History of the Western District Court

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: Fort Smith, Sebastian, Arkansas, United States

Contents 1 United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas 1.1 First Court Established in Van Buren, Crawford County, Arkansas 1.2 Western District Court of Arkansas in Fort Smith, Sebastian County, Arkansas 2 Judges and their Legacy 2.1 Judge William Story 2.2 Judge Isaac Charles Parker 2.3 Judge John Henry Rogers 3 Lawmen of Old Fort Smith 3.1 United State Marshals 3.2 Deputy Marshals 3.3 United States Jailers and Guards 4 Executions at Fort Smith 4.1 Chief Executioner 5 Sources

United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas

United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas

The United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas is the federal trial court of record for thirty-four counties in western, south-central, and north-central Arkansas. With headquarters in Fort Smith (Sebastian County) and branches in Fayetteville (Washington County), Harrison (Boone County), Texarkana (Miller County), Hot Springs (Garland County), and El Dorado (Union County),

First Court Established in Van Buren, Crawford County, Arkansas

The new court at Van Buren was held in the Sebastian County circuit court room with Judge Daniel Ringo. Established by an act of March 3, 1851, the court had jurisdiction in both Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas. George W. Knox was Marshall and Jesse Turner district attorney. All were appointees of President Millard Filmore. Alexander McLain was the first district clerk. The earliest record of the court now preserved is dated December 1, 1855 in a Forfeiture on Bond case in United States vs. William England.

The Van Buren era of the court was a small institution compared to what the court became after it moved to Fort Smith. However, it did a large business dealing with the traffic of liquor in the Indian Territory and handling many larceny cases. It also tried and sentenced nine men to hang for murder. Not to mention it operated in the Civil War, where the court building was burned to the ground, destroying most records. Of the nine men sentenced to death at Van Buren, only six were executed. One had his sentence commuted to life in prison. Another was commuted to fifteen years in prison, and later pardoned. The last one John Childers escaped and would later be recaptured and resentenced to death in Fort Smith.

Western District Court of Arkansas in Fort Smith, Sebastian County, Arkansas

Old U.S. Jail and Courthouse Fort Smith, Ark.

In the winter of 1871, Congressman Thomas Boles introduced a draft proposal to separate the Eastern and Western District Court and locate the Western District in Fort Smith, Arkansas. The bill was approved on March 3, 1871, although by the time it was finished, it hardly resembled the original bill. In the past form of the bill, it required two terms of the Western District Court to be held in Helena, Phillips County, Arkansas, more than three hundred miles from Van Buren. It was at the time considered the worst act of gerrymandering. Arkansas at the time was under "carpet bag" rule, and Aleck McDonald favored the court being in western Arkansas and his new prospective son-in-law William Story, the next judge.

Judges and their Legacy

Judge William Story

William Story

Judge William Story Sr was the first judge to preside over the federal court. Appointed by President Ulyssess S. Grant on May 8, 1871 to the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas.

Until 1896, the jurisdiction of this court encompassed all or parts of Indian Territory (present day Oklahoma), home to the Cherokees, Chickasaws, Choctaws, Creeks and Seminoles, tribes. It was the only court with jursdiction over the Indian Territory. Judge Story has the emphasis legacy of sentencing the first person to hang at the gallows in Fort Smith. During his brief tenure, at least six men were hung there.

He resigned on June 17, 1874 after an scathing investigation report released by Congress over his handling of expenditures and allowing murders bail awaiting sentencing. Judge Henry Clay Caldwell served as interim federal judge until May 1875.

Judge Isaac Charles Parker

Judge Isaac C. Parker

For the next twenty-one years, Judge Isaac Charles Parker held the bench of the U.S. court for the Western District of Arkansas. Parker became known as the "Hanging Judge" of the American Old West, but this name did not come about until years after his death.

There are many myths about his legacy and his brand of justice. He did not issue death sentences by saying "Hang by the neck 'til your dead", as popularized in so many movies and stories of the old west. Judge Parker said, "I never hung a man. It is the law." He did sentence more people to be executed than any other federal judge, but he had no choice in the matter. During this time period, if you were convicted of murder, rape, treason or obstruction of an execution, the automatic sentence was death.

