The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-05-14
AM MAINS
ARKANSAS BLOODY RECORD.
This state Carried Out Greatest
Number Of Legal Executions.

This state Carried Out Greatest
Number OF Legal Executions.
The bloodiest record Of legal execu-
tions ever known was that of Fort
Smith. Ark, up TO September J., 1896.
In just 20 years 80 men were hanged
In that little town, and they were the
worst characters the West ever had.
One Judge sentenced all of them. Be
sides these he sentenced SO others, who
escaped the death penalty from va
ripus reasons. He sat in the trial OF
354 men charged with murder. He
was so stern in his handling of the
black-hearted men who overrun the
Indian Territory from 1875 to 1895
that he grew to be known everywhere
as ''the man without a heart"
This man, whose record ~ preserv-
ed in the Department of Justice. was
Judge Isaac G.. Parker of the West
ern district of Arkansas. He went to
Fort Smith in 1875 to sit in the cases
arising in the Indian Territory, at tnat
time infested with the hardest, tough
est men and the worst women the
West ever knew. Nothing but the
sternest law, rigidly enforced by the
Government of the United States, had
the least effect upon them. Congress
had provided that all cases from the
Territory should be tried at Fort
Smith. This arrangement continued
until September 1, 1896. when Con-
gress gave jurisdiction of Indian Ter
Itory cases In various judicial dis
tricts created within the Territory.
Judge Parker was sensitive to the
general belief tnat he was SO strict
as to be inhuman
Few people have said to me: You
are the judge who hung SO many men,
But my answer has been: 1t ls not l
who hung them. 1t Is the law. !
never hung man. People who say
an cruel do not understand how |
am situated. / am the most misrep-
resented OF men. | am, however,
proud OF the record | have made.
believe 1t has checked u flood OF
crime.
II think the courts of the country
are somewhat to blame for the thou
sands of murders yearly committed.
In the past five years The was taxi
ing in 1S96) $4,000 persons have been
murdered in this country. This fear
lul condition does not exist because
our laws are defective. We have the
most magnificent legal system in the
world. The trouble is that the bench
looks to the shadow, In the shape or
technicalities, instead OF to the sub
stance in the form of crime. There
is too much technicality"
Judge Parkers court held session
lasting from o'clock in the morning
until dark. There w"7 90 much GRIM
inal business the court had 10 work
overtime The jailer and hangman
were naturally busy men. The jailer
was j. ID. Berry, a brother OF United
States Senator Berry of Arkansas. The
hangman was George Lawson, a depu-
ty marshal. Between tho two they
mad bought hundreds of yards OF rope
for executions and knew the kind
that would do the grewsome work
without breaking.
I'VE buy ropes that are ropes" said
Jailer Berry. "Those officers who try
to hang men and let the ropes break
as the trap falls ought to be indicted.
IL is their business to see that the
ropes are strong enough, and the only
way they can do 1t is by testing them
with dummies, as we do. We don't
run any risks. The ropes are softened
with linseed oil before being used ON
Il man, in addition to the test they
get from the dummies"
George Lawson, the Fort Smith
hangman, had pulled the iron pin
that dropped nearly one hundred men
to death. He was known far and wide
as the coolest man who ever pulled
trigger from under a criminal. He
said that the first time he did II he
dreamed about the dying man Tor
weeks afterward, but he soon got
ever that and cared nothing for as
sisting in putting away the hardened
characters sentenced at Fort Smith.
He really though he was doing them
favor. He had hanged five men at
one time and never fiinched as they
shot through the trap and struggled
q few minutes until relieved by un-
consciousness. 1t was Lawson who
pulled the trigger on the Buck gang.
the toughest set of men In the South
west. Five Of them were strung UP
at one time. They were part Indian
and part negro. and their leader was
Rufus Buck. Nobody knows how many
people they did kill or how many roD-
hsries they, eommiaed.
First Aid to the Hungry.
The Hobo-"Please, maarn. ma
stummick's bin empty fer week"
The Lady-"Well. go ask the wom-
an next door for pound of dried
apples. After you have eaten them
come back here and I'll give you a
pint OF warm water TO drink"