entrance of the Museum lies another
outside of the Koehler Mercantile.
landmark. The Grey Mule Saloon,
There was no witness so he was not
now a wine tasting room for Ste.
indicted, as he claimed self-defense.
Genevieve, once poured drinks for
In August of 1894 Royal involved
thirsty cowboys. Constructed in direct
himself in, and perhaps instigated, a
competition to the Koehler Saloon,
shootout at the Koehler Store. Judge
Royal
A.J.
Williams sent
operated the
for reinforce-
bar as early as
ments and the
1894.
The
Rangers soon
Grey Mule has
came to town.
operated as a
As the gavel fell
book store, law
to bring court
office, home,
into session on
gift shop and
November 21,
Mexican food
1894, Royal
restaurant.
found himself
A.J. Royal
on the court
Photo courtesy of Annie Riggs Memorial Museum
had been at
docket,
the
Construction of the hotel on the frontier.
odds with local
plaintiff in five
officials and businessmen, including
cases and under indictment in three.
Judge O.W. Williams, local entrepre-
When court recessed that afternoon,
neur Francis Rooney and Herman
Royal made his way toward his office.
Koehler, owner of the Koehler Store,
He sat down at his desk and began
almost as soon as he arrived in Fort
cleaning out his personal effects.
Stockton. Elected as sheriff in 1892, he
Moments later someone crept toward
was voted out of office after only serv-
his office, stuck a shotgun through the
ing a short time. Numerous complaints
door, yelled out “ROYAL!” and
rolled in on Royal's mistreatment of
squeezed the trigger. Shot from behind,
local citizens and farm laborers. In one
the ex-sheriff was killed instantly. A.J.
instance he killed a Mexican tenant
Royal had been assassinated.
No charges were ever filed in the
murder and no one knew who pulled
the trigger. Speculation ran wild fol-
lowing the murder, with some claiming
that the Rangers, Judge Williams, the
Rooney boys and even outsiders were
involved. To this day the murder is still
unsolved. The desk that Royal was sit-
ting at when he was killed is housed in
the Annie Riggs Museum. In the top
right drawer the remnants of that fate-
ful day remain.
Mrs. Riggs operated the hotel until
her death in 1931. During the great
depression the rooms were opened up
to allow families to come stay. In 1955,
under the direction of Dr. and Mrs.
D.J. Sibley, the Fort Stockton
Historical Society converted the hotel
into the Annie Riggs Memorial
Museum. Upon entry, visitors step
back in time. The parlor, dining room
and kitchen look much like they did at
the turn of the 20th century. Many of
the artifacts in these rooms are native to
the hotel and all artifacts are original to
the region and period.
The hotel rooms house different
exhibits, each one relating to the town’s
past. The Pioneer Room, furnished by
Fort Stockton's Pioneer Club, houses
local turn-of-the-century artifacts. The
Archaeology Room contains fossil
remains dating back millions of years,
as well as projectile points and arrow-
heads, geological core samples and a
22,000-year-old mammoth tusk. The
Hotel Room is set up much like what
the actual hotel room looked like, the
bed being one ordered by Mrs. Riggs
from Sears and Roebuck in 1902. The
Cowboy Room is home to saddles,
boots and ranching equipment of our
past. The Hispanic Heritage Room
and Religious Room round out the
exhibits.
The Annie Riggs Memorial
Museum is open six days a week,
Monday through Saturday from 9:00
a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Admission is $3.00 a
person or $2.50 for seniors. Located at
301 S. Main, the Museum sits adjacent
to the county courthouse and the Grey
Mule Saloon in downtown Historic
Fort Stockton.
Cenizo
Third Quarter 2013
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