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Mock murder trial offers spectators live interaction
The mock murder trial of a former 1840s-era soldier scheduled to take place this weekend is the first in a series of planned special events this summer at the Fort Scott National Historic Site.
The public will be invited to attend the mock trial of "The United States vs. Charles Bacon," which starts at 7 p.m. Saturday at the site. The event is one of several living history presentations performed by fort staff and other volunteers throughout the year at the site, which tells the story of Fort Scott between 1842 and 1873.
Audience members will also be able to participate in the presentation by hearing details of the incident -- an actual murder and subsequent trial that took place more than 160 years ago -- viewing evidence, and ultimately helping to determine the outcome of the case, according to National Park Service Ranger Galen Ewing, who is coordinating the event at the site.
"If we have 100 people, and I hope we do, we'll just get everybody together as jurors and decide his (Bacon) fate," Ewing said. "A lot of people vote by hand so we'll just take a consensus."
The case involving Bacon, which Ewing said fort personnel pulled from historical records that the site maintains, concerns an accident that occurred on Wednesday, March 18, 1846 at the fort, which at the time served as a frontier military garrison. The accident resulted in the death of Nehemiah Evans, formerly a corporal in the First Dragoons, Company A, a cavalry regiment in the U.S. Army during the early 19th century.
The accident occurred when an intoxicated Bacon, who was a private in the First Dragoons, Company A, entered the stables on the fort grounds and discharged his pistol, shooting Evans and killing him instantly. The two men had apparently been fighting over a dog, according to a statement from the site.
Bacon assaulted Evans "in the peace of God and the said United States, then and there being with force and arms feloniously and of the malice aforethought ended his life," the fort statement said.
The mock examination of Bacon, who was charged with murder, will take place Saturday, with the public listening to testimony of both the accused and several witnesses to the incident, all of whom will be portrayed by fort staff and other community volunteers who will be dressed in period attire to re-enact the murder trial. Local resident David Haimerl will portray Bacon during the presentation, Ewing said.
At the conclusion of the mock trial, attendees will be able to decide Bacon's guilt or innocence of the charges made against him. If the public finds Bacon guilty, Haimerl and other fort volunteers dressed as guards will act out a scene that depicts Bacon being escorted to the guardhouse located on the fort grounds, Ewing said.
Ewing will conclude the event by presenting facts and other information about Bacon's case, including the actual outcome of the murder trial.
Other Fort Events
A number of other activities have been scheduled to take place this summer at the Fort Scott National Historic Site.
On July 4-6, the site will offer a variety of programs. On Friday, July 4, the site will celebrate an 1840s-style military holiday with a 30-gun salute, period games, and rousing patriotic speeches. Activities on Saturday, July 5 will focus on Civil War life in Fort Scott and will include a Civil War-era baseball game, which will pit the Jayhawkers against their bitter rivals, the Bushwhackers, for the second year in a row.
A Civil War Calico Ball featuring fiddling and dancing will follow the baseball game at 7 p.m. Saturday. On Sunday, July 6, the site will resonate with the annual "Highlights in History" event, a series of programs that engage audience members in the site's turbulent and intriguing history, a fort statement said.
Between July 28 and Aug. 1, an archaeological treasure hunt will highlight the site's ninth annual Trailblazer workshops. The workshops are a week-long series of activities designed to introduce area youth who are between 10 and 14 years of age to the mission of the National Park Service. In addition to archaeology, activities will include prairie exploration, a play, and a new activity that will feature a unit that focuses on global climate change.
For more information on the workshop or to register a child, call the site at (620) 223-0310.
On Aug. 16, an evening program will be offered that focuses on a series of tragic events that took place between the 1840s and 1860s in Fort Scott. While no Civil War battles were fought in Fort Scott, there was still much conflict and some violent episodes that took place during this time period. Several of these episodes will be explored in a twilight tour of Fort Scott on Aug. 16.
Summer programs at the site will conclude Labor Day weekend, Aug. 30-Sept. 1. In addition to these special programs, costumed interpreters will present living history programs each weekend this summer in Fort Scott. Among other topics, performers will discuss letter writing on the frontier, the duties of soldiers guarding the border, and the trading of goods and services at the sutler store.
Guided tours will be offered starting at 1 p.m. daily through Labor Day at the site.
FSNHS is open daily throughout the summer from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. There is an entrance fee of $3 for each person who is 16 years of age and older. Children who are 15 years of age and younger will be admitted free of charge. For more information, call the site or visit the FSNHS Website at www.nps.gov/fosc.