He also served in a time when the Indian Territory became a lawless enclave for any outlaw fleeing local jurisdictions. He said, "cruel they have said I am, but they forget the utterly hardened character of the men I dealt with." It was not just non-Indians who suffered from outlaws, but also the Native American people relocated to the territory.

In fact, the sensationalism over his sentence for execution really overshadows his legacy. During his reign, there were nearly 14,000 criminal cases, from which there were 9,000 convictions. Of the capital cases, there were 348 persons tried for capital offenses, and only 152 were convicted. Of these, only eighty-nine were actually executed. Four died in jail before the fatal day, two were pardoned, one was shot while trying to escape. The sentence of others was commuted, and served various prison sentences.

It was he who often said to the grand jury, "Permit no innocent man to be punished, but let no guilty man escape." His motto was "I have ever had the single aim of justice in view...Do equal and exact justice"

Judge John Henry Rogers

Judge John Henry Rogers

Judge John Henry Rogers succeeded Judge Isaac Charles Parker as United States District Judge for the Western District of Arkansas. President Cleveland appointed him on November 1896 upon Judge Parker's death. Before his appointment to the Western District Court, he had previously served in Congress from 1882-1891. Prior to this, he was the Judge of the Twelveth Judicial Circuit.

He was the son of a planter, John Henry Rogers, and was born on October 9, 1845, at the family homestead near Roxobel, Bertie County, North Carolina. He attended local schools nearby until 1852, when his father moved the family to a cotton plantation near Madison County, Mississippi. He continued his schooling there until the Civil War began and all schools were suspended. During this time, around the age of 15, he trained in military tactics. Later in the fall of 1861 and 1862, he was a member of the home guard. On March 10, 1862, at the age of 16 years, he musted into the Confederate service at Canton, Mississippi in the 9th Regiment, Mississippi Volunteers, Company H. He served in the regiment as a private until the end of the war.

During his time in the war, he participated in the following battles: the Battle of Munfordville in Green River, Kentucky, the Battle of Murfreesboro, Store River, Tennessee where he was injured, the Battle of Chickamauga, Georgia, Mission Riged in Chattanooga, the Battle of Resacca, Georgia, New Hope Church in Georgia, the Battle of the siege of Altanta, the Battle of Jonesboro, Georgia where he was wounded again, and the Battle of Franklin, Tennessee and Nashville.

After the war, he continued his law education, where he graduated at the University of Mississippi in 1868. He was admitted to the bar that same year and taught school for awhile until in 1869 he moved to Fort Smith, Arkansas.

He served as Judge for the U.S. Western District Court in Fort Smith until his death on April 17, 1911. He died in Little Rock while presiding there for Judge Trieber.

Lawmen of Old Fort Smith

Lawmen of the western frontier had one of the most difficult jobs. Bordering on the edge of civilaztion in many accounts they had the job to pursue the most ruthless criminals of the west. Gunslingers and desperados, that would do anything it took to evade the law. Some of them lost their life in an effort to bring law and order to the frontier town. The danger did not end after he was captured, guarding and prosecuting them was dangerous as well. Prisoners watching and waiting for any sign of weakness to gain thier freedom.

Reunion of Fort Smith U.S. Deputy Marshals -- Fort Smith, Arkansas

United State Marshals

The United States Marshals history has its roots in the Judiciary Act of 1789. The act created the federal court system and the office of the United States Marshal. A marshal was appointed for each of the federal districts. Marshals were empowered to carry out all the lawful orders issued by judges, Congress or the president.

U.S. Marshals appointed deputies to help enforce their duties, hired bailiffs, criers, and maintenance staff to care for the courts and buildings. They performed more of the administrative work of the office, rather than leading posses or hunting down outlaws. They would go on scouts into the Indian Territory, sometimes taking a wagon fitted as a holding cell to transport prisoners back to Fort Smith.

