Isaac Murphy

Biography

Murphy was born near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to a wealthy paper manufacturer. He was educated at Washington College (now Washington & Jefferson College) in Washington, Pennsylvania, and was admitted to the bar in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania on April 29, 1825.

In 1830, Murphy moved to Clarksville, Tennessee, where he taught school and wed the former Angelina Lockhart on July 31, 1830. Her father opposed the marriage because Isaac favored the abolition of on of slavery, and he disinherited his daughter.

In 1834, the Murphys, with their newborn daughter, moved west to Fayetteville in the Arkansas Territory, two years prior to statehood. In Fayetteville, Murphy established himself as a school teacher, surveyor, and lawyer.

Career

Murphy became the first county treasurer of Washington County in 1836, a post he filled for two years. He became a master in chancery in 1841. From 1837 to 1838, Murphy ran the original government land lines for Franklin County, Arkansas.

On November 30, 1844, the noted Indian Missionary Cephas Washburn, along with Murphy and other prominent individuals, secured a charter for a college known as the Far West Seminary. Murphy worked to educate at the seminary both whites and Indians. Murphy served in this capacity until the building was destroyed by fire on February 17, 1845.

Murphy was elected to the Arkansas House of Representatives for Washington County in 1846 and again in 1848. With assignment to the Banking Committee, he attempted to introduce reforms but was stymied by the powerful political cabal known as "The Family".

Murphy ran into financial difficulties about 1849 and left for California in an attempt to improve his fortunes in the California Gold Rush. He returned to Arkansas in 1854 with nothing to show for his efforts. Upon his return he moved to Huntsville in Madison County, Arkansas.

Secession convention

When the secession crisis swept the State in 1861, a group of Madison County citizens called upon Murphy to represent them at the Secession Convention, which voted to remain in the Union.

When Fort Sumter, South Carolina, was fired on and Lincoln called for troops from Arkansas, the Secession Convention was recalled. The convention voted to take Arkansas out of the Union with only Murphy and four other delegates in opposition. The convention chair called on the five opposition delegates to switch their votes. All four of the other "nay" delegates changed their votes, but Murphy refused.

Governorship

As war broke out, Murphy was forced to flee his home in Huntsville and spent much of the war traveling with the Union army in northwestern Arkansas. Following the fall of the capital city of Little Rock in 1863, Arkansas' Confederate government, led by Governor Harris Flanagin, went into exile.

In a special election, held with the approval of President Lincoln, Murphy was elected governor.

Unauthorized execution of prisoners

On January 10, 1863, the unauthorized execution of nine prisoners of war occurred, alleged to have been prompted by complaints lodged by Murphy's daughters. A military escort for Murphy's daughters had been attacked the previous year and a number of soldiers killed. While Murphy and his daughter's may have had the ear of local Union officers, it is likely the comrades of the slain soldiers also had an interest in bringing justice to those responsible.

The nine prisoners were Chesley H. Boatright, William Martin Berry, Hugh Samuel Berry, John William Moody, Askin Hughes, John Hughes, Watson P. Stevens, Robert Coleman Young, and Bill Parks. Of the nine, only Hugh Samuel Berry and Askin Hughes were soldiers, both captains in the Confederate Army and home on leave. Moody was a former U.S. Marshal, and William Martin Berry was Murphy's son-in-law.

The prisoners were taken from where they were being detained by members of Company G, 8th Regiment Missouri Volunteer Cavalry, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Elias Briggs Baldwin, and all were shot, with eight being killed. Parks was left for dead, but survived the shooting and later moved to Mississippi. It is unclear why Murphy would advocate for the execution of his son-in-law, especially in light of the balanced approach Murphy was known to have during the conflict. This calls into question exactly what his role in these events may have been.

There were no known charges against any of the prisoners. Months earlier a detachment of twenty-five Union soldiers had been attacked, which developed into a skirmish with eighteen of those soldiers being killed. That detachment had been escorting Murphy's daughters to Huntsville. It has not been confirmed whether the executions were in reaction to the Union soldiers who were killed, or if the incident had another cause.

It has been indicated that it is possible the nine men were suspected to have taken part in the guerrilla attack that resulted in the killing of the eighteen Union soldiers. Two of the men executed were Confederate soldiers. Lt. Col. Baldwin, who would be charged with a violation of the Articles of War over the incident, would hold that the men had been tried and convicted before their execution.

After the executions, Parks, who had been left for dead, crawled to a nearby farm house, where his wounds were treated. When asked what had happened and who did it, his response was "Men of the 8th Missouri Regiment. But Johnson, Ham and Murphy had it done." He was referring to Isaac Murphy, attorney E. D. Ham, and Union Colonel James Johnson. Although Baldwin was present during the murders and directly ordered the executions, he was not mentioned by Parks.

On January 31, Lt. Col. Baldwin was arrested and charged with violation of the 6th Article of War for the murder of prisoners of war, among other charges. He was transported to Springfield, Missouri, and held for trial. The charges were dropped, however, when many of the witnesses were found to be on active military duty and unable to attend the trial, and many civilian witnesses were displaced or unable to make the trip to Springfield.

Baldwin later resigned from the United States Army but received a pension beginning in 1880, a benefit not allowed for soldiers who left service in disgrace.

It is difficult to say whether this specific event had a negative effect on Murphy's reputation locally with the Confederate affiliated Masons, or if his subsequent election as Reconstruction governor incited retaliation against the two colleges being operated by Murphy. When funding for institutions provided by the Masons ended, both colleges closed.

Reconstruction

During the Murphy administration, Arkansas began healing its war wounds even as the war continued in the southern parts of the State. Murphy took a balanced approach to governance and stated publicly that "We have all done wrong.". The 4th of July celebrations in Little Rock were led by pro-Union speakers but they refrained from any anti-Southern speeches or actions.

In 1866, Murphy's plans began to erode because of events elsewhere in the country and political maneuvering at the state and national levels. Lincoln had been assassinated and Republicans in Congress began advocating stricter Reconstruction for the former Confederate states. They abandoned Lincoln's plan to "let them up easy". In 1866, pro-Confederate legislators won majorities in several southern states. That same year, violence against former slaves broke out in several states.

In response, Republicans in Congress pushed through the 14th Amendment and the Reconstruction Acts of 1867. The rebel states were divided into military districts and controlled by the Army until new state constitutions were enacted protecting the civil rights of former slaves and acceptance of the 14th Amendment. Murphy decided to remain in office but took abuse from both sides.

When Murphy left office his administration left a budget surplus, even though his administration had begun with no funds. This surplus evaporated soon after his successor took office.

Death and legacy

Murphy returned to Huntsville and took up farming and practicing law. He lived a quiet life with his family. On September 8, 1882, Murphy died unexpectedly at his home and is buried in Huntsville Cemetery in Huntsville, Arkansas.

It was not until 1974, when the historian John I. Smith published several articles about the Huntsville Massacre, that Murphy's involvement in that event came back into public view. A memorial to those murdered in Huntsville was erected, with the dedication on September 30, 2006.