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Fort Smith National Historic SiteCherokee Bill on scaffold with noose hanging above his head. His mother stands next to him.
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Fort Smith National Historic Site
January 30, 1890 Execution
noose
On January 30, 1890 George Tobler was executed for the murder of Irvin Richmond. On the night of April 30, 1889, Tobler attended a dance in the Choctaw Nation. Richmond was also there, with a woman that he and Tobler had previously fought over. At one point during the evening a shot was heard and Richmond, who had been playing the fiddle, fell from his chair mortally wounded. No witnesses saw the murderer, as he had fired the shot from outside the house, pointing the gun through a crack in the wall, but circumstances pointed to Tobler. Although he left a written statement declaring his innocence, Tobler told a fellow prisoner that he dreamed of the man he killed the night before his execution.
Parker seated at his bench in 6th Street courtroom  

Did You Know?
The only known image of Judge Parker in his courtroom is this one from the federal courthouse on Sixth Street which dates from the 1890s. There are no photographs of the courtroom located in the former military barracks.

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Last Updated: June 16, 2007 at 17:33 EST