Oakie's NW Corner...
This week found me traveling back to 1900 & 1910 through the
"Microfilm Time Portal" machine. This time it was at the
Oklahoma Historical Society
searching for the 1900 & 1910 Oklahoma Census for N. L. Miller,
Woods County, Oklahoma.
While I was there I took another journey through the old newspaper
archives for more clippings from around the 1910 era. This time
my journey only took me (or I limited myself) from a little
after 10 o'clock a.m. to 2:30p.m. (4-1/2 hours). I only left
then because my stomach was growling and I didn't bring my bedroll
for an extended stay. Besides that, there is a limit to the hours
that you can spend on their "Micro-Time Machine" in the
newspaper archives (2-hours when there is a waiting list). I got
there fairly earlier... so no problem there.
I have put my 1900 & 1910 Census of N. L. Miller, Woods County,
Oklahoma, over to the left of this e-zine. BUT... I am still looking
for another source to verify that I have the correct Miller, although,
there were no other N. L. Miller's listed in Woods County back then.
I have sent out inquiries concerning "N.L. Miller" to
a few energetic trusted friends, family, readers and other time-travelers.
As soon as I find out more, you will be the first to know.
Other than that... Another little cold front zapped through
Oklahoma the middle of this week. I found out that parts of SW Colorado
is in a drought also and their Winter that drops snow to fill up
valley lakes has been lower than normal this year.
I have been busy this week organizing my mystery notes and working
on this week's installment of "Alva's First Homicide - 9
Nov. 1910" -- So... I am going to try and keep this corner
of the newsletter short and send you on to the NW Oklahoma Mystery,
Mailbag Corner and Chapter
I - The Murder concerning Northwest Oklahoma mysteries.
Another Thing... I have an assignment for you. Your assignment
if you accept, is to scour the "Old-1910 Newspapers" from
around Kansas, New Mexico, Texas, Colorado, Arkansas, across the
state of Oklahoma and United States via the "Microfilm Time
Portals." Are you ready for a little "Time Traveling"
back to 1910? If you are, set your Time-machine to November 9, 1910
and beyond. If you accept this assignment, please make me a copy
of the old news clippings that have any mention of the particulars
of 'Alva's (Oklahoma) First Homicide - 9 November 1910',
Old Opera House Murder, etc... and send this way... You can E-mail:
Linda -- or -- Snail-mail:
Linda Wagner, PO Box 18998, OKC, OK 73154-0998. This message will
self-destruct in 30-seconds after you decide your fate.
But before I go... Tomorrow, Saturday, Do NOT forget to
Spring your clocks ahead one hour around 2 o'clock in the morning
(Sunday). AND... Tomorrow come rain or sunshine this Oakie
Okie of 'The Okie Legacy' is taking a break from mysteries, time
travel and heading for Shawnee (Oklahoma) and the 'Shawnee
Expo Center' to see some friends and view some quarterhorses...
even if it promises to rain on my parade. Here's hoping you have
a great one (weekend), also.
~~ Linda "OaKie" ~~
NW Oklahoma Mystery
Corner...
"The blackest page in the history of Alva (Oklahoma)
will be written in the circumstances following the death of Miss
Mabel Oakes, 23 year-old daughter of Mr. & Mrs. George Oakes,
of this city, whose lifeless form was found about three o'clock
Wednesday afternoon in the southeast dressing room in Justice N.
L. Miller's Old Opera House. Mr. Miller was the first to notify
the father of the unfortunate girl." -- Tragedy
In Old Opera House,
Renfrew's Record, Nov. 11, 1910
What happened to the Old Opera House after Alva's
First Homicide - 9 November 1910? How were the families of Miller
and Oakes affected by this blackmark of Infamy? Was the community
really up in arms and ready to take the law into their own hands?
If this case were held in a court of law today, would the circumstantial
evidence point to an innocent man or the real murderer?
