Murder in Deadwood - Brief Character Descriptions
“One crime has to be concealed by another. ”
― Lucius Annaeus Seneca
Anvil Armstrong is the livery stable’s swarthy blacksmith. Some say he is sweet on Kitty Butane and always welcomes the chance to shoe her horses.
Betsy Field is wife to Deputy Chester. Betsy is a good source of information for the deputy as she hears a lot of interesting gossip owning the general store in town.
Bill Nickels is owner of Deadwood’s only bank. Nickels is an astute financial wizard who believes that his self-worth is measured in money, and since he pays himself a considerable sum, he thinks of himself as a very fine fellow. Bill is often missing from the bank for periods of time in the afternoons and no one knows where he goes.
Billy Cartwright is an itinerant preacher and traveling salesman who is passing through Deadwood just in time to perform the nuptials for Penelope Marrimore and Mayor William Suave.
Calamity Butane is a wealthy woman who owns the Gold Dust Saloon. Rumor has it that she made it rich in oil while living in Texas.
Camille Beaumont is the sultry French singer at the Gold Dust Saloon. Rumor has it that Camille came to Deadwood to escape a bad situation back in Louisiana.
Chance Wilder is a card shark who is apparently in town for Deadwood’s annual poker tournament. Some say that Wilder also has his eye on the sultry Camille Beaumont, entertainer at the Gold Dust.
Deputy Chester Field is Sheriff Hurt’s sidekick. He is able to get the skinny on a lot of information that is less accessible to the Sheriff and therefore he is invaluable to him. Chester is married to Betsy, who owns the Deadwood General Store.
Doc Havaday is the town’s most prominent doctor. However Doc has a secret that he tries not to reveal.
Freda Love is Deadwood’s only school teacher. She moved to town in order to work in the schoolhouse that was recently built with the help of Mayor Suave. Freda is eternally grateful to the mayor for helping with this venture.
Hezekiah Smooth is owner of the largest ranch in these parts. Much of the property in and around Deadwood is owned by Smooth, who incidentally is incensed that the Western Railroad is going to be cutting through his property.
Jedidiah Smith is a fur trapper that travels through Deadwood from time to time. He usually spends the night at the Gold Dust Saloon. Some say that Jed once had a relationship with Calamity Butane back in Texas in the early days before she struck oil.
Jessica James is the attractive former girlfriend of Rusty Sparks and also the daughter of a famous outlaw. Jessica swears to never follow in her father’s footsteps, but some are suspicious that she was recently involved in a bank heist.
Kitty “Wildcat” Butane is Calamity Butane’s feisty daughter who was born in the frontier in Texas. Calamity named her Kitty after the wildcat oil well that she hoped would bring her riches. Nobody really knows who Kitty’s father is, although some say it is the fur trader, Jedidiah Smith. Kitty is not about to be tied down by anyone, even though blacksmith, Anvil Armstrong, would love a chance at taming her.
Marilyn Montane is a smolderingly good-looking actress who came to Deadwood from Tombstone, Arizona, while touring with a theater group. She stuck around Deadwood long enough to get engaged to Doc Havaday, but when Wyatt Hurt showed up, her interest in Doc went cold, and she and Hurt reportedly fell in love. Marilyn claims that until her dying day Wyatt Hurt will be her only true love.
Marvin Marrimore Jr. is the disgruntled and estranged son of recently deceased father Marvin Marrimore Senior. Marvin Jr. vows to get his inheritance back from that fortune hunter, Penelope.
Mayor William Suave is the handsome mayor of Deadwood and is running for re-election shortly. Suave is set to marry the eminent dowager, Penelope Marrimore, in the social event of the century.
Oglala Lakota is a Native American woman from the Lakota tribe and the daughter of the Lakota chief. Oglala is beautiful and exotic. She is upset that the white man has stolen her people’s land around the Black Hills and is illegally looking for gold. Sheriff Hurt is very protective of her.
Penelope Marrimore is an eminent dowager and the widow of the Western Train tycoon known as Marvin “Moneybags” Marrimore. Penelope has inherited her husband’s entire fortune and is now engaged to be married to Mayor Suave. Penelope is the new owner of Deadwood’s only hotel, the Black Hills Inn.
Penny Nickels is the wife of banker Bill Nickels. Penny is the perfect banker’s wife, a social climber who loves wealth and is willing to ignore husband’s eye for the ladies. Penny actually spied him in town one day having lunch with the outlaw’s daughter, Jessica James.
Rusty Sparks is a restless cowboy that doesn’t let his spurs get tarnished. He says that he just finished a cattle drive and is apparently looking for work...perhaps at the Smooth Ranch.
Sheriff Wyatt Hurt is a famous sheriff that has settled in Deadwood. Hurt wants to make sure Deadwood gets rid of all the dead wood in town, so to speak.
Ted Poppy is cunning, manipulative and initially appears to be the most cynically amoral of all the characters, showing no hesitation in resorting to violence and murder when it serves his business interests. Ted used to be the owner of the Lucky Lady until it was mysteriously destroyed by a fire.