Sarah Ghost Face Bear did not approve of Allen Walking Shield’s interest in her 16-year old daughter, Mabel. As a result, on May 9, 1902, Walking Shield killed Ghost Face Bear at her home along the Little White River, near Westover, South Dakota, and fled with Mabel.
Newspaper reports indicate Walking Shield had previously been arrested for rape and robbery and had a bad reputation.
On trial in federal court in Deadwood, South Dakota, Walking Shield was convicted of murder on September 11, 1902, and sentenced to death on the same day.
Allen Walking Shield was hanged in Sioux Falls on October 24, 1902.
The Federal Death Penalty Project 