100 years later, frontier slaying remains shrouded in legend

In the late 1800s, a black man was gunned down in Julesburg following an argument. Today, the legend of his burial offers a window into the harsh realities and racial tensions of frontier life.

    Just north of the Phillips county line, legend tells of a lost grave that testifies to the short, often cruel brand of life that predominated on the American frontier.
    In the late 1880s, a black resident of Julesburg known as “Runner” to some and “Bob” to others was shot during an argument with a white man and buried at night by a self-appointed group of undertakers.
    While frontier justice was swift, it was frequently tinged by vigilantism and bias. Julesburg was known as the “Wickedest City in the West” while it existed at the head of the Union Pacific railroad, and was notorious for its many saloons and gambling houses. There were fewer controls on the legal system of the new West than in the East, which was itself often prejudiced against minorities.
    There are different versions of the story that led to the shooting of Runner Bob. One, which was written by William C. “Tin” Dye and included in the first volume of “History of Sedgwick County Colorado,” details a confrontation between rival hotel employees jockeying for business at the nearby railroad station.
    According to Dye, Runner Bob worked at the Geiger House, later known as Brunswick House — a two-story hotel located on Front Street, between Cedar and Pine. Runner Bob solicited business for Brunswick House at the station, and took travelers’ luggage back to the hotel in his pushcart. His rival was one Mr. Kitchen — a Southerner who clerked at the Commercial Hotel on the corner of Front and Walnut.
    Kitchen had a homestead in the hills south of Julesburg. He intended to sell a plot of land to the city, to be used as the Julesburg cemetery. Ironically, in Tin’s story, Kitchen was responsible for killing the first occupant of his planned cemetery.
    Runner Bob was faster than Kitchen. He often beat the Southerner to the station, earning customers for Brunswick House, and Kitchen was harassed by the other townsfolk for being slower than a “colored” man.
    One day, Kitchen got into an argument with Runner Bob over a customer. When the confrontation escalated, Kitchen shot and killed his rival.
    Kitchen said that he killed Runner Bob in self-defense, and that Runner had “abused” him and instigated the fight.
    It is unclear what happened to Kitchen and whether he faced any legal consequences for the killing.

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