Sometimes... I only wish that I could travel back in time
to ask my grandma & grandpa some of these questions and find
out what their reactions, responses were to this blackmark of fame
that befell their young northwest community on the fateful day of
November 9, 1910, in this NEW state of Oklahoma.
In the 1910 Era -- Alva was only 17 years-old, dating back
to September, "Run of 1893." Oklahoma was barely
three years old struggling with many issues at the time.
There were a lot of other things going on at the same time frame
as Alva's First
Homicide -- Such as, Prohibition,
Women's
Suffrage, an active Socialist Party, a group of farmer's opposed
to World War I and the beginning of the oil industry. In additon,
there were several ethnic minority communities located in the state
-- Struggle for human rights beginning with the organization of
the NAACP
(1900-1910).
The First week of November, 1910... was also a county, state
and national election year with the Republicans, Democrats and Socialists.
William
H. Taft was President of the United States (1909-1913)
-- Charles Nathaniel Haskell (D) was Governor from 1907-1911, born
3/13/1860, Ohio and died 7/5/1933, Muskogee, OK (Lawyer, Oil).
Lee Cruce (D) in November, 1910, was elected as Oklahoma's Governor
(1911-1915), Born 7/8/1863, Kentucky and Died 1/16/1933,
California (Lawyer, Banker).
Female Purity - 1910... A time when parents, especially
father's, kept track of their daughter's "female purity."
In those times the female purity was regarded as a virtue and social
dress was according to what was expected and morally correct in
society. Women still wore corsets, but there was a change, debate
in the air as to if it was a healthy, safe garment for women to
wear to confine, restrict their upper torsos.
Chapter I -- The
Murder...
What addictive charm did Judge Miller have over this poor, innocent,
inexperienced young lady (Mabel Oakes - age 22-23)? Was this
a crime of... an older man's animal passion for a younger lady old
enough to be his own daughter -- Deceptive promises of divorce,
marriage -- A young girl's 'female purity' ruined-- A crime of passion,
cover-up out of control?
Did the guilty party in the sacred name of love, lay seige to the
citadel of the heart of a young, inexperienced girl and accomplish
her ruin?
We know where suspicions rests, but is it possible that this man
is only guilty of defiling the young 'female's purity' of the victim
and is innocent of the crime of murder?
Our first installment, Chapter
I - The Murder, begins this week with other installments to
follow in the coming weeks ahead.
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Is This Nelson L. Miller? ? ?
N. L. Miller's
photo was taken out of the "Alva Pioneer Souvenir Edition"
dated 1903.
I am looking for some other sources to
see if I can verify that 'N.L.' and 'Nelson L.' are the same
Miller's.
BUT... Before we can ascertain "N.
L." and "Nelson L." are one in the same, please
view these records as if they are separate individuals.
This is what the 1900 & 1910 Okla. Census
revealed about Nelson L. Miller as head of household residing
in Woods Cty, Alva, Oklahoma Territory (Oklahoma)...
1900 Oklahoma Territory Census...
Vol. 17 e.d. 213 - Sheet 3, Line 77
Miller, Nelson L., b. July 1859, Michigan (age 41), W, Woods Cty,
Alva City; Spouse: Rachel - b. Oct., 1863, Scotland (age 37),
Citizenship: NR; Children in the Home: Lois (D), b. Jan., 1888,
Kansas (age 12); Eva (D), Jun., 1891, Kansas (age 9); Minta (D),
Mar., 1892, Kansas (age 8); Bert L. (S), Nov., 1898, Oklahoma
Terr. (age 2).
1910 Oklahoma Census...
069 0267 0077 -- Miller, Nelson W51 Michigan Okla.; Spouse: Rachel
(age 47), Scotland; Children: Eva (D), Kansas (age 19); Minta
(D), Kansas (age 18); Bert (S), Oklahoma (age 12); George (S),
Oklahoma.
Do you have a picture of the Old Opera House?...