Their principal function was to enforce the orders and decisions of the federal courts. They served subpoenas, summonses, writs and warrants, and any other duty as directed by the judges. They made arrests, managed the confinement of prisoners, distributed money, paid the fees and expenses of jurors, witnesses and fed prisoners.

In Fort Smith, after the creation of the Western District, marshals had jurisdiction over 13 Arkansas counties and all the Indian Territory (now Oklahoma).

United States Marshals for the Western District Court Name Date of Appointment Comments Elias Rector Mar 2, 1831 Arkansas Territory and District of Arkansas Thomas W. Newton 20 Apr 1841 District of Arkansas Henry M. Rector 8 May 1843 District of Arkansas Luther Chase 25 Apr 1850 District of Arkansas George Knox 12 Mar 1851 Western District Samuel M. Hays 16 Jun 1853 Western District Benjamin Jones Jacoway 19 Mar 1857 Western District James Madison Brown Sr 24 Jan 1861 Western District Luther C White 3 Mar 1865 Western District Joseph S. C. Rowland 19 Aug 1868 Western District William A. Britton 16 Apr 1869 Western District Logan H Roots 31 Mar 1871 Western District Benjamin Jones Jacoway 19 Mar 1857 Western District John N. Sarber 18 Mar 1873 Western District James Fleming Fagan 2 Jul 1874 Western District James S. Fagan 10 Feb 1875 Western District Daniel Phillips Upham 11 Jul 1876 Western District Valentine Dell 15 Jun 1880 Western District Thomas Boles Sr 20 Feb 1882 Western District John T. Carroll 21 May 1886 Western District Jacob Conrad Yoes 27 Jan 1890 Western District George James Crump Sr 29 May 1893 Western District Solomon Fredrick Stahl 1 Jun 1897 Western District John Frank Mayes 6 Mar 1906 Western District John Hobson Parker 22 Jun 1914 Western District George Washington Scott 29 May 1820 First Marshal of the Arkansas Territory Andrew Jackson Russell 18 Sep 1922 Western District Cooper Hudspeth 5 Mar 1928 Western District George H. Johnson 1 Mar 1928 Arkansas Territory John Clark Riley Sr 4 Mar 1936 Western District Henry Clay Armstrong Jr 29 Apr 1940 Western District Regar Jones Floyd 15 May 1945 Western District Louis C. Geren 23 May 1953 Western District Jay Neal 21 Aug 1954 Western District Dan M. Douglas 4 Apr 1962 Western District Mack Burton 1 Feb 1978 Western District Matterson C. Pelly

Deputy Marshals

When we think of the old west, we probably think of lawmen hunting down outlaws. The United States Deputy Marshals were those men. They were the ones upholding the law in remote, sparsely populated territories. Without these brave men, the courts would have been useless.

They enforced the laws in the gunfighter era who worked to tame the west for little pay or recognition. Unlike United States Marshals, who were paid a salary, deputy marshals received no regular wages. They got about $2 pay for each prisoner they delivered to court, and the court would pay transporting cost. Usually a cook, chuck wagon or prison wagon, and the cost for extra mules or horses. If the outlaw had a bounty, they might collect the reward. Because of the hard life, very few lawmen spent much time wearing a badge. Over the years, there have been thousands of United States Deputy Marshals. Below is a list of those who fought to tame the last American frontier town, Fort Smith, Arkansas.

The Posse the Captured Ned Christie Studio photograph of men with rifles. In the front are Dave Rusk, Heck Bruner, Paden Colbert (Tolbert), Charles E. Copeland, and Captain Gideon S. White. Those standing in back are Wes Bauman, Abe Allen, John Tolbit, Bill Smith and Tom Johnson.

United States Deputy Marshals for the Western District Court

United States Jailers and Guards

While we think of the dangers lawmen faced in capturing outlaws. The danger did not end there. Once they were detained, they had to be held for trial and guarded to prevent their escape. United States jailers oversaw the guards who ensured prisoners were held until trial. This could be just as a dangerous job as hunting them down, as many of the them cut throat murderers would do anything to escape the confinement.

