Colorado in 1876 wasn’t immune from the Wild West’s plague of deadly gun violence

By: Chase Woodruff

Outlets: Colorado Newsline

Published: June 5, 2026

Words: 1,120

Last Updated: 1 day ago


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Though the political intrigue of Colorado’s 1876 constitutional convention and its looming admission to the union were ably covered by territorial newspapers, few stories received more attention in the press in the centennial year than the murder trials of four men branded by the Rocky Mountain News as “the Italian cut-throats.”

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