Chester Cochrane was the sheriff of Wirt County (including the town of Elizabeth), in the country of Virginia. He investigated the attempted murder of Beckie Royer. While Cochrane seemed conscientious, Beckie doubted he'd find the men who shot at her. Cochrane and Beckie also exchanged words over how Virginia as a whole treated its Negroes. Beckie, a Californian, took issue with it, but Cochrane dismissed her complaints.