By far the most active era of federal death penalty activity was the four decades after the Civil War, when federal legal authority was asserted in the absence of stable state authority on the frontier. By far the center of that activity was the Indian Territory of modern-day Oklahoma, federal legal authority over which was invested in the Western District of Arkansas and the notorious hanging judge, Isaac Parker.*
Most other cases during this era arose out of similar circumstances in the pre-statehood period in the American west.
Though subject to federal jurisdiction, the vast majority of these cases are the types of ordinary murders routinely prosecuted under state authority.
| DEFENDANT NAME | EXECUTION DATE | EXECUTION LOCATION |
| KLOKOMAS | 06/03/1850 | WASHINGTON |
| IAIACHALAKIS | 06/03/1850 | WASHINGTON |
| KIAMASUMPKIN | 06/03/1850 | WASHINGTON |
| TILOUKAIKT | 06/03/1850 | WASHINGTON |
| TOMAHAS | 06/03/1850 | WASHINGTON |
| BEARD, WILLIS | 05/29/1857 | ARKANSAS |
| MCCURTAIN, AMOS | 06/24/1870 | ARKANSAS |
| CHILDERS, JOHN | 08/15/1873 | ARKANSAS |
| YOUNG WOLF | 10/10/1873 | ARKANSAS |
| TU-NA-YEE/TUNAGEE | 10/10/1873 | ARKANSAS |
| BILLY, JOHN | 04/03/1874 | ARKANSAS |
| POINTER, JOHN | 04/03/1874 | ARKANSAS |
| FILMORE, ISAAC | 04/03/1874 | ARKANSAS |
| IMPSON, MCCLISH | 01/15/1875 | ARKANSAS |
| CAMPBELL, EDMUND | 09/03/1875 | ARKANSAS |
| MANKILLER, SMOKER | 09/03/1875 | ARKANSAS |
| FOOY, SAMUEL | 09/03/1875 | ARKANSAS |
| EVANS, DANIEL | 09/03/1875 | ARKANSAS |
| MOORE, JAMES | 09/03/1875 | ARKANSAS |
| WHITTINGTON, WM. JOHN | 09/03/1875 | ARKANSAS |
| WILSON, AARON | 04/21/1876 | ARKANSAS |
| McGEE, ORPHEUS | 04/21/1876 | ARKANSAS |
| ISHTANUBBEE, GIBSON | 04/21/1876 | ARKANSAS |
| SEELEY, ISHAM | 04/21/1876 | ARKANSAS |
| LEACH, WILLIAM | 04/21/1876 | ARKANSAS |
| PETERS, SAMUEL | 09/08/1876 | ARKANSAS |
| SANDERS, OSEY | 09/08/1876 | ARKANSAS |
| VALLEY, JOHN | 09/08/1876 | ARKANSAS |
| WILSON, SINKER | 09/08/1876 | ARKANSAS |
| MALONE, JAMES | 03/15/1878 | ARIZONA |
| ROBERT, FRANK | 10/31/1878 | MONTANA |
| DIGGS, JAMES | 12/20/1878 | ARKANSAS |
| POSTOAK, JOHN | 12/20/1878 | ARKANSAS |
| STEWART, HENRI | 08/29/1879 | ARKANSAS |
| WILEY, WILLIAM ELLIOTT | 08/29/1879 | ARKANSAS |
| KOT-KO-WAT | 05/05/1879 | OREGON |
| MANLEY, ABLER | 09/09/1881 | ARKANSAS |
| MANLEY, AMOS | 09/09/1881 | ARKANSAS |
| BROWN, WILLIAM T. | 09/09/1881 | ARKANSAS |
| McGOWAN, PATRICK M. | 09/09/1881 | ARKANSAS |
| PADGETT, GEORGE W. | 09/09/1881 | ARKANSAS |
| FULSOM, EDWARD | 06/30/1882 | ARKANSAS |
| GILMORE, JAMES L. | 12/15/1882 | SOUTH DAKOTA |
| KA-TA-TA | 03/28/1882 | OREGON |
| BRAVE BEAR | 11/15/1882 | SOUTH DAKOTA |
| MASSEY, ROBERT | 04/13/1883 | ARKANSAS |
| FINCH, WILLIAM | 06/29/1883 | ARKANSAS |
| JOSEPH, MARTIN | 06/29/1883 | ARKANSAS |
| TE-O-LIT-SE | 06/29/1883 | ARKANSAS |
| WOMANKILLER, JACK | 07/11/1884 | ARKANSAS |
| DAVIS, JOHN | 07/11/1884 | ARKANSAS |
| THOMPSON, THOMAS LEE | 07/11/1884 | ARKANSAS |
| PHILLIPS, WILLIAM | 04/17/1885 | ARKANSAS |
| ARCENE, JAMES | 06/26/1885 | ARKANSAS |
| PARCHMEAL, WILLIAM | 06/26/1885 | ARKANSAS |
| JACKSON, JOSEPH | 04/23/1886 | ARKANSAS |
| WASSON, JAMES | 04/23/1886 | ARKANSAS |
| ROSS, KITT | 08/06/1886 | ARKANSAS |
| JAMES, CALVIN | 07/23/1886 | ARKANSAS |
