John Childers was born in the Cherokee Nation to a white father and a Cherokee mother. As a young man, he served in the Confederate army before returning home and joining a notorious band of outlaws.
On October 24, 1870, Childers encountered Reyburn Wedding, whose horse Childers admired. When Wedding refused a deal for the horse, Childers persisted. When that persistence did not change Wedding’s mind, Childers killed him. He was not the first man Childers had killed.
Childers was arrested on December 26 and transported to Van Buren, Arkansas, to be arraigned and held for trial. En route, he escaped and eluded capture for a month.
Once apprehended and jailed, Childers escaped again. This time he was able to elude recapture for months.
By the time he was apprehended, Congress had divided the judicial district of Arkansas into the Eastern and Western District and moved the home of the Western District to Fort Smith. Childers became the first capital defendant to be tried and hanged there.
At trial, Childers was found guilty on November 11, 1872. He was sentenced to die on May 19, 1873.
On August 15, 1873, John Childers was hanged before a large crowd at Fort Smith, Arkansas. He was buried nearby.
The Federal Death Penalty Project 