Isaac Parker was only 36 years old when he assumed the role of federal judge over the volatile U.S. Western District Court of Arkansas in 1875. And believe it or not, the former lawyer appeared to have initially bid off more than he could chew. The court he inherited was highly corrupt. His predecessor was run out of office for accepting bribes. Federal commissioners and clerks were under fire for embezzlement, and a slew of marshals and lawyers had already been axed as well for pretty much the same offenses.

Not only did Judge Parker have to restore faith in a broken system, but his jurisdiction also included Indian territory, a breeding ground of desperadoes, ruffians,

sidewinders, dry gulters, and narrowed wells of all stripes. And despite the reputation that Parker

would one day garner, when it came time to condemn his first man to death, a 19-year-old guilty

of murder, the judge did so reluctantly, the weight of the decision causing him

to weep. In short succession, Parker would sentence five additional men to the gallows, and these five,

along with that first 19-year-old, were all hung together in a mass execution, just five months

after the judge took to the bench. Less than a year later, another five would drop,

and, well, I reckon over time, Judge Parker got used to it. No longer did his eyes water when he doled

out that ultimate and final judgment. Through a career that lasted over 20 years, Judge Parker

would try an astonishing 13,490 cases, over 9,000 of which resulted in a guilty verdict.

And of those guilty, 156 men and four women were condemned to hang, although due to appeals,

the number of those executed was only at around 80 or so. Still, that was enough of a body count

to earn his honor the label of the

hanging judge. And it was in hanging Judge Parker's court that young Cherokee Bill soon found

himself standing. And you ain't going to believe what happened next. My name's Josh and you're

listening to the Wild West Extravaganza.

I'm going to to the wild west extravaganza.

Hey, real quick, this is part two and the final installment in the series on Cherokee Bill.

Check out the previous episode if you have not yet done so to learn all about Bill's younger life, his time as an outlaw, and his action-packed arrest. Link in the show notes.

Now, when Cherokee Bill was processed into jail there at Fort Smith, it was like a little

mini homecoming. There were already plenty of inmates who he knew just waiting for him with open

...