W. W. Anderson
Anderson's portrait for the Colorado Bar Association
BornAugust 19, 1845
Fredericksburg, Virginia, US
Other namesPlughat
Alma materBethany College
OccupationAttorney
Known forShooting the publishers of The Denver Post.
SpouseCornelia E. Van Horn (married 1872–1888)
Children3

W. W. "Plughat" Anderson (August 19, 1845—?) was an American attorney. He is best known for representing Alfred Packer in his trial for murder, and for attempting to murder Harry Heye Tammen and Frederick Gilmer Bonfils of The Denver Post with a gun after they reported on his client's court case.

Early life and education

Anderson was born August 19, 1845, in Fredericksburg, Virginia.[1] He graduated from Bethany College in West Virginia. When he was young, he moved to Louisiana, Missouri. While living there, he was admitted to The Missouri Bar and became a lawyer in 1869. He married Cornelia E. Van Horn in December 1872, and they had three children together.[1] He became a district attorney and financial accountant. He also served on the town council, and became mayor. In 1888, he was removed from the town and was forced to move to Denver, Colorado.[2]

While living in Denver, Colorado, Anderson was admitted to the Colorado Bar Association in 1899. Anderson was also a member of the Masonic bodies.[1]

The Denver Post shooting

In 1900,[3] Anderson was representing Alfred Packer in his trial for murder. Amidst the trial, The Denver Post reporter Polly Pry wrote an article on the case, accusing Packer of cannibalism. In response, Anderson went to the headquarters of The Denver Post with a gun, and shot the two publishers; Harry Heye Tammen in the arm, and Frederick Gilmer Bonfils in the neck twice. Tammen only survived the shooting because Pry stalled Anderson until the police arrived.[4] Anderson was released from police custody and acquitted of his crimes due to habeas corpus.[2][5][6]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Portraits", Bench and bar of Colorado (1917), retrieved 2023-12-28
  2. 1 2 "Menominee Herald (LCCN 88086206) 15 January 1900 — Digital Michigan Newspapers Collection". digmichnews.cmich.edu. 15 January 1900. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
  3. ↑ American Council of Learned Societies (1943). Dictionary of American biography. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. New York, C. Scribner's Sons.
  4. ↑ "Polly Pry (1857 - 1938) | Denver Public Library History". history.denverlibrary.org. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
  5. ↑ Whitehead, Carle (January 1942). "A Glimpse of the Old Time Bar". Denver Law Review Denver. 19 (6): 147–148 – via Digital Commons.
  6. ↑ "Prescott Family". www.museum.littletonco.gov. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
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