Early History of Phillips County

The Land, the Legends and the Lore

by Patty Smith

Published 2020

Man’s Best Friend

As the story has it, the year was 1893, and a gentleman had just broken his leg. At this time Dr. Emile Overton Moore and Dr. Charles R. Shinault were both practicing physicians in Helena. Somehow, both doctors became involved in the treatment of the broken leg. An argument ensued, and Dr. Shinault promptly shot Dr. Moore in the head, killing him.

Two weeks after the shooting, Dr. Shinault was acquitted of the charge of murdering Moore. The Arkansas Gazette stated the following: “The evidence adduced at the examination trial went to show that Shinault acted in self-defense. Sheriff Pendegrass testified that he had known Moore for ten years, knew his reputation, which was bad. Moore was considered a bad, violent and revengeful man. He had the reputation of always bearing arms.” There were others who disagreed with this characterization.

After the murder, Minnie Robinson, of Helena, sued the United States Mutual Life Insurance Company for $5,000.00. She was listed as the beneficiary, as she and Dr. Moore had met, fallen in love and had become engaged, with Dr. Moore even giving her an engagement ring. HOWEVER, in court, it was noted that Dr. Moore was already married, had two children by that marriage and was not divorced at the time he became engaged to Miss Robinson. He did change the beneficiary from his wife and children to Miss Robinson, and as of 1895, the matter was still under advisement by a Judge Priest, and we know not how that turned out.

While there were few at the funeral and burial in Maple Hill Cemetery for Moore, there was one left behind who mourned him dreadfully, and evidence of this is found in Maple Hill Cemetery. There, on the North end of the cemetery, is the deceased doctor’s (Emile Overton Moore) monument with another monument of an Irish Setter sitting atop of Dr. Moore’s monument.

This canine, named Pedro, sat for two years, morning and night, atop the grave of his beloved master. Locals could hear the dog howling for his owner during the evening hours and attempted to coax the dog out of the cemetery with food, bones, and treats, to no avail. The dog would not leave his master. When Pedro finally passed away while lying on top of the grave, the townspeople assisted the Moore family in having the monument of Pedro made and placed directly on top of his master’s monument. The only word on Pedro’s stone is “Waiting”.

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Primary sources for these articles include the Phillips County Historical Quarterlies, Shinn's Pioneers and Makers of Arkansas; Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Eastern Arkansas; Down the Great River by Glazier; Arkansas Historical Documents and Land Grants; The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture; Courts and Lawyers on the Arkansas Frontier; Mark Twain's Life on the Mississippi; USGenWeb; Ancestry.com; FamilySearch.org; Phillips DNA Project.