Leonidas Sengel Hill was born January 5, 1855, in Walker County, Georgia to James Madison Hill and his wife.
James Boley Grady was the son of Jasper Grady the U.S. Marshal for the Central District of Indian Territory. J. Boley Grady was serving as a Posse for Deputy U.S. Marshal Leonidas S. Hill who was serving under U.S. Marshal Jasper Grady.
On Sunday, July 17, 1898, Deputy U. S. Marshal Leonidas S. Hill, 43, and his posse James B. Grady, 29, were in Jenson near the Arkansas state line in the Choctaw Nation attempting to serve an arrest warrant on nineteen-year-old Floyd Simpson for disturbing a religious meeting.
The lawmen located Floyd Simpson. Posse James B. Grady wrestled Floyd Simpson to the ground after Grady struck the young Simpson in the head with the butt of his Colt .45 caliber revolver when Simpson resisted arrest. Floyd Simpson’s father, W. Jasper Simpson witnessed the fight and went up to Posse James B. Grady, pulled Grady’s gun from his holster and shot Posse Grady in the neck killing him.
When Deputy Marshal Leonidas Hill approached, and the elder Simpson shot Deputy Marshal Hill in the chest and Hill died within an hour.
The Simpson’s then escaped going out of town in different directions.
Deputy Marshal Leonidas S. “Bud” Hill was survived by his wife Kathrine “Kate” (Tucker) and two young sons, Leonidas, 5, and Lawrence, 3, and is buried in Hall Cemetery,in Poteau.
Floyd Simpson rode to Hackett City, Arkansas and surrendered to the Constable there. On July 28th bond was set at five- thousand- dollars for Floyd Simpson, who could not make bail.
Weeks passed and the trail of Jasper Simpson grew cold.
On October 6, 1898, a grand jury met and issued true bills charging both Simpsons with the murder of both lawmen.
Jasper Simpson continued to elude arrest for more than two years, until April 1901, when he was arrested in Arkansas. Since Jasper Simpson had contracted smallpox, he was placed in a dug out away from the other prisoners. Shortly thereafter Jasper Simpson escaped jail.
The trial of Floyd Simpson was conducted in April 1899. The jury found him not guilty on both murder charges and he was released.
In early January 1904, Jasper Simpson was arrested near Marlow. The legal maneuvers flourished as the defense attorneys filed one motion after another. Close to six years had elapsed since Deputy U.S. Marshal Leonidas S. Hill and his Posse James Boley Grady had been murdered.
On May 4, 1904, the defense presented a motion to quash the indictment. A federal judge dismissed the case and Jasper Simpson went free.
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