The hanging is said to have attracted 15,000 spectators, some who traveled more than 300 miles to witness the execution.

Hall and Smith are believed to be the last convicts to be legally executed in Rutherford County.

An event that attracted so many spectators and was written about in papers such as the New York Times should be easy to document. Yet, many county historians, genealogists and Murfreesboro historians, both professional and amateur, have never heard of this incident.

“I have spent much of my life studying the history of Rutherford County, but I have never heard of this incident,” said Ernest Johns, Rutherford County Historian.

“I have read Carlton Sims’s book, A History of Rutherford County. He did not miss a beat, but his book did not mention this hanging at all,” said Gloria Shacklett, owner of Shacklett Photography.

The execution of Hall and Smith may be one of Murfreesboro’s biggest mysteries.

Here’s a timeline to help sort things out.

May 16, 1879: On the night of Pugh’s murder, Hall and Smith, according to statements of lawmen from that time, crept through the dark night to Pugh’s home in an unidentified part of Murfreesboro. The intent of their home invasion was to rob Pugh of anything valuable. Members of a notorious gang, Hall and Smith were no strangers to crime. But on this particular night the pair would not leave with arms full of goods; they would leave with one less bullet in each gun and a man’s death on their consciences.

As Hall and Smith neared the home, they were startled by the loud bark of Pugh’s watch dog. That same bark awoke Pugh from his sleep. He got a light, and his wife gave him a toy pistol, a ruse to hopefully scare the strangers, the Cincinnati Times reported.

As Pugh stooped outside beside his storehouse, he was shot directly above his heart. Terrified, Pugh raised his small, toy pistol with the intent to scare the robbers and was shot again. The second bullet lodged in his right groin.

Mortally wounded, his body covered in blood, Pugh returned inside of his home. Early the next night, he died.

Not long after Pugh’s death, Hall and Smith were taken into custody.

How the police came to suspect the pair for Pugh’s murder is unknown, but once the two were in confession rooms, they were scared senseless and gave all the facts of that particular night, confirming police suspicions. Though the two sat in separate rooms, their confessions were identical, except as to who shot Pugh, as both blamed the other.

Based on the suspects’ statements, police went to Pugh’s

home and found more evidence to convict Hall and Smith. Tracks were found on the ground near Pugh’s storehouse, as well as a pistol carrying a ball corresponding to the one found in the body of Pugh, the Cincinnati Times newspaper reported.

In the weeks before Pugh’s murder many homes had been robbed and burned in Murfreesboro.

Detectives soon discovered that Hall and Smith had organized the gang responsible for these crimes. The gang, whose name is unknown if, indeed, they adopted a name, was organized. They had a system of passwords and designated meeting places, where they stored their booty. Among Hall and Smith’s confessions, the pair gave names of the 12 other members of the gang. These members were also arrested and given lengthy imprisonments.

June 1879: Hall and Pugh were convicted for murder and sentenced to be hanged. Their case was appealed, but the verdict was upheld. The pair joined a local Murfreesboro church asking God and the citizens of Murfreesboro for forgiveness, according to The New York Times.

Feb 20, 1880: More than 15,000 spectators gathered to witness the hangings, according to The New York Times. The executions were held on an island in the middle of Stones River.

“I have heard of an island near Stones River, but it is a bit of a mystery because no one knows exactly where it was,” said John Lodl of the Rutherford County Archives.

The scene bore a striking resemblance to a holiday occasion, rather than one of death, according to the Daily Inter Ocean. Wealthier spectators paid 25 cents to sit on handbuilt bleachers, while others sat on the cold, winter ground. The land was filled with gossip and chatter. People waited in line for freshly squeezed lemonade and smoked barbecue. According to the newspaper accounts, the sun was shining, providing some warmth to the masses.

Soon the hungry crowd was full. They were ready for a show.

Hall and Smith were dressed in black for the gallows, according to the Kalamazoo Gazette. The pair walked up the

wooden steps            and positioned themselves            on the rickety platform,            their            necks            in alignment with the tight,

wooden ropes. “Holy Lord! Holy Lord! We will have a love feastin’

today; I think my brethren’s minds. It’s tasting the honey and drinking the wine; I am sometimes up and sometimes down. And still another—I’ve found my robe, it fits me well; I tried it on at the gates of hell,” was a chant heard at the scene, according to the New York Herald.

After chants, prayer and a sermon, Hall and Smith stepped onto the drop. According to the same article from the Kalamazoo Gazette, Hall’s final words were: “Let all take warning by our fate.

We hope to meet you all in heaven. Farewell, world, and God bless you.”

Black caps were placed over their heads and a deputy sheriff was ordered to cut the rope. On the first swing, he missed the rope. As the rope was being cut, Hall got a clear fall of four feet, dying shortly after. But Smith suffered much pain and struggled considerably, according to the Cincinnati Times. After 17 minutes, Hall and Smith were officially pronounced dead.

Only seconds after the two were pronounced dead, they were cut down, placed in coffins and sent to an unidentified house 300 yards away. In the house waited a Dr. Byrne of Murfreesboro and a Dr. Sleger of Nashville. The two doctors were hoping to make a medical discovery of a lifetime, with Hall and Smith as their guinea pigs.

Hall and Smith’s clothing was torn off and the pair was wrapped in hot blankets.

Electricity was then applied to different portions of their brain and spinal cord. Through electric shock, the doctors were able to produce muscle movements.

The goal was to bring the pair back to life. However, their attempt at producing a real-life Frankenstein proved unsuccessful as the two serial burglars remained dead.

Dr. Sleger did state that something had been accomplished because electricity did reveal nerve and muscular movements.

The stimulants were then removed from Hall and Smith and their bodies were then dissected for further experiments, according to the Kalamazoo Gazette.