Murder, mayhem and melodrama in rural West Virginia! Traditional history has painted early Ritchie County as a peaceful place, populated by industrious, prosperous citizens. In compiling newspaper articles from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, however, Ritchie County Crimes & Calamities editor John M. Jackson shows that the county in its first decades was livelier--and deadlier--than previously portrayed. More than a simple collection of reprinted newspaper clippings, Ritchie County Crimes & Calamities might be considered an alternative history of the county during the Victorian era and beyond. Among the hundreds of stories reprinted in this volume is the heartrending tale of Margaret Maley's death by poison and the subsequent murder trial of her husband. Here, too, the reader will learn of Alvadore Connolly, who died in bed with a live sheep and a pile of hot rocks, victim of an ill-fated home remedy. Also revisited is the mysterious death of "Shogg" Cunningham, who reportedly returned to life at his own wake. Collectively, the tragic, sensational, and sometimes amusing events recounted in these pages shaped not only the lives of our Ritchie County ancestors but--by extension--our own. The book is divided into chapters arranged by subject matter, with introductory essays to place the articles in context. Indexed and exhaustively annotated, the book will prove useful to those researching the county's families and communities while it reclaims history that had been lost or deliberately concealed for generations. Beyond its relevance to local and West Virginia history, Ritchie County Crimes & Calamities will appeal to readers with interests in true crime stories, 19th century social conditions, and the history of journalism.