The stone and ceramic marker in the Holbrook Cemetery informs visitors that the remains of George Smiley, the only legally executed criminal in Navajo County, are buried within the cemetery grounds.
Two announcements pertaining to the execution of George Smiley were written. The first one, shown here with a photo of Sheriff Wattron, gained the attention of President William McKinley, who demanded that a second, more appropriate announcement recognizing the solemnity of the circumstance be substituted.
It’s been 115 years since his passing, but the infamous George Smiley now has his own marker in the Holbrook Cemetery. The Holbrook Old West Cemetery Group has made tremendous improvements to the oldest section of the cemetery, creating markers for those who may have been forgotten amongst the weathered marble headstones and stone crosses. These newest markers are made from stone block with a ceramic tile placard, one of which now identifies Smiley as having a resting place within the cemetery.
Smiley holds the unenviable title of being the only person to be legally executed in Navajo County. His crime was the murder of Winslow railroad foreman and the result of that crime brought notoriety not only to Smiley, but also the sheriff at that time.
Employed as a trackwalker for the Santa Fe Railway in 1899, Smiley was having difficulty getting payment for work he had done between a new and previous foreman. On March 28, Smiley went to Winslow to seek out his former foreman, a man by the name of T.J. McSweeney, and confronted him about his missing pay. The argument escalated and ended with Smiley shooting McSweeney in the back, causing his death.
Judge Richard Sloan found Smiley guilty of murder on Oct. 14, 1899, and sentenced him to death by hanging on Dec. 8, 1899. As part of the legal notification, the Arizona Territorial Sheriff of Navajo County, Frank Wattron, sent an invitation to the necessary parties who would need to witness the execution. The invitation noted, “The latest improved methods in the art of scientific strangulation will be employed and everything possible will be done to make the surroundings cheerful and the execution a success.”
A letter condemning the invitation was quickly dispatched from President William McKinley to Governor Nathan Oakes Murphy of the Territory of Arizona. The governor severely rebuked Sheriff Wattron and issued a 30-day stay of execution so that a proper notification could be made.
It’s likely that the sheriff didn’t take kindly to the rebuke, as he issued a somewhat sarcastic second invitation to the hanging, rescheduled to Jan. 8, 1900, that stated, “With feelings of profound sorrow and regret, I hereby invite you to attend and witness the private, decent and humane execution of a human being.” This invitation also noted that attendees were expected to deport themselves in a respectful manner, and any “flippant or unseemly” language or conduct would not be allowed.
It was noted in the Jan. 13, 1900, edition of Holbrook’s newspaper, The Argus, that Smiley, who was 37 at the time of his death, had converted to the Catholic faith just prior to his execution and had been baptized. “Smiley exhibited great coolness and composure until the last. He ascended the scaffold unassisted; he spoke clearly and without a tremor in his voice and showed not the slightest sign of nervousness,” according to The Argus. It was also noted that with his final words Smiley thanked the sheriff and his deputies for their courtesies, and that he died a Christian.
While it is uncertain where Smiley’s remains are located within the cemetery, the recent addition of the marker provides one more reminder of Holbrook and Winslow’s past.