If so E-mail Me
a copy of the Opera House that stood in the 400 block of Barnes
Avenue, Alva, Oklahoma. Thanks!
New Opera House -- 612-614
Flynn Street, Alva. It replaced the Old Opera House.
Old Opera House -- 400 block,
southside of square, Barnes Ave., Alva, Oklahoma.
Menu:
Linda K McGill Wagner
c/o WWW Publishing Co
PO Box 619, Bayfield, CO 81122
Thanks! You can also view The OkieLegacy online. Copyrighted © 2008 by WWWPubCo & OkieLegacy.
All Rights Reserved.
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Mailbag & Links Corner....
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Hi Linda... Put me on the mailing list again..I
have recently changed my address. I saw that you had a link to my
website, Shadowland
Poetry on your page. Thank you So much! Take another look when
you have time. It has links to lots of Indian poetry and
to Oklahoma poetry. Some of these were 1st place winners
in the recent contest awards ceremony of the Poetry Society of
Oklahoma, held in OKC. I am still numb with shock. It was interesting
that the poetry about Indians or about Oklahoma were
top winners in the contest. I knew we had a good thing going by
living in Oklahoma!"
Old Opera House Photo...
"Does anyone have any pictures of the OLD Opera House, the 50'x
50' building that started out as a skating rink, became a place with
a stage for live entertainment, then became a low dive, a den of iniquity,
and finally housed a murder? What happened to the building after the
murder? I can't believe it stood for long since most buildings in
which foul murder has occurred seem to be tainted by that murder long
after the murder has left the everyday consciousness of the people
of the area."
"Linda... Found your ezine very interesting
today. As usual jogged some of the brain cells -- learned some new
things -- recalled a few old memories. Don't know how useful any of
this might be, but while perusing today's edition, many memories came
back. When I was in school in the mid-50's, Max Oakes was a classmate.
I believe his dad's name was Clarence Oakes. They lived on a farm
across the railroad tracks north of Hatfield Park. He had two brothers,
Bud and Bill.
George W. Crowell, while he was no longer
around in my time, the large red brick house south of the old Alva
High School (current mid-school) was known as Crowell Apartments
in the '50's. The 'garage' of the Crowell house, I believe was remodeled
and opened as a small ice cream/snack shop where we sometimes ate
lunch from school.
AHS had no cafeteria, but the new Washington School did. AHS students
could go to Washington (or other places) for lunch. One thing
rather unusual I recall ordering there was a half cantaloupe filled
with soft serve ice cream. The ice cream shop memory was stimulated
by one of the wedding announcements about someone with the name of
Sample, I think the family who ran the ice cream shop was named Sample.
When in Old Junior High ( now the Education
Bldg at NSC/NWOSU) the eighth grade English teacher back then
was Afton Bilby. I think she was the daughter of Dr. G. N. Bilby.
Your ezine this week really activated the memories."
Uncas, OK - Ghostown... "Uncas,
Oklahoma was torn down before the filling of Kaw Lake in Kay County
back in the late 60's and early 70's, I think. It may date back to
land run days. My father-in-law was an insurance salesman across North
Oklahoma for many years and had a store insured there. Nothing there
now, except you can make out where the town streets used to be (still
some asphalt) and there is one slab that I am told belongs to
the old schoolhouse. In the last 10 years it has really overgrown
with trees. It was torn down because it rests in the flood zone of
the lake, but l don't think it has ever flooded. To get there head
north on hwy 177 from Ponca City a few miles to Ferguson Road. Head
east on Ferguson until it dead-ends at Kaw Lake (about 10 miles).
Most of the road is improved, all weather road, but it gets a little
worse as you approach the lake because it is no longer maintained.
Don't worry, you can make it. Possibly a good spot to do some metal
detecting. It is on Army Corps of Engineers Land. The area is near
a popular fishing spot, so you could see some other cars parked 'around
town'."
Boise City, OK WWII Bombing... I stumbles on
your website by mistake when I was looking for a French newspaper....
