A Scarce Signed Document in the Hand of the "Hanging Judge."

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PARKER, Judge Isaac (1838-1896) passed the bar in 1859 at the age of 21, and by the late 1860s he had achieved prominence in Missouri as a lawyer and politician. He won a 6 year term as judge of the Twelfth Missouri Circuit in 1868, and as a Reconstructionist Republican won two terms in Congress in 1870-74. But the political winds changed in favor of the Democrats in Missouri, and Parker found himself out of a job. However, the Republicans still controlled the national government and in 1875 President Grant appointed Parker to the first of his Federal judgeships. By the time his career as a jurist was ended by illness in 1896, Parker had tried 13,490 cases, 344 of which were capital offenses, and he sentenced 160 people to hang, but only 79 executions were actually carried out.Document Signed, January 17, 1890, 1pp., “I.C. Parker” on Oath of Office document issued to John Sturgis, “do solemnly swear that I faithfully execute all lawful precepts, directed to the Marshal of the United States for the Western District of Arkansas, under the authority of the United States, and true returns make, and in all things well and truly, and without malice or partiality, perform the duties of Deputy Marshal of the Western District of Arkansas during my continuance in said office, and take only my lawful fees, so help me God." Fine

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