| SPROLE, LINCOLN | 07/23/1886 | ARKANSAS |
| STEPHENS, JOHN | 01/14/1887 | ARKANSAS |
| ECHOLS, JOHN T. | 01/14/1887 | ARKANSAS |
| LAMB, JAMES | 01/14/1887 | ARKANSAS |
| O’DELL, ALBERT | 01/14/1887 | ARKANSAS |
| McCARTY, PATRICK | 04/08/1887 | ARKANSAS |
| KALIJAH, SEABORN | 10/07/1887 | ARKANSAS |
| HAMPTON, SILAS | 10/07/1887 | ARKANSAS |
| MOSIER, LEE | 11/15/1887 | KANSAS |
| MOSS, GEORGE | 04/27/1888 | ARKANSAS |
| HILL, OWEN DATUS | 04/27/1888 | ARKANSAS |
| CROW, JACKSON | 04/27/1888 | ARKANSAS |
| BOGLE, GUS | 07/06/1888 | ARKANSAS |
| TOBLER, JAKE | 11/21/1888 | KANSAS |
| TOBLER, JOE | 11/21/1888 | KANSAS |
| SMITH, RICHARD | 01/25/1889 | ARKANSAS |
| ALLEN, MALACHI | 04/19/1889 | ARKANSAS |
| MILLS, JAMES | 04/19/1889 | ARKANSAS |
| WALKER, WILLIAM | 08/30/1889 | ARKANSAS |
| SPANIARD, JACK | 08/30/1889 | ARKANSAS |
| AUSTIN, HARRIS | 01/16/1890 | ARKANSAS |
| JONES, JEFFERSON | 01/16/1890 | ARKANSAS |
| GOIN, SAM | 01/16/1890 | ARKANSAS |
| BURRIS, JIMMON | 01/16/1890 | ARKANSAS |
| BILLY, JOHN | 01/16/1890 | ARKANSAS |
| WILLIS, THOMAS | 01/16/1890 | ARKANSAS |
| TOBLER, GEORGE | 01/30/1890 | ARKANSAS |
| STANSBURY, JOHN | 07/09/1890 | ARKANSAS |
| CRUMPTON, BOUDINOT | 06/30/1891 | ARKANSAS |
| BUSBY, SHEPPARD | 04/27/1892 | ARKANSAS |
| DIXON, CLINTON E. | 06/24/1892 | NEBRASKA |
| THORNTON, JOHN | 06/28/1892 | ARKANSAS |
| UPKINS, JAMES | 03/30/1894 | TEXAS |
| GONZALES, EDUARDO | 03/30/1894 | TEXAS |
| DAVIS, MANNON | 03/30/1894 | TEXAS |
| POINTER, JOHN | 09/20/1894 | ARKANSAS |
| MOORE, TOM | 09/28/1894 | TEXAS |
| FULKE, EUGENE | 09/28/1894 | TEXAS |
| HOLDER, LEWIS | 11/02/1894 | ARKANSAS |
| CHIEF TWO STICKS | 12/28/1894 | SOUTH DAKOTA |
| KEY, CHARLES H. | 09/13/1895 | TEXAS |
| HANSEN, HANS | 10/18/1895 | CALIFORNIA |
| ST. CLAIR, THOMAS | 10/18/1895 | CALIFORNIA |
| GOLDSBY, CRAWFORD | 03/17/1896 | ARKANSAS |
| ISAACS, WEBBER | 04/30/1896 | ARKANSAS |
| PIERCE, GEORGE | 04/30/1896 | ARKANSAS |
| PIERCE, JOHN | 04/30/1896 | ARKANSAS |
| DAVIS, LUCKY | 07/01/1896 | ARKANSAS |
| BUCK, RUFUS | 07/01/1896 | ARKANSAS |
| DAVIS, LEWIS | 07/01/1896 | ARKANSAS |
| JULY, MAOMA | 07/01/1896 | ARKANSAS |
| SAMPSON, SAM | 07/01/1896 | ARKANSAS |
| CASHEREGO, JAMES C. | 07/30/1896 | ARKANSAS |
| FREEMAN, HICKMAN | 09/04/1896 | TEXAS |
| LEE, SILAS | 09/04/1896 | TEXAS |
| WHEELER, GEORGE L. | 09/04/1896 | TEXAS |
| PERKINS, CHARLES | 07/01/1898 | OKLAHOMA |
| BROOKS, K.B. | 07/01/1898 | OKLAHOMA |
| ANDERSEN, JOHN | 12/09/1898 | VIRGINIA |
| CULLY, GEORGE | 07/21/1899 | OKLAHOMA |
| BROWN, CYRUS | 08/28/1899 | OKLAHOMA |
| CRAIG, MATTHEW | 08/28/1899 | OKLAHOMA |
| WALKING SHIELD, ALLEN | 10/24/1902 | SOUTH DAKOTA |
| BEAR, GEORGE | 12/05/1902 | SOUTH DAKOTA |
| BARRETT, CHARLES | 07/17/1903 | OKLAHOMA |
| WRIGHT, DORA | 07/17/1903 | OKLAHOMA |
| BINYON, RUFUS | 09/22/1905 | OKLAHOMA |
| WILLIAMS, GRANT | 11/03/1905 | OKLAHOMA |
| SCOTT, HENRY | 07/06/1906 | NORTH CAROLINA |
| COTTON, ROBERT | 09/04/1906 | OKLAHOMA |
| GOODWIN, JOHN B. | 05/13/1913 | ARIZONA |
| STEWART, WILLIAM | 05/29/1914 | ARIZONA |
Accounts of cases arising in the Western District of Arkansas, which had jurisdiction over the Indian Territory of present-day Oklahoma, are drawn primarily from Jerry Akins’ book, Hangin’ Times in Fort Smith (2012).
The Federal Death Penalty Project 