But I, a fellow Okie, found it facinating. You requested more information
on the bombing of Boise City in Cimarron County. Well, first of all,
to my belief, there STILL is not a stop sign in Cimarron county. During
WWII, our government had ordered all lights blacked out after dark,
to prevent our cities from being bombed by the Japanese. Our Air Force
was doing some test bombing in New Mexico, and the pilot got off coarse.
Someone had left a light on near the court house in Boise City and
the pilot thought that was hit test target, so the bomb landed right
out in front of the court house steps. So, they now have the reputation
of having been the only place in the continental US to have been bombed
during the war, but it was friendly fire." -- Marilyn
1909 & 1910 Era... 1909 -- In the first decade
of the twentieth century, the United State was a very different place
from what it is today. For one thing, there were forty-five states,
with Utah, Idaho and Wyoming having been admitted in the 1890s. Oklahoma
would join the union in 1907.
1909 -- The wettest November of century with
5.72 inches, averaged statewide. Despite the wet November, 1909
represents the onset of 1909-1918 drought, the driest 10-year period
(statewide precipitation 29.34 inches per year).
1910 -- Driest October of century with a
statewide-averaged precipitation of 0.14 inch. Driest year of century
with statewide-averaged precipitation of 18.95 inches. Ending of
the driest consecutive years of century (1909-1910) with 23.02 inches/year.
Old News Articles - 1910, Okla...
Gunner Kills
Army Officer - Victoria, B.C., Nov. 11
Youths Rob Baker
At Dow; Captured - McAlester, Okla., Nov. 11
Minimum Rate
Under Ban - Guthrie, Okla., Nov. 11
Man With Broken
Neck Is Benedict - Muskogee, Oklah., Nov. 11 -- (Special)
Nice Little Boys
Eclipse 'Carrie' - New York, Nov. 10 -- (Special)
Two Children
Are Burned To Death - Fairview, Okla., Nov. 12 -- (Special). AND...
Wheat is Popular In Cherokee County - Tahlequah, Oklah., Nov.
12 -- (Special).
A Good Cough Mixture
AD - Simple Home-made Remedy, Free from Opiates and Harmful Drugs |
Prohibition in Oklahoma
-- "This came against the backdrop
of ongoing Prohibition in Oklahoma. It was the only state to enter
the nation, in 1907, officially dry. Yet in 1910, the Vinita Weekly
Chieftain reported, 'Prohibition in Oklahoma is the rankest farce
that ever cursed a state... When there are thousands of bootleggers
traveling up and down the country... When the streets of every town
smell of whiskey... Prohibition in Oklahoma? Ye Gods, what a farce'."
-- Oklahoma's
Choc Beer
The
Good Years -- "Life for most
residents became more comfortable between the turn of the century
and America's entrance into the First World War. There was more leisure
time..... There was greater freedom of movement. Most families had
never been able to afford a horse and carriage, but the interurbans
now provided a network of cheap transportation to picnic sites and
social events in other communities. Sports grew in popularity, and
there were new and inexpensive forms of recreation with the developing
park system, YMCA and YWCA programs, and the arrival of vaudeville
and motion picture shows. There was also more security. Insurance
programs were spreading, a Postal savings system protected savings,
and the state enacted workmen's compensation legislation. There were
advances in public health measures and hospital care, and more students
were attending school for longer periods."
OU's Mascots Over the Years...
I did a search online for "Mascot" & "Oklahoma
University" and find the following info concerning OU's mascots
that they have had during the years. Were there three different Mascots
-- "Mex the Dog", "Little Red" and "Sooner
Schooner?"
Oklahoma University's "SOONER SCHOONER"...
"From 'Mex the Dog' and 'Little Red' (an Indian dancer
during the 1940's), to today's Schooner, the mascots for Oklahoma
University have always been an important Sooner tradition. Mex
the Dog wore a red sweater with a big red letter "O"
on the side. His main job was to keep stray dogs from roaming on
the field during the days when the game field was more accessible.