When the district court was moved from Van Buren to Fort Smith, Arkansas. The basement of the barracks was adapted for a jail. A solid masonry wall divided the basement into two large rooms, approximately twenty-nine feet by fifty-five feet each. There were no individual cells, leaving prisoners free to mingle in a large space. The ceiling rose only seven feet above the floor. Each room had a grated window, four in front and back walls, but the back was underneath the veranda porches, so it allowed little light or ventilation. This dark basement became known as the dungeon or black hole.

Sherif Britton estimated the facility could hold about 150 prisoners, but it never held this many. Mostly, it fluctuated between forty-five and eight-five prisoners. Men were placed in the same holding area regardless of age, race or crime. Meaning that murderers, rapists sat next to whiskey smugglers and counterfeiters. First time delinquents shared jail with those who had been in jail multiple times. Many worried that instead of correcting the problem of crime, they added to it by mingling minor offenses with hardcore murderers. Attorney Benjamin Brewster said it was "manifestly unjust and cruel to confine detained witnesses and boys charged with minor and first offenses in the same room with murderers and outlaws." Escape attempts were made, and jailers lost their lives.

The inmates' living conditions further complicate. Guards set urinal tubs in unused fireplaces in the hope that the flues would carry the order out of the building, but this had little effect. The offal order and stench from the basement were present in the courtroom above on the first floor. A single sink was in each room for cleansing, but the jail staff did not allow baths. Prisoners were forced to wear the same closes with weeks without a bath. Prisoners slept on the rough flagstone floor, and the dampness caused their blankets to become soaked and moldy. Despite the frequent use of whitewash, lime and copperas, the jail remained "dirty beyond description."

Anna Dawes described the Fort Smith jail as a "piece of medieval barbarity", "a plaque spot" and a "wretched place". The Attorney General agreed, declaring it the "most miserable prison, probably, in the whole country." In 1856, Congress appropriated $50,000 for construction of "a suitable jail" at Fort Smith. By the autumn of 1887, the new 2 1/2-story brick structure was nearly completed.

Fort Smith Gallows

Jailers and Guards in Fort Smith, Arkansas 1873 to 1896 Ayers, Christopher Columbus Deputy Jailer Posse. Had three more brothers-Williard, Ben, Jacob- also involved with the marshals office. Allison Guard Armstrong, John Guard Davis, Jack D. Guard Merritt, Lewis Guard Killed in the Line of Duty Richardson, John Guard Shannon, Thomas Guard Ullery, Nathan Guard Harrison, Joe C., Sr. Guard African-American Hunter, Charles H. Guard cyclone victim Pierce, Thomas Greene U. S. Jailer Berry, John D. U.S. Jailer Pryor, Augustus U.S. Jailer Dyer, John R. Guard Posse Roberts, Walter J. U.S. Jailer Charles Burns U.S. Jailer Wiley Bailey U.S. Jailer

Executions at Fort Smith

From 1873 to 1896, the federal court executed executions on the grounds of the courthouse in Fort Smith, Arkansas. The gallows scaffolding was located against the southeast corner of the wall that surrounded the old fortress.

Eighty-six men were executed on the gallows at Fort Smith. All the men executed were convicted of rape or murder. After the Civil War, the federal government had a mandatory death sentence in rape or murder cases.

