Welcome to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas

Believing that he had jurisdiction over the area, Sheriff Sam Mauldin of Mississippi County led a raid on the disputed territory of Island 37, taking with him a detachment of the state militia. Because competing claims of jurisdiction between Arkansas and Tennessee left it in something of a legal void, Island 37 became an outpost for early-twentieth-century bootleggers and other criminals. The sheriff was killed leading a charge against an establishment owned by Andy Crum, who was captured later that day while hiding in a cotton field. Outraged Arkansas citizens reportedly burned down all criminal establishments upon hearing of Mauldin’s death.