In the vast and often lawless expanse of the Wyoming Territory, the summer of 1877 was a time of peril, particularly along the bustling Cheyenne-Deadwood Stage Trail. It was here, at a place called Six Mile Station near present-day Chugwater, that the life of 46-year-old Adolph Cuny, a White male, was tragically cut short on Sunday, July 22, 1877. Cuny, a rancher who also served as an Indian interpreter, had been a respected figure in the Fort Laramie area, even owning a general store and the
Three Mile Hog Ranch. His fateful involvement in the pursuit of justice began when he was deputized by Laramie County Sheriff T. Jeff Carr to assist in the apprehension of suspected road agents.
The targets of this law enforcement action were two men known as "Dunk" Blackburn and Billy Webster, who were sought in connection with the robbery and murder of a stagecoach driver. Deputy Sheriff C.B. Hays, leading the effort, enlisted the help of Cuny and another man named Sprague. The small posse located the suspects at the Six Mile Ranch house. In a swift move, they surprised and arrested some of the individuals inside. While Deputy Hays went outside to search for other accomplices he believed to be in the vicinity, Cuny was left to guard the captured men. It was during this tense watch that one of the suspects attempted to grab two nearby revolvers. Cuny held him at gunpoint, maintaining control of the volatile situation.
The fragile peace was shattered in an instant. An associate of the suspects, who had been concealed in an adjacent room, suddenly opened the door and fired a shot. The bullet struck Adolph Cuny in the side, inflicting a mortal wound. In the ensuing chaos, the suspects, including the man identified as Cuny's killer, Billy Webster, managed to escape. Deputy Hays, alerted by the sound of gunfire, rushed back to the ranch house only to find Deputy Cuny dead, having been shot through the body. The tragic event left his wife, Josephine, and their eight children to mourn his sudden and violent death.
Although the suspects initially fled, their freedom was short-lived. They were later apprehended by law enforcement. Following his capture, one of the men involved in the deadly encounter at Six Mile Station was ultimately convicted of manslaughter for the killing of Deputy Adolph Cuny, a man who had bravely stepped up to uphold the law in a wild and untamed territory.
