Agnus McVee is said to have operated a hotel and general store along the Cariboo Wagon Road at 108 Mile House, British Columbia, during the Cariboo Gold Rush era, specifically between 1875 and 1885.

According to oral tradition, Agnus ran the lodge with her husband Jim McVee and their son-in-law or brother-in-law, Al Riley. The lodge was supposedly a trap for unsuspecting gold miners who were traveling with cash or valuable gold dust. Some local versions of the tale claim the McVees had a criminal background and had previously operated a saloon scam in Ohio, luring and robbing men before setting up operations in British Columbia.

The legend claims that Agnus McVee and her family ran a murderous and profitable operation disguised as a roadside inn. Miners traveling through 108 Mile House during the gold rush were lured in with the promise of food and rest. Agnus would allegedly poison their whiskey or food with arsenic, kill them for their gold, and have Jim McVee or Al Riley bury their bodies nearby.

In addition to murder, Agnus was said to have kidnapped at least eight young women, who were held captive in the hotel basement. According to the story, these girls were abused until obedient and then sold to miners as "white slaves." No court transcripts, arrest warrants, or official missing persons records confirm this, though the tale continues to circulate.

The story reportedly unraveled in 1885 when a man named Jim MacDonald attempted to buy a girl from Agnus. She agreed, but Jim McVee allegedly followed the man, murdered him, and stole his money. Furious over this impulsive act, Agnus allegedly poisoned her husband. The kidnapped girl managed to escape and told the North West Mounted Police everything.

Authorities supposedly raided the inn, found Jim’s body, the 8 imprisoned girls, and arrested Agnus and Riley. They were transferred to Fort Kamloops, then to New Westminster Jail. Agnus allegedly committed suicide by ingesting poison in 1885. Al Riley was said to be hanged shortly afterward. No police records, trial documentation, death certificates, or burial logs exist to confirm the arrest or punishment of any of the accused.