Royal Thomas N. Riggin

A young lady residing near Filmore Andrew county, daughter of Joe Van Berry, a wealthy farmer, was engaged to be married to a young man who emigrated to Colorado. During his absence she was wooed by another party whose name was Royal Riggin. After some months of courtship she consented to become his wife. Everything moved smoothly until one week previous to the time set for the wedding when Miss Berry learned that lover number one had returned from the gold fields and was then in Filmore. Then she informed Riggin that she would not marry him so long as there was another chance to get his rival. This so disheartened him that he resolved to go to California. He took a thousand dollars with him stating that he intended to engage in the cattle business. It was known that he was somewhat depressed in spirit, but his friends thought when he left home be would forget the affair and cheer up, but such was not the case. From what we can learn he appeared to be restless on the cars, frequently looking at his watch to note the time, and a few momenta before 5 o’clock be borrowed a revolver from an emigrant who was on the train, went into the water closet, locked the door, placed the muzzle of the pistol between his eyes and fired. The passengers hearing the report inside, opened the door and found poor Royal Riggin dead.

The Sedalia weekly bazoo. (Sedalia, Mo.), 19 Oct. 1880. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.

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