Oakie's NW Corner...
This week started out great... being able to connect two parties
-- Connecting the descendant of Joseph Barnett-Hugh Martin with
the Waynoka Historical Society who have been searching for information
concerning a log cabin once owned by Joseph Barnett and later the
Hugh Martin family. TheBarnett log cabin was moved log by log from
south of the Cimarron River to Waynoka. It is those little rewards
make everything else worthwhile!
If you check out the Mailbag & Link Corner,
you will find an old photo of the Olmstead General & Lumber
store of Waynoka, Oklahoma. It is believed to have been the first
two-story building in that area. Don't you just love the old photos?
If you have any to share with us, send them this way - Linda
Wagner ?
 As
to present day and Freedom's Rodeo Queens... this photo is a picture
taken of the 2002 Rodeo Queen & Attendant and the 1st Freedom
Rodeo Li'l Princess. The picture will show in the large version
if you click on it... the Freedom Rodeo Queen, Sabrina Bowers, and
her attendant, Brooke Rockenbach -- the 1st Freedom Rodeo Li'l Princess,
Taylor Munsell. Taylor is in the front, foreground on the light
colored horse with Sabrina Bowers next to her and Brooke Rockenbach
on the otherside.
The end of the week... was a bit scary and concerned a huge black
bear, a small dog that thinks she is just as big and an aunt hollering
at them both to retrieve one and scare the other off. The dog is
alive and resting this evening! The big black bear ran off, but
came back to finish the dog food he stole earlier! The aunt &
mother are thankful! BUT... That's another story all together! See
you next week.
~~ Linda "OaKie" ~~
NW Mystery Corner...
In 1910... Oklahoma had been a brand new State for three years.
Sometimes I have to remind myself that this
Old Opera House Murder took place back in era of prohibition,
bootleggers and when women were possessions to be protected and
with very little rights -- nor could they sit on a jury.
For those just now tuning in... Alva's first homicide of 1910 was
the first murder in this small, rural community of Alva, Woods County,
northwest Oklahoma.
9 November 1910 -- the day after election day -- Heated races
across the State, not just in NW Oklahoma. One of those local races
was Sheriff Hugh Martin, Jr. facing re-election in a heated race
for Sheriff of Woods County, NW Oklahoma. He lost that race by one
vote. Martin ran again in 1923 and won that office back.
From the transcripts of the testimonies... Justice N. L. Miller
would leave his office at various times during the day keeping close
tabs on the election results at both the republican & democratic
headquarters located on the northside and westside of the downtown
square.
Meanwhile, back at the office... Miss Mabel Oakes, twenty-three
year-old daughter of George & Carrie Oakes, was in Justice Miller's
office, in the old opera house, across from the southeast corner
of Alva's downtown square. Miller and others would periodically
drop in and out of the office during the day, 9 November 1910.
Around 3 o'clock in the afternoon, Miller walks into his office
and allegedly finds Miss Oakes body laying in the small back room
of the old opera house. Miller goes to his front office door --
sees Mr. Oakes and another guy walking along the east block on the
eastside of the square. Miller hollers and motions across the street
towards Oakes to come quickly to the office. Oakes, hesitantly,
hurries over to Miller's office with his friend following shortly
behind. Miller and Oakes enter the office and back to the small
room where Mabel's body is laying out on a piece of carpet. For
the rest of the story -- checkout the State's
witnesses - Defense's
witnesses - The
Jury selection - Old
Opera House Murder cast of characters.
George W. Crowell, vice-pres. of the First National Bank &
pres. of Crowell Bros. Lumber Yard, testified that the afternoon
of November 9th, 1910 (day after election day) after 3 o'clock p.m.,
Crowell walked over to the old opera house where Sheriff Martin
opened the door and called Crowell in and told him, "We want
you to be one of the jury-men at the inquest." Other jury-men
were selected off of the street that day and impaneled by Judge
Lawhon for the coroner's inquest -- T. B. Roby, J. T. Herold,
Geo. W. Crowell (foreman), R. B. Dugan,
C. R. Moore, W. M. Goebel.
This week... we have the transcripts of Dr.
O. E. Templin,
Dr. Elizabeth Grantham, W.
M. Bickel, county judge and George
W. Crowell transcribed and ready for viewing.
The alleged cause of death... Miss Oakes' death was presumed to
be caused by strangulation with her own scarf wound 2 or 3 times
tightly around her neck and the ends tucked behind her back. The
defense attorneys continuously objected to questions, answers as
incompetent, irrelevant and immaterial. The Court continued to overrule
most of those objections and the defense duly excepted.
It has been interesting transcribing these transcripts -- investigating
old news stories. The State's
opening statement admitted to the circumstantial evidence. No
one actually saw Miller commit the crime. Doesn't it make you wonder
what was really behind this crime? Was it strangulation by another
or self imposed? Did Miss Oakes succumb to one of her fainting spells
while alone? What would your verdict have been if you could have
been able to sit on the jury back then? If you were a woman -- you
would not be sitting on the jury in 1910. As to coroner's Inquests...
was it a practice back then in 1910 to select the jury-men for the
coroner's inquest directly from the people on the street?
