  4. Doris, I love things like this-I hope you can eventually solve the entire story of Joe's life--what a mystery! Maybe he IS calling to you to tell his story!

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    1. Cheryl, Sometimes I feel that way. It's not quite an obession, but...

      I do enjoy sharing my research, for the time spent in old newspapers and books is something that I love to do. If I don't solve the mystery, maybe a least I can offer some insights as to what happned. Doris

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  5. Isn't research fun? I love it! Thank you for sharing your search.

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    1. It is, Livia, it is. I sometimes think I could spend all my days searching archives and nothing else. The librarian is the one who insisted I share what I find, and in some ways is responsible for all the writing I do. (I think I need to thank here, maybe? *Grin*)

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  6. Well Doris, you always have something unique and fascinating going on here. I love a good mystery and Joe Ward certainly proved to be an enticing choice. You always leave us wanting more.

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    1. Thank you Sarah. Joe certainly is taking me for a ride. After all these years, he still occupies my mind and research. I always seem to come back to his story and dig for me on his life. *sigh*. Doris

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  7. Research is never straightforward. And sometimes we have to follow our curiosity, which is pushing us forward for a reason, usually unknown to us lol. You always immerse yourself in your work, Doris. I love that!

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    1. Thank you Kristy. I confess, I do love research. Joe has kept me busy, between other trips down the rabbit hole, for quite some time. Just can't seem to let him or his story go. Looking forward to a road trip up to the northwest part of Colorado where he alledgedly was killed. Doris

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