Night Court at Fort Smith National Historic Site
by October 15, 2014 12:06 pm 182 views
United States v. Simon Amonia
Friday, November 14 at 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, November15 at 6:00 p.m.
In 1892 Simon Amonia was tried for selling alcohol into Indian Territory, which was illegal under the 1834 Non-Intercourse Act. The beer was only 1% alcoholic content and was produced by the Busch company. Amonia’s belief was that because of such a low content, it should not be illegal. The U.S. government didn’t agree. What follows is a serious, yet humorous, trial. Witnesses include miners, Busch beermeisters, and August Busch himself. The jury will be picked from the audience to decide Amonia’s fate.
The living history event will begin at 7:00 p.m. on Friday and 6:00 p.m. on Saturday and will take place in the historic Courtroom. Admission is $5 per adult and early reservations are required. For reservations, please contact Cody Faber at 479-226-3723.