Polly Pry

Mrs. Leonel Campbell Ross O'Bryan (1857-1938), under the pen name Polly Pry, was a controversial reporter for the Denver Post and later as a freelancer in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. She is best remembered for her connection to the case of Alferd Packer as an investigative reporter.[1][2]

Polly Pry
Born
Leonel Campbell Ross O'Bryan

1857
Died1938 (aged 80–81)
NationalityAmerican
OccupationReporter
Known forConnection to the case of Alferd Packer

After the trial, she was present during a confrontation between the attorney for Packer, hired by the owners of the Post. They learned that the attorney had taken a double payment, demanding he return the money. During the confrontation, the attorney, W.W. "Plughat" Anderson pulled a gun and shot both of the men; as he prepared to shoot again she jumped in front H.H. Tammen, trying to shield him. Anderson, threatened to shoot her if she didn't move, however she stalled him long enough for the police to arrive, and used her skirt to stop the bleeding. Later, rumors began circulating that her skirts saved her publishers' lives by slowing down bullets from the gun.[1]

When union workers boycotted the Post for her stance on labor issues and immigration, she founded her own paper, Polly Pry. This brought further attacks from gunmen on her, this time in her home rather than her workplace.[3]

She was a strong advocate of free speech, and came to the aid of French war orphans during World War I.

Two film versions of the Alferd Packer story have included Polly Pry. In Jim Roberson's The Legend of Alfred Packer (1980), she was portrayed by Cynthia Nessin. The incident with Anderson (who was not named, and called "Gunman" in the credits) was included, but after she begins telling Packer's story, she does not appear again in the film, involved or otherwise, and the shooting is not mentioned again. She is depicted as a hard-drinking and forceful person. Trey Parker's Cannibal! The Musical featured Toddy Walters in the role, which went more deeply into her involvement with the case, though ignored the fact that she was married in order to make her a love interest for Packer.[4][5]

References
  1. "Polly Pry (1857 - 1938)". Denver Public Library History. 2016-06-19. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
  2. "Our first female reporter helped get a cannibal pardoned and broke up a newsroom gunfight in the aftermath". The Denver Post. 2017-10-15. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
  3. "Los Angeles Herald 11 January 1904 — California Digital Newspaper Collection". cdnc.ucr.edu. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
  4. The Legend of Alfred Packer (1980) - IMDb, retrieved 2020-11-09
  5. "The Legend of Alfred Packer VAC Basement Auditorium (1B20) Thu April 19, 2012, 9:00 only - International Film Series". International Film Series at CU-Boulder. Retrieved 2020-11-09.


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