Men Executed at Fort Smith: 1873 to 1896 Name Age Date of Crime Victim(s) Execution Date Cemetery John Childers Jr 24 24 Oct 1870 Reyburn Wedding 15 Aug 1873 Potter's Field City Cemetry, Fort Smith George Tuni 38* January/February, 1873 2 white men names unknown 10 Oct 1873 Potter's Field City Cemetery, Fort Smith Young Wolf 36* January/February, 1873 2 white men names unknown 10 Oct 1873 Potter's Field City Cemetry, Fort Smith John Billy 55 November 2, 1873 Marshals Perry Duval, J.C. Wilkinson, Ed Grayson 3 Apr 1874 Potter's Field City Cemetry, Fort Smith Isaac Filmore 16 around July 15, 1873 Traveler from California 3 Apr 1874 Potter's Field City Cemetry, Fort Smith John Pointer 18 Unknown A drover name unknown 3 Apr 1874 Potter's Field City Cemetry, Fort Smith McClish Impson 19 (17 at time of crime) February 1873 a white man name unknown 15 Jan 1875 Potter's Field City Cemetry, Fort Smith James Moore 27 1874? John T. Spivey 3 Sep 1875 Family claimed Daniel Evans 20 Unknown William R. Seabolt 3 Sep 1875 Family claimed William Whittington 30 February 7, 1875 John J. Turner 3 Sep 1875 Family claimed Edmund Campbell 20 February 18, 1875 Lawson Ross & a young girl name unknown 3 Sep 1875 Family claimed Smoker Mankiller 18 September 1, 1874 William Short 3 Sep 1875 Family claimed Samuel W. Fooy 28 Late July, 1872 John E. Naff 3 Sep 1875 Family claimed William Leach 43* March 8, 1875 H. Watkins 21 Apr 1876 Unknown Gibson Ishtanubbee Unknown abt 1872-1873 Dr. Funny (man), Mason (woman) 21 Apr 1876 Oak Cemetry, Fort Smith Orpheus McGee Unknown April 20 or 22, 1875 Robert Alexander 21 Apr 1876 Oak Cemetry, Fort Smith Isham Seeley 25 (approximate) abt 1872-1873 Dr. Funny (man), Mason (woman) 21 Apr 1876 Oak Cemetry, Fort Smith Aaron Wilson Unknown 1875? James Harris, John F. Harris 21 Apr 1876 unknown Samuel Peters 28 October 1875 Charity Hanson 8 Sep 1876 Oak Cemetry, Fort Smith Osey Sanders 35* August 6, 1875 Thomas Carlisle 8 Sep 1876 Unknown John Valley 27 Winter, 1873 Eli Hacket 8 Sep 1876 Oak Cemetry, Fort Smith Sinker Wilson 25 1867 (convited & escaped) - captured April 1876 Datus Cowan 8 Sep 1876 Oak Cemetry, Fort Smith John Postoak 25 October 1877 John Ingley, Mrs. Ingley 20 Dec 1878 Unknown James Diggs 23 Summer, 1873 J.C. Gould 20 Dec 1878 Unknown Dr. Henri Stewart 31 May, 1897 Dr. J.B. Jones 29 Aug 1879 Oak Cemetry, Fort Smith William Elliot, alias Colorado Bill Wiley 31 February 1879 David Brown 29 Aug 1879 Unknown William Brown 25 August 1880 Ralph C. Tate 9 Sep 1881 Family claimed Patrick McGowen 35 Fall, 1880 Sam Latta 9 Sep 1881 Catholic Cemetery George W. Padgett 23 July 26, 1880 Mr. Stevens 9 Sep 1881 Family claimed Amos Manley 18* December 1880 Eli McVay 9 Sep 1881 Family claimed Abler Manley 19* December 1880 Eli McVay 9 Sep 1881 Family claimed Edward Fulsom 22* August 12, 1881 William Massingill, George Stewart 30 Jun 1882 Family claimed Robert Massey 30* abt December 1, 1881 Edmond P. Clark 13 Apr 1883 Oak Cemetry, Fort Smith Martin Joseph 30* April 1882 Bud Stephens, Mrs. Stephens 28 Jun 1883 Unknown Te-o-lit-se 25* July 6, 1881 Emanuel C. Cochrane 29 Jun 1883 Unknown William Finch 29 July 1882 Sgt. Johnson, Pvt. Grimky 29 Jun 1883 Georgia Thomas Thompson 31 September 20, 1883 James O'Holerand 11 Jul 1884 military Reservation/ Unknown John Davis 18* June 27, 1883 William Bullock 11 Jul 1884 military Reservation/ Unknown Jack Womankiller Unknown May 7, 1883 Nathaniel Hyatt 11 Jul 1884 military Reservation/ Unknown William Phillips Unknown September 8, 1884 William Hill 17 Apr 1885 Oazrk William Parchmeal Unknown November 25, 1872 Henry Feigel 26 Jun 1885 Oak Cemetry, Fort Smith James Arcine 33 (21 at time of crime) November 25, 1872 Henry Feigel 26 Jun 1885 Oak Cemetry, Fort Smith Joseph Jackson Unknown March 9, 1885 Mary Jackson 23 Apr 1886 Oak Cemetry, Fort Smith James Wasson 30* November 1881 Henry Martin 23 Apr 1886 Oak Cemetry, Fort Smith Calvin James Unknown late July 1885 Tony Love 23 Jul 