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THBIsaac Parker, "The Hanging Judge," 1886 Document Signed
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About Auction
LiveFeb 21, 2017 - Feb 22, 2017
Cowan's Auctions dawnie@cowans.com
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- Lot Description
2 pp, 14 x 17 in., "Pay-Roll of Physicians, Jailor and Guards," at the US Jail at Fort Smith, Arkansas, for February 1886, dated March 1, signed by the Jailer, US Marshal John Carroll, and embossed with the seal of the US District Court for the Western District of Arkansas. Endorsed on verso by Isaac Parker, US District Judge, signed IC Parker, certifying he had examined the payroll and deemed the expenses legitimate.
Born in Ohio, Isaac Charles Parker (1838-1896) moved to St. Joseph, MO shortly after graduating from law school. In 1868 he was appointed judge in St. Joseph, and two years later was elected to Congress. He ended his political career in 1875 and was immediately appointed as a Federal Judge in the Western District of Arkansas, which was unique in that it included much of Indian Territory. Parker determined to bring law and order to the region, and told the US Marshal to bring in 200 additional deputies to round up every criminal they could locate. During his over two decades on the bench, Parker sentenced 168 men and four women to hang, although pardons and appeals mitigated many of these sentences. (Parker's hired executioner reportedly was a sadistic German, who possibly would have been a criminal himself had he not held this post. He enjoyed his job a bit too much.)
Although many history books refer to him by the "Hanging Judge" moniker, judges do not decide guilt - a jury does. Reportedly Parker was against capital punishment, but this was the "Wild West,"and juries could well be making a point for other criminals to take notice. Parker's court was supposed to be in session four times per year, but there were so many cases the sessions ran together. He ended up holding court six days a week, sometimes for 10 hours a day, to handle the caseload. Parker is known to have granted many men new trials if there was any doubt about guilt. He often commuted death sentences to life in prison in cases where an individual was very young, or had other "redeeming characteristics." So the reputation he has earned over the years is a bit unfair. He was a hard-working and fair judge committed to upholding the law, not making it.
Provenance: Property of Another Owner - Shipping Info
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