The Pope County Militia War was a conflict between the reconstruction government of the state and county partisans, some of them former confederates who opposed reconstruction. Pope County was lacking a large slave economy. In 1865 governor Isaac Murphy appointed Archibald Dodson Napier a former federal officer as a sheriff of Pope County. On October 25, 1865 he and his deputy Albert Parks were shot by an ambush while they were riding horseback along the old Springfield road. The man who murdered him was George Newton. Then on December 4, 1865 he killed a county clerk William stout. After all of these events in the spring of 1867 two federal companies under Major Mulligan were stationed in Dover to help the civil authorities bring order to
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After that the continuing violence, John R. H. Scott and Williams Reynolds went to Little rock Pulskai county to see the governor. Hadley formed a peace commission and appointed A. S. Fowler as sheriff during Dodson’s suspension pending an investigation into the attack near Shiloh Creek. The governor’s actions most likely prevented violence. An armed force of approximately 200 men was reportedly ready to drive the militia out no matter what the consequences were. George Newton, who had previously assassinated a sheriff and county clerk, was heading down from Boone county with another sixty would-be guerrilla soldiers. For a while, the violent county was calm. On February 16, 1873, Captain Herriot returned to Dover and went to the courthouse. The plans had been made by a local group to kill him. Reece Hogins was going to lure him from the courthouse and kill him in his grocery store but he was not successful. Then John Hale went to the courthouse and dragged the captain out into the hall. When Herriot got back to his feet he reached for his gun to shoot Hale, but George Rye shot the captain first. After the death of Dodson, J. B. Erwin of Russellville became sheriff until the fall election, when Joseph Petty, a former Confederate soldier, succeeded Erwin. Would-be murderer Reece Hogins was made chief deputy. The election of Elisha Baxter to the position
After that the continuing violence, John R. H. Scott and Williams Reynolds went to Little rock Pulskai county to see the governor. Hadley formed a peace commission and appointed A. S. Fowler as sheriff during Dodson’s suspension pending an investigation into the attack near Shiloh Creek. The governor’s actions most likely prevented violence. An armed force of approximately 200 men was reportedly ready to drive the militia out no matter what the consequences were. George Newton, who had previously assassinated a sheriff and county clerk, was heading down from Boone county with another sixty would-be guerrilla soldiers. For a while, the violent county was calm. On February 16, 1873, Captain Herriot returned to Dover and went to the courthouse. The plans had been made by a local group to kill him. Reece Hogins was going to lure him from the courthouse and kill him in his grocery store but he was not successful. Then John Hale went to the courthouse and dragged the captain out into the hall. When Herriot got back to his feet he reached for his gun to shoot Hale, but George Rye shot the captain first. After the death of Dodson, J. B. Erwin of Russellville became sheriff until the fall election, when Joseph Petty, a former Confederate soldier, succeeded Erwin. Would-be murderer Reece Hogins was made chief deputy. The election of Elisha Baxter to the position