1886 Oak Cemetry, Fort Smith Lincoln Sprole Unknown May 1885 Ben Clark, Alexander Clark 23 Jul 1886 Catholic Cemetery Kit Ross 25 (approximate) December 20, 1885 Jonathan Davis 6 Aug 1886 Unknown John Stephens 28 May 28, 1886 Anna Kerr, Louis Winter, Dr. James T. Pyle 14 Jan 1887 Unknown John T. Echols 35 February 1886 John Pettenridge 14 Jan 1887 Unknown James Lamb 23 December 26, 1885 Edward Pollard 14 Jan 1887 Oak Cemetry, Fort Smith Albert O’Dell 26 December 26, 1885 Edward Pollard 14 Jan 1887 Unknown Seaborn Kalijah, alias Seaborn Green 18 * January 17, 1887 Mark Kuykendall, Henry Smith, William Kelley 7 Oct 1887 Catholic Cemetery Silas Hampton 18 * December 9, 1886 Abner M. Lloyd 7 Oct 1887 Oak Cemetry, Fort Smith Patrick McCarty 32 February 1886 John Mahoney, Tom Mahoney 8 Apr 1887 Catholic Cemetery Owen Hill Unknown June 26, 1887 Vinna Anderson 27 Apr 1888 Oak Cemetry, Fort Smith Jackson Crow Unknown August 7, 1884 Charles B. Wilson 27 Apr 1888 Oak Cemetry, Fort Smith George Moss Unknown November 26, 1886 George Taff 27 Apr 1888 Oak Cemetry, Fort Smith Gus Bogle Unknown June 28, 1887 William D. Morgan 6 Jul 1888 Oak Cemetry, Fort Smith Richard Smith Unknown March 28, 1888 Thomas Pringle 25 Jan 1889 Unknown Malachi Allen Unknown July 1, 1888 Shadrack Peters, Cy Love 19 Apr 1889 Oak Cemetry, Fort Smith James Mills Unknown December 9, 1887 John Windom 19 Apr 1889 Unknown Jack Spaniard 30 * April 12/13, 1886 William Erwin 30 Aug 1889 Webbers Falls, Ok William Walker Unknown Early December, 1887 Calvin Church 30 Aug 1889 Oak Cemetry, Fort Smith Harris Austin Unknown May 25, 1883 Thomas Elliott 16 Jan 1890 Oak Cemetry, Fort Smith John Billy Unknown April 13, 1888 W.P. Williams 16 Jan 1890 Oak Cemetry, Fort Smith Jimmon Burris Unknown 1889? Houston Joyce 16 Jan 1890 Unknown Sam Goin Unknown 1889? Houston Joyce 16 Jan 1890 Unknown Jefferson Jones Unknown March 14, 1889 Henry Wilson 16 Jan 1890 Oak Cemetry, Fort Smith Thomas Willis Unknown April 13, 1888 W.P. Williams 16 Jan 1890 Unknown George Tobler Unknown April 29, 1889 Irwin Richardson 30 Jan 1890 Potter's Field City Cemetery, Fort Smith, Arkansas John Stansberry 27 * October 13, 1889 Mollie Stansberry 9 Jul 1890 Oak Cemetry, Fort Smith Boudinot Burrows 22 November 3, 1889 Samson Morgan 30 Jun 1891 Bragg, Ok Sheppard Busby 58 August 9, 1891 Barney Connelly 27 Apr 1892 Oak Cemetry, Fort Smith John E. Thorton 65 November 11, 1891 Laura (Thornton) Moynier 28 Jun 1892 Potter's Field City Cemetery, Fort Smith, Arkansas. Lewis Hugh Holder 43 Late January, 1892 George Bickford 25 Jul 1894 Potter's Field City Cemetery, Fort Smith, Arkansas John Coleman Poynter 22 Late December, 1891 Ed Vandevere, William Bolding 20 Sep 1894 IOOF Cemetery in Eureka Springs, Arkansas Crawford Goldsby, aka Cherokee Bill) 20 (18 at time of crime) November 9, 1894 (murder, Melton), July 26, 1895 (murder, Keating) Ernest E. Melton, Lawrence Keating 17 Mar 1896 Fort Gibson, OK George Pierce 38 January 15, 1895 William Vandevere 30 Apr 1896 Family Cemetery Mountain Grove, Missouri John R. Pierce 29 January 15, 1895 William Vandevere 30 Apr 1896 Family Cemetery in Mountain Grove, Missouri Webber Isaacs 23 * Late August, 1894 Michael P. Cushing 30 Apr 1896 Potter's Field City Cemtery in Fort Smith Rufus Buck 18* July 30, 1895 (murder), August 1, 1895 (rape) John Garrett (murdered), Rosetta Hasson (raped) 1 Jul 1896 Fort Gibson, OK Namoi July Unknown August 1, 1895 Rosetta Hasson 1 Jul 1896 Catholic Cemetery Sam Sampson Unknown August 1, 1895 Rosetta Hasson 1 Jul 1896 Wagner, OK Bus Davis Unknown July 30, 1895 (murder), August 1, 1895 (rape) John Garrett (murdered), Rosetta Hasson (raped) 1 Jul 1896 Catholic Cemetery Bus "Lucky" Lewis Unknown July 30, 1895 (murder), August 1, 1895 (rape) John Garrett (murdered), Rosetta Hasson (raped) 1 Jul 1896 Wewoka, OK James Calvin Casharago aka George Wilson 26 Early May, 1895 Zachariah Thatch 30 Jul 1896 Greenbrier Cemetery, Faulkner county Arkansas.

