April 11, 1878

James Newton (J. N.) Smithee, competing with the Daily Arkansas Gazette, purchased the printing presses belonging to the defunct Evening Star newspaper; he published the first Arkansas Democrat. Over the next few days, the Gazette started criticizing the Democrat. The continued criticism eventually led to a duel between Gazette owner John D. Adams and Democrat owner Smithee. The Smithee-Adams Duel has been described as “the last duel fought in Arkansas.”