James Arcene was born around 1862 in the Cherokee Nation, then located within the Indian Territory of what would later become Oklahoma. Little is known about his childhood beyond his Native heritage and his impoverished upbringing during the post–Civil War period. The region was marked by federal occupation and instability, and young Cherokee boys like Arcene often drifted between villages and frontier settlements to find odd work or companionship.

By age 10, Arcene was living in Tahlequah, the capital of the Cherokee Nation. Reports from his later trial indicate that he had limited education and no understanding of Anglo‑American law. He was illiterate and spoke little English, relying on interpreters during legal proceedings. At that time, the Indian Territory was administered by U.S. marshals and federal judges based in Fort Smith, Arkansas—most famously Judge Isaac C. Parker, later nicknamed the “Hanging Judge.” The jurisdiction was notorious for its swift punishments and broad federal control over Native American defendants.

Arcene’s involvement with an older Cherokee acquaintance, William Parchmeal, would prove fatal for his future. According to court records, he was barely 10 years old when he followed Parchmeal on what he believed was a casual walk, only to be drawn into a violent robbery. Contemporary witnesses and historians have since debated how aware the child could have been of the criminal intent that day. No evidence suggests he had a prior criminal record or history of violence.

In 1872, when James Arcene was just ten years old, he became involved in a robbery and murder that would ultimately make him one of the youngest individuals ever executed in the United States. Alongside an older Cherokee man named William Parchmeal, Arcene allegedly followed a Swedish immigrant named William Feigel, who had just made a purchase at a store near Fort Gibson. The two assailants caught up with Feigel about two miles from the fort. According to the federal government’s charges, Feigel was shot six times, and his skull was crushed with a rock. Arcene and Parchmeal were then said to have taken a pair of boots and 25 cents from the victim.

Deputy Marshal Andrews arrested both men, and the case was eventually brought before Judge Isaac C. Parker in Fort Smith, Arkansas—a federal judge known colloquially as the "Hanging Judge" due to his harsh sentencing record. Despite Arcene’s youth at the time of the crime, he was tried and convicted for murder and robbery by a jury. However, shortly after his conviction, Arcene escaped custody and remained at large for over a decade.

Arcene was eventually recaptured and returned to Fort Smith. By this time, he was 23 years old. Though his crime had been committed as a child, the justice system upheld his original sentence without regard for his age at the time of the offense. Prior to his execution, Arcene reportedly stated that he had committed the murder under duress. He recounted that on the day of the crime, he was playing cards in a shared home when Parchmeal invited him for a walk. As they walked through the prairie, Parchmeal pointed out Feigel and instructed Arcene to shoot him. Arcene claimed he obeyed out of fear and confusion, and did not fully understand the gravity of what he was doing.

In a final moment of reflection, Parchmeal took full responsibility for the murder, admitting through an interpreter that he alone was to blame and declaring that he was “ready to die.” Despite this, the execution proceeded. On June 26, 1885, both James Arcene and William Parchmeal were hanged at Fort Smith, bringing an end to a case that continues to provoke debate over the treatment of children and Native Americans within the United States legal system.