Chief Executioner

George Maledon, known as "Prince of the Hangman"

While Judge Isaac Parker was known as the "Hanging Judge", there was another name synonymous with this title, the "Prince of the Hangmen", George Isaac Maledon. He earned this moniker while serving as the chief executioner for Judge Isaac Parker.

Born in Germany on June 10, 1830, he emigrated to the United States with his parents around 1831. Upon their arrival, they settled in Detroit, Michigan, when he was still a child. After he grew up, he headed westward to Fort Smith, Arkansas. Upon his arrival, he worked as a Fort Smith police officer. When the Civil War broke out, he enlisted in the Arkansas Light Artillery, serving in the 1st Battalion.

After the war, he returned to Fort Smith, where he worked as a deputy sheriff, before being hired as a turnkey (a person in charge of the keys) at the federal jail. Sometime around May 1871, he was appointed "special deputy" where he was in charge of execution.

He served as chief executioner for the next twenty-one years. He executed more than sixty prisoners during this time and shot five trying to escape, two of them were killed. The newspaper of the time, "Fort Smith Elevator", was only too happy to print every morbid detail of the executions for entertainment for their readers, earning him the title of "Prince of the Hangmen".

On September 3, 1875, he executed six men simultaneously on the gallows. The largest group ever executed at once. It was reported that more than 5,000 people gathered to watch as the newspaper publicized the event weeks before the execution.

Despite his title, there was an occasion when George Maledon refused to carry out an execution. This was the death sentence for Sheppard Busby, a United States Deputy Marshal, who had been convicted of killing another marshal named Barney Conneley, when he tried to arrest Busby for adultery.

In 1894, he stopped working for the federal court and began traveling the area with a tent display showing gallows relics, including nooses and photographs of men who died in the gallows.

Sources

• United States Marshal Service, (n.d.). "List of U.S. Marshals Western District Court of Arkansas." Accessed 18 Nov 2023.