Buckskin Joe Frontier Town and Railway proudly announces the
“Revenge of Farrin James” Murder Mystery Contest.

Someone is going to end up with $5,000, and it might as well be you.

rules and regulations
contest notes
Farrin's biography
cast of characters

To enter, use ordinary paper. Make sure that your name, address and phone number are clearly printed or typed at the top of each page of your entry. Print clearly or type the answers to the following questions:

1. Who Killed Farrin/Hank James?

2. When did the murder happen?

3. Where did the murder take place?

4. How was he killed?

5. Why was he killed?

Answer the questions in the order given above. Only entries with complete answers to all 5 questions will be eligible for the reward (prize). Mail your completed contest entry to: Buckskin Joe -- Sheriff, P.O. Box 8, Cañon City, CO 81215. To be eligible for judging, all entries must be received by 11:59 PM, September 10, 2004, no exceptions.

This contest is void where prohibited by law. All federal, state and local laws and regulations apply. The name of the contest winner along with the official solution will be posted on our web site, www.buckskinjoe.com no later than 72 hours after the winner has been awarded their prize.

All eligible entries will be reviewed by the management of Buckskin Joe Frontier Town and Railway and independent judges whose decision will be final. The correct answers to the mystery as determined by Buckskin Joe Frontier Town and Railway are being held in locked safe, pending the final date of the contest. If more than 1 correct solution is received, the winner will be determined by the creativity and presentation of the solution. If no completely correct solution is received, the next closest solution, based on creativity and presentation to the question, “Why was he killed?” will be the winner. The decision of the judges is final.

The winner of the $5,000.00, will be notified by telephone or mail and the reward will be presented on or before September 30, 2004. No substitutions for the prize will be allowed. Any and all applicable taxes are the sole responsibility of the winner. The winner must sign a statement of eligibility and media release as the winner’s name and likeness will be used for publicity purposes. The prize will not be awarded if the winner refuses to sign either of the heretofore mentioned documents. If the original winner, for whatever reason, can not be awarded the prize, the second place solution will be awarded the prize.

All entries are the property of Buckskin Joe Frontier Town and Railway and will not be returned. The contest is open to residents of the United States.

Employees of Buckskin Joe Frontier Town and Railway, their family members, respective affiliates, advertising agencies and vendors of Buckskin Joe Frontier Town and Railway are not eligible to win.

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Using this story, the additional cast of characters and the clues you find around Buckskin Joe Frontier Town and Railway, can you solve the mystery and if chosen, claim your reward? There are clues in every building, with the shop keepers and the staff of Buckskin Joe Frontier Town and Railway. Do not forget to get the clues from the Royal Gorge Scenic Railway as they might just be the critical clues you need to solve the mystery. Watch out for “red herrings”, those clues that try to steer you away from the truth. It is possible to solve the mystery without all of the clues, however the more clues you get, the better your chances of solving the mystery correctly.

The rest is up to you! Decipher which clues are “red herrings” and which ones will lead you to the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. You may need to draw some conclusions and/or do some research in order to decipher the correct answers. Remember, if you do not know the answer to a specific question, answer with your best guess as only entries with all 5 questions answered will be judged and even if you do not have the right answer, you just might be the closest. GOOD LUCK!

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Farrin James was a man who always got what he wanted no matter who he stepped on along the way. He was the most despicable, underhanded, nasty, dirty dealin,' lower than a frog's belly to the ground, man you would ever want to meet. From the day he was born, July 16, 1823, at the family ranch in the outskirts of St. Louis, he knew he would never be 2nd to anyone. Farrin parent’s, Frank and Martha James, tried to mold Farrin into a respectable human and failed miserably. Throughout his life, Farrin James cheated, stole, threatened, bullied, beat up and even killed anyone who got in his way. In fact, in 1841 he stole his parent's prize winning cattle, sold them at auction, took the money and headed west, leaving his parents homeless, penniless paupers! Farrin James was also a notorious womanizer. Try as it may the law could never catch up with Farrin.

Many, many people truly hated Farrin James. He constantly received threats for bodily harm and even death. While laughing in the face of these threats, he always kept an eye on his back and never stayed in one place for too long. Having lied, stolen and cheated his way to amass a large fortune, he got even wealthier off of the towns people of Buckskin Joe, back in 1861.

On August 2, 1863, the towns people of Buckskin Joe celebrated the fact that Farrin James met his fate on the streets of Buckskin Joe. Little did they know, Farrin James did not die on that night. Instead, Farrin engineered the death of his identical twin brother, Hank and slithered out of town that night, having stolen his brother's identity. The towns people and law were none the wiser nor did they care he was dead.

Farrin went back to Jefferson City, Missouri having left everything he owned to his brother Hank. Shortly after claiming his fortune, Farrin moved to Chicago and began his life as Hank James, carefully avoiding anyone who, upon scrutiny, might be able to tell the difference, particularly his parents. It didn’t take long for Farrin to return to his nasty ways and 14 years later, in the spring of 1877, as time was running out yet again for Farrin, he returned to the town of Buckskin Joe. Under the pretext of moving out to be closer to his beloved sister, his appearance had changed enough, that the towns people accepted him for who he said he was, Farrin and Sarah’s brother, Hank James.

Many of the towns people from that time were still living in Buckskin Joe. As Colorado became a state in 1876 and with the rich silver mine deposits being taken from Leadville, Farrin James realized the right time to return to Buckskin Joe. With more riches in the area, he would cheat, steal and lie to build upon his large fortune and nobody could stop him. Farrin “Hank” James, returned to Buckskin Joe on April 17, 1877 on the RGS&R train from St. Louis. 107 days later, fate dealt Farrin his final hand of cards. He played in a poker game that day, cheated everyone at the table, walked away with all of Joe’s and Cody’s money. The other players were lucky to be left with a few bits as Farrin stumbled out of the Silver Dollar Saloon, trying to loosen his tie around 9:45 PM.

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*Sheriff Johnson - Sheriff of Buckskin Joe since 1856. He never really tried to solve Farrin’s murder, good riddance.

*Sarah Banks - Older sister to Farrin & Hank James. She was married to William Banks, the Colorado Territorial Governor, who ruined a $100,000 cattle deal for Farrin in 1862. William Banks died of an apparent heart attack even though he was in perfect health.

*Georgia - Owner of the Silver Dollar Saloon. She adopted Joey in 1864 at the age of 6. She and Farrin had an affair back in 1863.

*Joey - Orphan child who Georgia adopted in 1864. Even as a grown man, he still sees everything that goes on in the town.

*Miss Madeline - Owner of the general store and trading post.

*Adam Stevens - Was the foreman at Farrin James’ ranch in 1863. He now has a family and owns a ranch a couple of miles outside of town.

Prospector Joe - Town drunk and gold prospector. He usually plays in the poker games at Georgia’s place. He is a little off his rocker but harmless.

Robert Mitchell - Owner of the Buckskin Bank.

*Doc Wilson - Town doctor since 1854. He is just a plain, simple, trusting old country doctor.

Billy Smith - Runs the Buckskin Joe Stagecoach Line and the livery stables.

Frank Masters - Conductor for the RGS&R which runs weekly from St. Louis to parts west and stops at Buckskin Joe.

Miss Laura Bonney - Headmistress of the Buckskin School. She came to Buckskin Joe in 1867.

Mr. & Mrs. Richards - Owners of the Sackett Room & Board House.

Cody Williams - Drifter who rode into town on August 2, 1877.

* Indicates people who lived at Buckskin Joe back in 1863

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