CHAPTER 28
1. This chapter was developed by expanding on each witness’s testimony found in the request for subpoenas filed by the State and the defense. Lincoln Parish Criminal Records, 1898, State of La. vs. J.T. Sisemore, Docket No. 1075.
CHAPTER 29
1. This chapter was developed by expanding on each witness’s testimony found in the request for subpoenas filed by the defense. There is no known record of the closing arguments. Lincoln Parish Criminal Records, 1898, State of La. vs. J.T. Sisemore, Docket No. 1075.
2. The debate on potential witnesses is speculation on my part. Although a witness list exists, there is no indication which ones actually testified.
CHAPTER 30
1. The acquittal is reported in Shreveport Times, September 20, 1898.
2. Hall Laurie is listed as the jury foreman in the case record. Laurie’s handwritten “not guilty” verdict appears on the envelope. State of La. vs. J.T. Sisemore, Docket No. 1075.
CHAPTER 31
1. A short article regarding Company F’s return appeared in the Shreveport Times, October 7, 1898.
2. Nick Goff and Lt. William M. Holland were the only two soldiers from Ruston to die during the war. They were among the thousands of soldiers who perished from disease in Florida and Cuba. Goff withdrew from the Louisiana Industrial Institute to go to war. Sources: Muster Roll, Company F, First Regiment, Louisiana Infantry Volunteers; Shreveport Times, Sept. 3, 1898.
3. Ruston’s first fair was held in 1898 but the exact date is unknown. W. S. May served on the first fair committee. Sources: Lincoln Parish History, ed. Fletcher; and Historical and Pictorial Review.
3. A small portion of Ben Smith’s race track is still visible on the Louisiana Tech University farm campus.
4. The information on Ben Smith in this chapter is derived from the following sources: Historical and Pictorial Review and Bennett.
CHAPTER 32
1. This chapter is based on the November 28, 1898, issue of the Ruston Leader, which briefly describes attempts to draw Sisemore out of his house on November 15 and 16.
CHAPTER 33
1. This chapter is based on various newspaper accounts of the ambush. Sources: Ruston Leader, November 28, 1898; Shreveport Evening Journal, November 18, 1898.
2. The story of the Santa Claus letter came from Melba Duque interview, 1983.
3. The actual physicians who attended John Sisemore are unknown. Living at the corner of Arizona Avenue and Vienna Street, Brooks and Harper were the closest physicians to the Sisemore home. Source: Lincoln Parish History, p. 414.
CHAPTER 34
1. This chapter is based on various newspapers accounts of the aftermath of Sisemore’s death. Sources: Leader, Nov. 28, 1898; Times, Nov. 18, 19, 26, 1898.
2. U. S. Marshal James Martin’s letter to the Attorney General reporting Sisemore’s death indicated Sisemore was planning to raid a still in Union Parish before the end of the week. Source: Letter from James Martin.
3. The photograph of the burial site shows a large man wearing a badge standing beside Nora Sisemore. I believe this must be U. S. Marshal James Martin. Martin attended the funeral (Shreveport Sunday Journal, November 20, 1898) and no other person would be given this place of honor.
CHAPTER 35
1. The newspaper entries cited are from Nov. 30, 1898.
2. The Town of Ruston charged $35 for Sisemore’s burial in Ruston (now Greenwood) Cemetery. The massive Woodmen of the World tombstone, which has since been replaced, cost $50. Raley and Co. charged $35 for the casket. Source: Lincoln Parish Probate Docket No. 2165.
3. The funeral is described in Ruston Leader, November 28, 1898; Shreveport Times, November 19, 1898; and Shreveport Sunday Journal, November 20, 1898.
EPILOGUE
1. The reputed assassin was John Henry Thomas. This story was told by Sisemore’s son John Willie to his own son. Source: Maynard Sisemore interview.
2. Russ’s prohibition statement was probably written as a letter to one of the local newspapers. Source: Wilson.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A native of Ruston, Louisiana, Wesley Harris earned a B.S. degree in education from Louisiana Tech University and later a Master of Arts in human relations and supervision.
Stirred by his grandmother’s stories of her family’s early days in Ruston, Harris began researching Ruston history at the age of eleven. He collected boxes of material and conducted several independent study projects on local history while attending Ruston High School.
It was not until he became a law enforcement officer, however, that he heard the story of John Tom Sisemore. In 1977, he was hired by the City of Ruston and spent twelve years with the department, serving as an investigator, patrol team supervisor, and finally as the agency’s first ever training and public education director. After serving in law enforcement agencies in Georgia and Texas, he returned to Ruston where he continues to wear a badge.
Harris is the author of several books and many articles and has taught police procedures extensively throughout the U.S. He speaks and writes on north Louisiana history, specializing in post-Civil War crime. His study of John Tom Sisemore began in 1983.
Table of Contents
Author Note
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Epilogue
Sources
Notes
About the Author
Neither Fear Nor Favor: Deputy United States Marshal John Tom Sisemore Page 22
