Bessie Penn, Wrongfully Convicted of Murder

It’s the Story
  • Bessie Penn, Wrongfully Convicted of Murder
    Bessie Penn, Wrongfully Convicted of Murder
  • Frank Bruner as an old man. Credit to Bruce Pawlak on Findagrave.com.
    Frank Bruner as an old man. Credit to Bruce Pawlak on Findagrave.com.
  • Bessie Penn sitting in her rocking chair with her corn cob pipe, from Brenda Byfield Jones.
    Bessie Penn sitting in her rocking chair with her corn cob pipe, from Brenda Byfield Jones.

    Don’t you just love a good story? 

    Better yet, one set in Pawnee County. 

    Sharla Sitzman of Table Rock collects stories from yesteryear and yesterday.

    Part 2 of 2 

    Last week: Bessie Penn was a quiet elderly woman in Table Rock who died in 1969 at the age of 91. In 1924, 100 years ago, her life had not been so peaceful. She had been married to a man almost 40 years older than her. When t…