Carbon County Historical Society Presents an Old West Production

MARCH 26, 2025|

Photo – Announcement for museum presentation of The Murder of Allie Means – Courtesy Carbon County Historical Society Facebook page

The Carbon County Historical Society presents The Murder of Allie Means.

Next week, on Thursday, April 3^rd, the Carbon County Historical Society will hold a meeting at the Wyoming Frontier Prison’s Historic Guards’ Quarters.

Justin Horn, an assistant at the Rockpile Museum in Gillette, will give a presentation on the murder of Sam Allison “Allie” Means. Horn explained that 120 years ago, Means was killed by a fellow cowboy named Noah Richardson during a dispute over a woman.

Horn said Richardson was arrested, found guilty of murder, and sentenced to death. He was then sent to the state prison in Rawlins, now known as the Wyoming Frontier Prison Museum. While in Rawlins, Richardson successfully appealed his conviction by pleading insanity.

Horn said Richardson was the first prisoner sentenced to death at the recently constructed Wyoming State Prison.

Following his successful insanity plea, Richardson’s death sentence was reduced to life in prison and the convict was sent back to Rawlins to serve his time.

In 1912, Richardson took part in the largest prison break in Wyoming history. Horn said the convict murdered a Rawlins resident after being caught breaking into the victim’s barn to steal a horse. Afterwards, Richardson escaped on foot and was killed in a shootout with police in Baggs.

After the 1912 escape, the state ordered a wall to be built around the Rawlins prison. Horn said he became interested in the murder of Allie Means after he began working at the Rockpile Museum. At the museum, Horn said he first encountered the saddle of Allie Means and learned the story of the victim and his murderer.

The Carbon County Historical Society will present The Murder of Allie Means on Thursday, April 3rd, at the Historic Guards’ Quarters of the Wyoming Frontier Prison Museum, located at 500 West Walnut Street in Rawlins. The event begins at 6:00 p.m., and admission is free.