Executed
John F. Smith
John F. Smith was hanged at Gallatin, Missouri, on August 6, 1886, after the Governor declined to grant further relief following a respite. He had been held at the jail at Marysville and was taken to a valley near Gallatin where the gallows had been erected. The Memphis Appeal reported that on the scaffold he gave a short speech maintaining his innocence and saying that another man alone was guilty. The paper reported that his neck was broken in the fall and that he died without a struggle.
Cause of death, as reported: Executed by the state. On the scaffold he maintained his innocence and said another man alone was guilty, according to the newspaper report.
Reported by: Newspaper account of the Gallatin, Missouri execution (reporters).