Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1889-03-29
STAINED WITH CRIME.
THE UNITED STATES COURT AT
FORT SMITH, ARKANSAS.


One Of the most noted courts in
the world is the United States
Court at Fort Smith, Ark, noted
chiefly for the large number of
criminal cases that stain its dock
cts. 1t is the terror of the desper.
ADDE'S of that crime-infested cOun.
try. Its docket is never clear and
there are no vacations. Most Of
the trials are for criminal Ofienses
ranging all the way from selling
liquor to murder. There are not
less than 1900 criminals brought
before it for trial every year,
and of these 80, on al average, are
charged with murder. The punish
ments are severe. a horse thief
gets 10 years in the penitentiary
and rape and murder are punished
by death. Judge Parker, who has
presided over the court for the
past 15 years, has disposed of SAT
cases OF murder, has pronounced
the death sentence on 1852 MUIR
deIers and has witnessed the hang
ing of Il of them. This promises
to be an unusually busy year. One
murderer has already expiated his
crime on the gallows and six more
are under sentence of death, to be
executed April 10Th. FOrty-seven
are in prison awaiting trial and
deputies are out searching for 10
or 20 others. OF the six men who
are to die in April, two are white,
two negroes aud two half.breeds.-
Their crimes are ordinary murders
growing out OF drunkenness. One
of the number is a handsome and
intelligent young Chickasaw halt
breed, ian lllegitlmate son of a
noted United States army oflicer),
who received a fne education in
one Of the large Eastern colleges.
+. A. Watson, the supposed as
sassln OF Belle Starr, the female
desperate, is also confined in Jail
here and claims that be Is inno-
cent. One Of the most interesting
prisoners is Elsie James, a full
bloOded Chickasaw squRw, about
60 years old, who, with her daugh-
ter, is charged with numbering her
husband. Another is Mrs. Annie
Martin, who is charged with hav-
ing cut a mans throat, robbed him
and aud then burned his body, her
mother and sister having been ac-
comphces. She is good specimen
OF the frontier woman, tougher
than any New York bowery )oafer
ever thought of being. She is
duplicate Of Kate Bender.
Within a stone enclosure ad-
joining the jail is the gallows on
which the II men who have been
hanged by order of Judge Parker,
were executed.
This terrible instrument of death
is a rude scafTold of rOugh-hewn
timber supporting a large platform
In the middle OF the platform is a
double set of trap doors that droT
downward with the turn of
lever. The gallows is large enough
TO permit the hanging of IL men al
one time, but so far the executions
haye been limited to eight. The
condemned stand upon the trap
and ropes suspended from a beam
imm ediately overhead are made
fast around their necks. After the
black caps are arranged the ex
ecutioner, standing on the plat
form In full view of the audience
gives the lever a twist and the
doors drop, shooting the pool
wretches downward until the slack
of the ropes is spent and theil
necks are broken.
George Maledon, a gray Yankee
is the executiOner, and he has per
sonally hanged every one OF the a
murderers who have been launched
into eternity from this gallows.-
Maledon is quite a character ant
has got the business Of hanging re
duced to science. He likes tC
talk about his work and eXhibi
his skill in tying a hangman''
moose, and he proudly boasts o
the fact that he has never done {
bungling job or failed in breaking
the neck of his victims. WheT
asked If he was ever haunted by
the ghosts of men he had hanged
he laughed and said be guessed al
the murderers be had stretched
. we're writhlng in flames anC
. couldn't get out long enough t
, haunt anyone. But despite hi
! seeming bravado people who hav'
|. assisted him at executions say tha
every time he drops the trap hi
face is as white as death aud some
d times he shakes so that be Cal
scarcely summon sufficient strength
TO move the lever.
One of the most impOrtan
3 branches of this wonderful crimina
court is the United States marshall
department. of which Col. Johl
Carroll is the head. He has a fore
of 40 deputles-scouts he call
them. They aIe men of renowned