Bulkeley Wells

Wells, according to writer MaryJoy Martin, was "born to privilege... [and was] convinced laborers were beneath him,"[3] was intent upon hanging Vincent St. John, the head of the local miners union.

McParland, who decades earlier had been the special agent assigned to infiltrate the Molly Maguires in Pennsylvania, contributed his belief that an "Inner Circle" within the Western Federation of Miners was responsible for widespread assassinations.

[5] At the time of his disappearance, the Telluride authorities didn't know any details of Will Barney's age, marital status, family, or where he came from.

Wells placed a skull in a shop window, adorned with a sign decrying the "Grewsome Work" of the Telluride Miners' Union.

[7][8] As a result of the divorce, Wells lost $15 million in mining interests and the financing he received from his wife's family.