Park City Museum and the Friends of Ski Mountain Mining History are hosting a lecture called The John Murphy Lynching - A 139 Year Cold Case given by Sandy Brumley and Josh Grotstein on Wednesday, June 14th from 5-6 p.m. at the Education and Collections Center located at 2079 Sidewinder Drive.  More information can be found at www.parkcityhistory.org.

On Wednesday morning August 28, 1883, Matt Brennan was shot and killed in Thaynes Canyon.  On Sunday morning September 2, John Murphy was found hanging from a telegraph pole in Parley’s Park City with a cryptic note stuffed into his boot bearing the number “77,” written apparently 77 times by 77 different hands.  Between these dates, the Salt Lake City Marshal was shot by a black man and the shooter was hung within two hours.  New research will be presented about John Murphy and the events of these days.  Who killed Matt Brennan?  Why was Murphy hanged for the deed?

Sandy Brumley has a B.A. in Economics from Northwestern University and an M.B.A. in Marketing and Finance from the Columbia University Graduate School of Business.  He is a member of Friends of Ski Mountain Mining History.  Josh Grotstein has a B.A. in Comparative Literature from Brown University and an MBA from The Harvard Business School.