The Whiskey Bend Business: a free Western logic-grid puzzle

They're still arguing about what happened near Whiskey Bend. The facts, such as they are, are written here. Work it through, and mind the ledger.

This free Rookie logic-grid puzzle has 4 suspects, 4 locations, and 4 pieces of evidence. New to logic grids? Start with the pencil-solving guide.

How to mark the grid

●: These two belong together.
✕: These two are ruled out.
blank: Still undecided.

How to play

Click, tap or press Enter on a cell to cycle it: blank, then ● for a confirmed pairing, then ✕ for one you have ruled out. Nothing fills itself in — the deductions are yours to make. Use the arrow keys to move around the grid.

Fill obvious Xs does the bookkeeping only: for each ● you have marked, it crosses off the rest of that pairing's own row and column. It never adds a ●, never reads a clue, and never changes a mark you made.

On a narrow screen the grid scrolls sideways.

Every case has exactly one solution, and it is always reachable by deduction alone. Nothing here guesses for you, and Check will not tell you which mark is wrong.

Clues and evidence

Two witnesses put Ironjaw Hobbs at Whiskey Bend.
The deputy struck the busted pocket watch off Ironjaw Hobbs's account.
Nobody could connect Old Man Ferris to the chewed cigar stub.
Nobody could connect Preacher Dawes to the bloodstained bandana.
You can rule out the chewed cigar stub for Preacher Dawes.
Preacher Dawes was nowhere near Broken Wheel Trail.
Preacher Dawes kept well clear of Dry Gulch.
Old Man Ferris was never once placed at Broken Wheel Trail.
It wasn't Preacher Dawes who turned up with the busted pocket watch.
Old Man Ferris wasn't carrying the busted pocket watch.

The grid

On a narrow screen the grid scrolls sideways.

Your marks, completions and streak are saved in this browser only. There is no account, and clearing your browser data clears that local progress. If you accept analytics, the site sends anonymous puzzle-usage events; it never sends your grid marks, clues or solution.

If you want a hundred more

Five volumes, printed and portable

Each Frontier Logic volume collects 100 western mystery logic-grid puzzles, every one with exactly one solution and a complete answer key. Every volume stands alone, in standard and large print.