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Malice, Menace and Mendacity

The cast of characters coloring the Black Hills’ raucous past has inspired memorable Hollywood productions. Al Swearengen, “Wild Bill” Hickok and Calamity Jane have become celebrities, but many of the most malevolent moments did not produce household names. One of the more bizarre and unsolved murders was the Chinatown killing of a beautiful and rich woman named Di Lee. In 1894, Lakota Sioux warrior Chief Two Sticks was hanged for his band’s involvement in the brutal slayings of several cowboys and a few policemen at the Isaac Humphrey Ranch. Swearengen’s Gem Theater often played host to violence involving prostitutes, performers and patrons. Soiled dove Kitty Clyde was the victim of her spurned lover Charles Wilson, while “Banjo Dick” murdered his lover’s ex-husband in supposed self-defense. Author Deborah Cuyle combed local archives to tell the unvarnished accounts of Deadwood’s most daring and dastardly denizens.

South Dakota's Mathis Family Murders brought death and deception to the heartland.

It was perhaps the most infamous murder case in state history. Ladonna Mathis was shot twice in the head at point-blank range inside the family's metal shed serving as their makeshift home. Two of her three children, ages 2 and 4, were also shot in the head. The brutality of the killings shocked the state and set off a frenzy of law enforcement activity. Despite its intensity, the investigation never found the murderer or the murder weapon. Though charged with the crime, the husband was acquitted, leaving the door open for endless speculation about what really occurred on that late summer morning of Sept. 8, 1981.

With renewed insight from those involved, veteran South Dakota journalist Noel Hamiel explores this cold case of murder and mystery that still haunts the Mount Rushmore state.