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Making America's Best Idea Even Better
Fort Smith National Historic Siteold photo of commissary when used as museum
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Fort Smith National Historic Site
April 17, 1885 Execution
noose

On April 17, 1885 William Phillips was executed at Fort Smith.  He had been found guilty by a jury of murdering his father-in-law, William Hill, in the summer of 1884. The victim was asleep at the time. The two men had a history of conflict. An earlier argument had also resulted in gunfire, with Phillips wounding Hill in the ankle. 
Portrait of Anna Dawes  

Did You Know?
A woman was responsible for the building of a modern federal jail at Fort Smith, AR, in 1888. Anna Dawes, daughter of Sen. Dawes of MA, visited the "Hell on the Border" jail in 1885 and wrote an article describing its conditions. When read in Congress, money was quickly approved for a new jail.

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Last Updated: June 16, 2007 at 12:52 EST