Today's Sooner Schooner is a Conestoga, or covered wagon,
reminiscent of the mode of travel used by the pioneers who settled
in Oklahoma. The Schooner is powered by matching white ponies and
explodes onto Owen Field after each Oklahoma score. " -- Kruzic
Communications- Press Releases - Big XII Conference Cities (1999
- 2002). Steeped in Tradition, Spirit and Hometown Pride
Small World... I sent
my mother the articles you've sent to me. She faxed me back the following
comments:
-- What a wonderful bunch of research was in it! WOW! -- How many
father's keep track and know of their daughter's mo. cycle? -- The
wife of Miller was never mentioned, as was usual in those times. Women
were possessions. -- Dr. Templin doing the autopsy. I think is Frank
Templin's uncle (now to explain that... My mother was a MOREFIELD,
her mother was a BRANSON, my grandmother's sister was Charles Afton
(BRANSON) TEMPLIN (small world, isn't it?) -- Some of the jurors were
Father's of my dad's friends(and some were VERY good looking!)"
NW Oklahoma - 1950s Unexplained Murder... "LK,
I think the case you are looking into is interesting however I have
always been interested in one case that no one has been able to explain
to me. During the early 50's, my mom, dad and other family to drove
to an area outside Alva where a car was on fire and the body of a
young woman was present in the car. She had been mudered but I don't
think it was ever solved. I believe her husband was the suspect but
have never been able to find out any results. The last time I was
in Alva, I asked my brother if he would talk to the Woods County Sheriff
Office to see if the file still exists. I don't know why this case
still is on my mind, maybe because it was the first of many cases
I would be interested in since I spent most of my career as a federal
agent investigating felony cases, but it has. Anyway, if you ever
get the chance, time and desire, you might want to look into it."
Gwynn History... "Hi,
My name is also Gwynn.I have traced my family back from Malvern to
Birmingham to London to Jesus College Oxford and to Llandissillio
Wales in 1712. This was about the time of the great Welsh migration
orchestrated by William Penn to Pennsylvania. I have lost the family
in Wales but am trying to see if any got to the America's and where
they originated. Do you have anything on Welsh migration and from
which families. Most of the migration took place from Milhaven harbour.
Thanking you in advance." -- Contact Roy
OK-MYSTERIES... A mailing
list for anyone who is researching genealogical mysteries in Oklahoma.
To subscribe send "subscribe" to ok-mysteries-l-request@rootsweb.com
(mail mode) or ok-mysteries-d-request@rootsweb.com
(digest mode).
'Lectric
Law Library... "I thought you might need this as you
go through your case and, through it, help educate yourself and your
readers ... which is what your OHH is all about." --
'Lectric Law Library
- The Net's Best Law Dictionary with Thousands of Definitions &
Explanations of Legal Terms, Phrases & Concepts.
Yucatan Chewing Gum... The Zeno Manufacturing
Company & Rubber Paint company of Cleveland, Ohio started to
make chewing gum in 1886 inspired by W. J. White from Yucatan Chewing
Gum Company in Cleveland who was making chewing gum since 1876.
-- Chewing Gum
World
Chewing
Gum History... "For centuries the
ancient Greeks chewed mastic gum which is the direct ancestor of our
modern chewing gum..... From the Indians of New England, the American
colonists learned to chew the gum-like resin that formed on spruce
trees when the bark was cut. Lumps of spruce gum were sold in the
eastern United States during the early 1800s, making it the first
commercial chewing gum in this country. In about 1850, sweetened paraffin
wax became popular and and eventually exceeded spruce gum in popularity.
Modern chewing gum had its beginning in the late 1860s when chicle
was brought to the United States."
Tribute
to Queen Mother... The death of England's
Queen Mother on 30th March is a sad time for many as she was much
loved by the people of Scotland and of course she was a Scot."
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