Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1889-03-31
THE CRIMINAL GRIST.
JUDGE PARKRRS FAMOUS COURT NOT
MATCHED IN THE WORLD.
Fifteen Hundred Criminals Brought to Trial Every
Year, Fifty Of Whom, on an Average Are
Tried for Xurdsr-Ths Judge BEL
mont County (Ohio) Man.

mont County (Ohio) Man.
FORT SMITH, ARK, March 29.-Fors
Smith is considerably agitated over the
effort that is being made in Congress TO re-
move the United States District Court at
this place into tie Indian Territory. Sew.
eral meetings have been hsld, resulting in
nearly every business man and the entire
legal fraternity of the city signing re-
mOnstrsnce against the prupo:ed removal.
This will be sent to Washington, together
with PERSONAL letters to Congressman,
urging the retention of the Court
at Fort Smith. The remonstrance is
prompted by purely mercenary motives,
fO- the removal of the court means big
financial lcss 10 the business interests Of
the city, it having been the principsl
sources of revenue for many years. Every
yesr upward OF $500, coo is paid out ID the
salaries of court officers end fees to Jurors
and witnesses, and an almost equal amount
is distributed among the lawyers by Grim
insls wfo are brought before the court for
trisl. This money, or most Of it, is spent
in Fort Smith, and this is why the people
of the town go seriously object to the cnurt
being moved away.
The court itself ia one Of the most noted
in the world, chiefly because of the large
number of criminal cases that stain its
dockets. Not less than l, 500 criminals are
brought before it for trial every year aud
an average of fifty of them are charged with
murder. Judge Parker, who hes presided
over the Court for fifteen years has, during
that time dispose of S47 murder cases. He
mas pronounced the death sentence on
100 convicted muIderers, II of whom
were banged Just outside his court room,
the sSothers being psrdOned by the Preei-
dent or receiving Communication OF sentence.
There promises 20 be sn unusually large
number of hanging5 this year. There has
already been one, and there sre to be six
banged in bunch on April 10, sentence
having been pronounced a few weeks ago
at the close of the last term. There are
now in the Federal prison AZ phi Oaers
awaiting trial for murder, and deputies are
on their way here with fifteen or twenty
more
The Court has almost exclusive jurisdic-
tioa over the Indian Territory, and is the
only terror that the desperadoes of that
crime-infested country know. Take II
away and crime would run rampant. As
it is, forty mounted deputy marshals are
kept busy the year round making arrests
and the Court grinGs without cessation
from one years. end to the other. The
docket is never cleared. One term runs
into the next and ssssioEs are often held
until midnight. There are no Va
cations. Most of the trials are
for criminal offenses, ranging all the way
from selling liquor TO murder, and tn
Punishment is severe. For merely taking
bottle of whisky into the Territory mel
are sent 70 prison for three months. a
horse thief generally gets ten years IN the
penitentisry, and hanging is almost IN
variably the verdict in the case OF COZ
victed murderer. Rape Ia punished by
death. Judge Parker is personally
pleasant and genial gentleman and not a
all the stern magistrate one might expect
He came originally rom GAINESVILLE, il
Belmont county, Ohio. He says tna'
severe puniehm emit ia absolutely necessary
IN order TO hold the criminals Ia the Il
dian country in check, and as so man,
escape through lack of evidence, he almos
invariably, IN case of conviction pro
nounces the extreme sentence allow
I'd by law. At the time he va
assigned to the court murders in tie
Territory averaged nearly one dsy, anC
in order to check them he began his IRE
term by pronouucirg the death sentence
on every convicted murderer THAT CAM
before him. At the clo,e of the year b
had sentenced fifteen men to be hanged
and had sent about 200 20 the paniten
tiary, many of them for life. The deeper
ADDE'S became terroT-stricken, and some o
them, rather than come betore him TO
trial, killed themselves.
The room in which judge Parker hold
| his court is located in the barracks of ole
Fort Smith, which was abandoned as
military pos in 1873 The fort has quite
a history. II was established in 1920, arc
was the scene OF numerous thrilling en-
garemerts With indians. At the begin
nipg of the late war the Federal troops
were driven out by the CCnfederatee, bu'
The fort was recapture1 in 1862
ard was held until fnslly evac
mated by the Government tifteer
ve,rs ago. The barracks, or CJuri
House as it Is now called, IS surrounded
by high stone wall, now in state o.
decav. but the battered portfolios tell the
story of many haTd-foUght battles. The
western wall ruus almost up to the bound
ary line of the Indian Territory, and {
can stand upon i: and throw a stone into
the naton of either the ChOct7w or Chsro
kse tribe Adjoining the Court House Il
tie Federal prison, massive structure o.
brick and iron that is at all times crowded
/ 20 overlooking with criminals. 1t no.
contains 1856 prisoners, some Of
whom are among the most noted despera
does Of the Indian country. Most OF hem
sre whites, the average being seven whites
and two negroes to ore Indian. This If
nartly accounted for by the fact tina. an
/ Irdiap who commits crime against an
other Indian is tried b fore g court IN his
own country, the United States here only
having jurisdiction over Indians who com
n,it crimes against white men or negroes.
Tndqe Parker says, however, that the II
diars are generally pretty good ciaz ms
and crime in Indian Territory would be
comparatively unknown If tie white rene
gaIes were driven out.