ARKANSAS-L Archives

From: "Fran Warren" <>
Subject: [ARKANSAS] September 20, 1890 Van Buren Press
Date: Thu, 13 Dec 2001 15:30:13 -0800

Van Buren Press
Van Buren, Arkansas- Crawford County

September 20 1890

THE STEVENS MURDER
Fort Smith Call: Esq. Harrower, of Webb City, Franklin County, was in the
city Monday. He resides near the scene of last Friday's murder. On Friday
evening last, the evening of the murder, John Washington, a colored boy from
the vicinity of the killing came to the city and told Mr. Anderson of
Anderson & Wright, that Esq. Stevens had been killed by "Seeb" Smith, and
that it grew out of Smith having heard that Stevens was getting up a crowd
to hickory-whip him (Smith).
The story of the killing as related is briefly this: On Friday morning last
as Esq. Stevens was seated in the front room of Smith's house about four
miles from Webb City, and "Seeb" and his half brother, on the portico, Esq.
Stevens was shot by "Seeb" and died instantly. The wound was large enough to
admit of a man's hand, and the buckshot from the shot gun tore its way
through his heart and right lung, making a ghastly wound. The half brother
gave the alarm and "Seeb" Smith's premises were surrounded by a posse and he
was captured and taken to jail at Ozark. The half brother was the only eye
witness outside the murderer. He states that the only words he heard uttered
by Stevens were, "You don't think I would have anything to do with anything
of that kind?" when "Seeb" replied, "Get out of my house G- d-you!" when he
immediately fired. The half brother is held by Esq. Harrower as a witness.
The country is very much excited over the cold blooded murder, for such they
deem it, and the mob law is feared.

"Seeb" Smith does not bear a very good reputation in the neighborhood. The
half brother had only arrived in the country two or three days before the
killing.

Fran Alverson Warren

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• [ARKANSAS] September 20, 1890 Van Buren Press by "Fran Warren" <>