Description 

At first glance she appears to be a much younger woman, but on closer inspection, her brown hair has begun to grey lightly around her temples. Her hair is always tied back low on her neck in what she describes as a birds nest. She is of average height and weight, slightly on the thin side due to forgetting to eat throughout the day. Her eyes are green and her skin is fair. She does not wear any makeup to add to her appearance. She is an avid believer in the versatility of the poncho and has one on or with her at all times. It is said her love for the poncho began due to her stubbornness. She usually wears a colorful skirt, swearing never to be found in trousers.

Early Life 

Born February 14, 1869 in Chicago, Illinois. The only child of Caroline (maiden name Parker) & William Wright. Liberty was formally educated and raised to be a proper young woman. Under her mother’s watchful eye her upbringing was focused on her ultimately becoming a wife and mother. To her mother’s delight, she excelled in cooking and sewing. But much to her mother’s dismay Liberty’s father spoiled her a bit and taught her about the constellations and how to play the guitar. Liberty embraced her life calling and truly looked forward to the day that she would fulfill it.

Her marriage to James Goodnight was arraigned by her parents when she was 18. James was a banker in her father’s bank. They courted like most couples and the match was determined to be a good one. They were married in 1888, just before her 19th birthday. Their marriage was happy in spite of taking many years before they were blessed with children. In the late winter of 1897 she gave birth to a son, William James Goodnight. Then in the summer of 1898, Thomas Parker Goodnight was born to the overjoyed couple. Liberty flourished as a wife and now finally a mother.

In 1898, one week before Christmas, Liberty’s infant, Thomas, suddenly came down with a fever. He passed away quickly, before a doctor could even be called. A few months later in March of 1899, Liberty was hanging the laundry and two year-old William wandered near a horse and was kicked. He died instantly. Liberty struggled with the deaths of her boys and made every attempt to help her husband through the difficult time, but he started drinking heavily, gambling and coming home less and less. Eventually, in spite of all her efforts, he stopped coming home entirely. There was a lot of gossip in her social circle surrounding the deaths of her children and her husband’s abandonment. Liberty, feeling she had nowhere to turn, choose to leave Chicago for the West. She hoped to go all the way to San Francisco, but was swindled out of her money on the train and was forced off the train in St. Denis.

Present Life 

June - August 1899
Finding herself in New Alexandria without sufficient funds, Liberty fretted about becoming a beggar woman. Determined to not become one, she struck up a conversation with the gunsmith in Rhodes who gave her a ride to Valentine to meet Mr. Ely who ran the Saloon in Valentine. Liberty had never held a job and is sure that Mr. Ely would never have hired her if it wasn’t for Mr. Hart who had a propensity to enjoy watching figurative train wrecks. Mr. Hart quickly smoothed over Mr. Ely’s valid concern that she would be unfit to work in the saloon and she was hired on the spot. Liberty did not live up to be the complete train wreck Mr. Hart might have hoped for, but she did have a lot of difficulty in her job and most days she hated it.

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