The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-09-05

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them added to their list of crimes, thus
rendering themselves liable to the Fort
Smith Federal court. Maledon seemed
to take particular delight in witnessing
the execution of these murders. one
day he said to Marshall Roots that he
would like to be appointed special exc
cutioner with no other duties to per-
form except to look after refractory
prisoners in the Jail and to hang them
when their executions fell due. Mar
shall Roots received the suggestion ia
vorably, and Deputy Marshal Maledon
became Hangman Maledon. That was
In 1872, and Maledon continued as exc
cutioner until 1894. Seventy nine dead
men by one mans hand in these TWEEN
ty-two years is an average of about one
victim every three months. y
SHOT HALF A DOZEN TIMES.
Maledon has been shot half a dozen
times but bullets seemed to have no eff
feet upon him, and he paid as little at
| tention to the wounds he received as the
| average man would give to the scratch
| of a briar. When Maledon resigned as
| hangman in 1894 he gave no explanation
other than that he was satisfied with
| his record as executioner, and that he
| had taken more human lives than any
| other public eXecutioner in the world
| except Diebler, of France, and he
wanted to try his hand at some other
occupation. Leaving Fort Smith he
went to southern Kansas with view
Of buying a farm, but he changed his
mind and did not make the investment.
| Returning to Fort Smith he engaged in
| 6n hIit uaic nut
ter and putting up brown sugar in pa
| per sacks was not to his liking. He
| was restless. He even longed to get
| back in the harness of the executoner.
Disposlng of his stock Of groceries, he
engaged a manager and made a tour of
the southwest, exhibiting himself as
| the prince of hangmen." He also car
ried with him a CHASTITY collection of
| souvenirs, and those who paid admis-
| sion to his tent were entertained with
stories Of the many hangings that had
taken place in the Fort Smith Jail yard
This venture was not financial sue
cess, and Maledon returned from his
tour somewhat broken in spirit and
practically without money
Maledon's next move was to Fayette-
vile, Ark. where he again entered the
grocery business. He remained there
but short while, when he bought a
fruit farm near Springdale Ark, where
he still resides, ending his days in all
the misery entailed by the superstition
that has become fastened upon him.
Court officials and others who knew
Maledon intimately during his career as
hangman are greatly surprised that he
has been so stricken by conscience for
they looked unon him as a man of cal
loused heart so far as concerned senti-
ment in relation to his grewsome occu-
patton.
HE HAD A SOFT SPOT
Despite old man Maledons apparent
indifference to human sentiment, it is
related that he was exceptionally kind
to his family, and he was especially
proud of his children In his latter
years at Fort Smith there came into
his life a sorrow that had much to do
with crushing his spirits. His favorite
daughter Annie, beautiful girl of
eighteen years, met Frank Carver, the
hayward son Of an aristocratic family,
who wrought the ruin of the girl. He
tired of the girl and tried to cast her
aside. She followed him. On the night
OF March %, 1895, Carver killed the girl
in Muscogee, Indian territory. Carver
shot the girl in the back. She fingered
a month and died in Fort Smith hos
pital That was about year after old
man Maledon had given up his place
as hangman. But he swore that the
murderer Of his Annie must die on the
gallows. Carver had wealth and en-
gagged the best legal talent that could |
be obtained. He had three trials. |
Twice he was convicted The case was
carried to the supreme court of the |
United states. and a third trial result |
ed In a verdict of life imprisonment |
Carver was carried away to prison |
glad to escape the hangman's moose |
and gladder still to get beyond the |
reach of cid man M,aledons wrath.
Fort Smith court was established |
March 3, 1851. The court. however, new
er came into prominence until in the
early '70s, when Judge Parker was APP
pointed to the bench. The court was
located at Van Buren,, but
was moved to Fort Smith, where the
first session opened the second Monday
in May, 1870. The Jail and famous gal
lows were located on spacious govern
UeUl STpuHuS, formerly uSeu Dy the
army when Fort Smith was a military
station. These grounds were inclosed
by solid wall of masonry, over which
vines trailed in riotous pro-
fusion.
BY act Of congress- February 26, 1897,
the city Of Fort Smith was granted au-
thority to remove the old fort walls.
and the secretary of the interior was
directed to lay off in town lots and of
fer for sale at public auction the great
er part of the old military reservation.
Just enough ground was reserved to
give room for the jail building. On re-
quest of the Fort Smith city council, the
Did gallows was burned, as the elmina-
ton of Indian territory jurisdiction re-
moved the possibility Of further hang
ngs under government direction
Springfield (Mo) Correspondence of the
Chicago Record.
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SOUTH AMERICAN OPINION OF |
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