Duane Shillinger

Coyote and Magpie reexamines the murder charge and, often under difficult conditions, collects information that will be used during a new trial. Involved in the quest for new information and eventual justice are Deputy Sheriff Lenny Craig and citizen Delmar Mentis, who take the reader along with them as they investigate every aspect of the crime that they believe was committed by Irana Dubliski. As evidence is collected, Deputy Craig and Delmar Mentis convince Sheriff Chester Overman and Judge Wolfe that the ultimate sentence be given to Irana Dubliski. Debts due from certain legislators enable the law enforcement group to carry out an unusual punishment at the old, vacated prison. Strange legal and quasi legal machinations are not uncommon in Wyoming, and although this is a purely fictional possibility, that very possibility of using the old prison during an actual case was discussed in 1992. What will Deputy Craig and Delmar Mentis achieve in their investigation and court room drama? What event awaits the defendant Irana Dubliski at the old prison? We shall see as Coyote and Magpie is read.

In 1888, Wyoming's legislature appropriated funds to build a prison at Rawlins, Wyoming. Thirteen years later, on December 12, 1901, the first prisoners were transported from Laramie to their new home. Using news articles, governmental records, recollections of ex-employees, and his own experiences, the author takes the reader through the difficult period of prison occupancy, the eras of industry and agriculture, the use of prisoner work crews, and the era of rehabilitation programs. Included in the narrative are chilling accounts of Wyoming's executions and a selection of prison tales. Management of the prison changed to meet the needs of the state, while national trends to improve prisoner treatment stirred reformists both within and external to the prison. Wyoming's prisoners wee hungry for change.