Matthew Craig

On March 14, 1899, Matthew Craig was arrested for selling whiskey in Indian Territory near Tahlequah. With no jail available, Deputy U.S. Marshal Joseph P. Heinrichs held his prisoner overnight in his home.

Vinita Leader, March 16, 1899

Craig shot and killed Heinrichs while he slept. He was quickly recaptured.

Tried in federal court in Muskogee, Craig’s defense that his weapon discharged accidentally was rejected and he was convicted of murder on May 5, 1899.

Matthew Craig was hanged in Muskogee on August 25, 1899.

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Author: Bill Lofquist

I am a sociologist and death penalty scholar at the State University of New York at Geneseo. I am also a Pittsburgh native. My present research focuses on the history of the death penalty in Allegheny County (Pittsburgh), Pa.

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