Date of Death: 29 Sep 1880
Subject: Royal Riggin
Source: The Sedalia [MO] Weekly, 19 Oct 1880, p. 3
A young lady residing near Filmore [sic] Andrew county, daughter of Joe Van Berry, a wealthy farmer, was engaged to be married to a young man who emigrated to Colorado. During his absence she was wooed by another party whose name was Royal Riggin. After some months of courtship she consented to become his wife. Everything moved smoothly until one week previous to the time set for the wedding when Miss Berry learned that lover number one had returned from the gold fields and was then in Filmore. Then she informed Riggin that she would not marry him so long as there was another chance to get his rival. This so disheartened him that he resolved to go to California. He took a thousand dollars with him stating that he intended to engage in the cattle business. It was known that he was somewhat depressed in spirit, but his friends thought when he left home he would forget the affair and cheer up, but such was not the case. From what we can learn he appeared to be restless on the cars, frequently looking at his watch to note the time, and a few moments before 5 o'clock he borrowed a revolver from an emigrant who was on the train, went into the water closet, locked the door, placed the muzzle of the pistol between his eyes and fired. The passengers hearing the report inside, opened the door and found poor Royal Riggin dead.
Source: Hopkins Journal, 1881
Last week Sheriff Lincoln, of Andrew county, at the instance of the friends and relatives of the late Royal Riggin, went to the grave of the deceased at Fillmore, accompanied by a number of well-known citizens of Andrew county, and disinterred the body. The remains were in a good state of preservation and were readily identified by those present. This will, of course, set at rest the report that the coffin contained nothing but sand. The grave had not been disturbed since the funeral.