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Fort Smith National Historic SiteHarper's Weekly illustration of steamboat along the Arkansas River with officers' quarters and town of Fort Smith in distance. (c. 1850s)
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Fort Smith National Historic Site
July 11, 1884 Execution
noose
Three men were executed in Fort Smith on July 11, 1884.  They had been found guilty of three separate crimes.  John Davis killed a traveler in the Choctaw Nation in 1883. Jack Womankiller killed a settler in the Cherokee Nation. Thomas Thompson stabbed and beat James O'Holleran to death, throwing the body in a well to escape discovery. Neighbors of the murdered man grew suspicious at his disappearance and mounted a search that located the victim. The motive for each of these crimes was apparently robbery.
deputy marshals pose with their rifles for a formal portrait  

Did You Know?
Fort Smith National Historic Site has records of over 1,770 people employed by the Federal Court for the Western District of Arkansas from 1872-1896. The majority of these employees were U.S. Deputy Marshals.

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Last Updated: June 16, 2007 at 12:46 EST