Show KILLED ill a I 1 NY MEN record of the public executioner at fort smith BOASTS THAT 11 HE E NEVER BUNG BUNGLED LED eorge via tedon lias ilas been neen a hangman for twenty years and HB ilas 11 rolen the tach of all ills subject subjects with ib neatness and accuracy fort smith ark Is a city of some it ts is situated upon the arkansas river in sebastian county and is the principal commercial town in the northwestern part of th the state estate having baying some fine private and public buildings among the battet being the county court courthouse house and the united states tice and court bouse house in the latter Is held the united states court for the western district of arkansas one of the most noted courts in uncle sams domains just across the river is the cherokee indian country and the court has bag jurisdiction over a large portion of the territory occupied by the 1 five civilized tribes P as the cherokees choctaws chickasaws creeks and Semi seminoles noles are called the territory Is the accepted rendezvous and biding place of criminals and outlaws from all parts of the country and their name appears to be legion A large number of united states deputy marshals patrol this region and bring in the offenders for punishment sometimes having half halt a dozen of them shackled and chained together tor for creator greater security Mur murder derand and man many other crimes are taken cognizance of by this court which Is in session the greater part of the time at the present writing there are inmates of the united states jail at fort For smith GEORGE MAT EDON ir of whom seventeen are charged with murder or manslaughter the officers of the court are able vigilant and summary in meting out to the malefactor the f full u 11 penalty adjudged him by a jury of bis his peers hence there have been hangings hannings hang ings and hangings hannings hang ings at fort smith until the place haa has become notorious for the num number berof of them for the last twenty years one person has been the hangman and it Is his boat that in this 8 grim business he has never m made ado a mistake in every instance the party of the first part has gone off on schedule time with neatness and dispatch I 1 Aa maledon ledon the executioner Is a well belll well preserved fellow of about the average height and weight he ile was bom born in to bavaria in la 1830 and is therefore sixty one years of age he ile came to america with his parents when only bix months old landing in new york shortly afterward the family settled in detroit where george was reared and educated and where be he resided until about 1839 9 when lie removed to fort smith and that place has been bis his homo home ever since he ile Is an engineer engine erand and machinist by trade and followed that calling up to the time ho he became a public hangman when the court was moved from van buren to fort smith ho be was deputy sheriff of sebastian county under sheriff thomas 11 II scott and all accounts agree that he made a most excellent cel lent trustworthy and intrepid peace officer that was about twenty years ago soon afterward he be was appointed by the united states marshal to the position pos of executioner and has held the place ever since during the incumbency of judges story caldwell and parker the last named being the present judge in the twenty years named there have been seventy four executions by banging hanging of condemned murderers at fort smith john childers was the first and booth crampton the last to suffer the extreme penalty of the law at Ma caledona ledona 8 hands the gallows constructed upon scientific principles and under the direction of maledon himself stands within a frame ra me inclosure near the jail and Is never neer taken down the drop la Is a double trapdoor opening downward from the center when sprung the fall Is great much greated than Is usual in such appliances appliance a and an d to this and the perfect working of all the parts the executioner attributes theard the uniform success of his work A new hemp necktie Is furnished for each victim and in every case at which maledon has officiated the neck has been broken by the fall he lie bos has hanged men upon this gallows gallow fi singly by twos threes tours fours five and sixes the last given number on two different occasions the first six disposed of were a mixed tot lot of ot whites and indians indiana the last fast six ark were ill all fun full doodled indians there is nothing of the traditional jack K ketch caci appearance about maledon which made it dilli calt for the spectators of an exec execution ution in england in ye olden time to determine which looked the more hardened wretch of the two the hangman or the man to be hanged he ile has a clear black and not sinister looking eye a rather pleasant good natured face but one in which tb lines denoting firmness are clearly and st strongly r 0 drawn he is moreover a man 0 in intelligence t elli gence and an interesting ti onist being educated in both the english and german tongues he ile is not disposed to look with favor upon the punishment of condemned men by electrocution as practiced at the present lime time in the state of new york believing death by banging hanging when skillfully done to be tho the more humane method maledon has an honorable record as a soldier in the union army during the war bervang in the first arkansas battery he ile isa is a mem member berin in good standing of the thomas william williams most post no 2 G A II 11 at fort smith lie ile has been twice married and is the father of twelve children those born of the first marriage eltha eight in number area are all grom grown some of t them em are married and filling important in life tho the first wife died a nunly number er of years ago II 11 his is children by the second marriage are tire four bright and interesting boys he has a pleasant home in fort smith and is known tar far and wide |