West Harris, Deputy U. S. Marshal, Frank Faulkner, Posseman
U. S. Marshal Service
On the evening of Friday, September 14, 1894, Deputy Harris and his posse Frank Faulkner went to the home of John Seabolt where a large dance was being held to locate a man named Bush for whom Deputy Harris had a standard arrest warrant.
Seabolt’s home was located approximately seven miles from Muldrow and twenty miles west of Fort Smith, Arkansas. During the evening a dispute began between the lawmen and a full-blooded Cherokee Indian by the name of Charlie Benge.
Shots rang out in the front yard of the house with at least three men shooting. When the smoke cleared both lawmen and Benge lay dead. Deputy U. S. Marshal Jim Cole was sent from Ft. Smith to investigate.
Cole found the three men still laying in the front yard of the house.
Deputy Harris was shot once in the chest still clutching his empty gun in his hand, posse Faulkner had been shot seven times with his empty gun found about ten yards from his body and Benge was shot once through the body with his empty gun in his hand.
Cole noticed that all three men had been shot with a hand gun or rifle but Faulkner also had been shot with a shotgun. Deputy Cole was unable to find any witnesses who were willing to tell what happened.
No one was ever charged with the deaths of the lawmen.