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SW Colorado Rock Henge
This unique formation of Colorado
Rocky Mountain stones have found their way into SW Colorado by
a young artistic, engineer (R. L. Wagner). You can sit and look
for hours from all sides -- seeing and imagining all the different,
marvelous creatures that reside in this unique man-made formations.
You might see the howling wolf and the frog residing in this Southwest
Colorado Rock Henge ... BUT... Only in SW Colorado. To view the
rock sculptures, Click the photo above.
NW
OK Marriages 1930-'45
Hada-Dunn
- June 7 ca. 1936 -- Sunday afternoon, June 7th at 4 o'clock
when Margie Hada became the bride of Sam Dunn. Mr. and Mrs. Dunn
will make their home at home at 724 Choctaw.
Crosser-Powers
- Jule 23 ca. 1936 -- Miss Velma Crosser, daughter Mr. and
Mrs. C. E. Crosser, married to Mr. Charles Powers, Waynoka, son
of Mr. and Mrs. D. H. Powers, of Freedom, is calendared for Wednesday,
July 23.
Fisher-Cobb
- ca. 1936 -- Married Friday evening at 7 o'clock, Miss Gertrude
Fisher, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. C. A. Fisher of Ringwood, and
Austin Cobb, son of Mr. and Mrs. I. L. Cobb, west of Alva, in
the home of the bride's brother and sister-in-law, Mr. and Mrs.
Bert Fisher, on East Center street.
Harris-Skaggs
- ca. 1936 -- Miss Betty Jo Harris, daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
W. R. Harris, 823 Fifth street, and Mr. R. Merritt Skaggs, son
of Mr. and Mrs. L. E. Skaggs, Hillsdale, were married in the home
of the bride's aunt, Mrs. J. P. Watkins, at Helena at 2 p.m. Sunday.
Schwennesen-Hardin
- June 29 ca. 1936 -- Miss Beulah Schwennesen, daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. T. C. Schwennesen, Alva, and Mr. Lloyd Hardin, Enid,
Monday evening, June 29, at 9 o'clock.
Holland-Deal
- June ca. 1936 -- Robert Deal, son of Mr. and Mrs. Thad Deal
of Alva, married Miss Bernice Holland at the home of the bride's
brother, Homer Holland, at Guymon Wednesday morning at 11 o'clock.
Snyder-Walker
- June ca. 1936 -- Wedding of Miss Eva E. Snyder, daughter
of Mr. and Mrs. W.C. Snyder of Alva, and Harold D. Rudy, son of
Mr. and Mrs. Jake Rudy of Alva, at 9 o'clock Easter morning at
the home of Rev. Charles Wardell.
Welsh-Zwickey
- June 12 ca. 1936 --
Mr. and Mrs. George Welsh, 719 Center Street,
announce the marriage of their daughter, Fern Ellen to Mr. Francis
Leslie Zwickey, Detroit, on Friday, June 12, in Chicago.
Ferguson-Mann
- June ca. 1936 --Miss Joyce E. Ferguson, daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. O. C. Ferguson of Alva, became a June bride when she
married Clifford Mann, who is connected with the Zenith Gas System
here.
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....
 Sheriff
Martin's Badge... "How cool is it to be able to read the
words of one's great grandfather like that? I've been involved in
researching my family genealogy for almost 18 years. Long ago I made
it my goal to try to present them as the real people they were, not
just names, places and dates. Your work has helped me do that a little
more with Hugh Martin, Jr. I spent at least an hour on your site.
I got more! Attached to this message will be a photo of Hugh Martin's
badge. It is presently owned by Ardelle Martin of Casper, Wyoming,
the widow of one of Hugh Martin's grandsons. I forgot to mention.
The Oakes girl was killed on election day. You will note that Hugh
Martin, while testifying at the trial, mentioned turning over
evidence to his successor. Hugh lost that election by one vote. Of
course, he later ran again and took the office back." -- Charlie
 Dedicated
to James C. McCary... I have quite a few old photos taken in Woods
Co., Oklahoma before statehood. I have a
signed copy of Scott Cummins book, Twilight Reveries, a
book of poems. It was published in 1923. In it is a poem written in
tribute to my great-great-grandfather, James Calvin McCary,
who also lived in Woods County and was a friend of the "pilgrim
bard". They both were veterans of the Civil War, Cummins for
the Union and McCary for the Confederacy. James was born in Fluvanna
County, Virginia. After the war, he moved to Kentucky, then to Kansas,
and finally to Oklahoma. I have a photo of him taken at the 50th reunion
of the veterans of the battle of Gettysbury. He was an artillery captain.
For that reason, he was in Pickets ill fated unit, he survived, helping
insure that I was born. There is a McCary Addition in Alva, developed
on land owned by him and his wife. I have his obituary and copies
of papers related to his being accepted as eligible to attend the
reunion. It was referred to as the 'Hands across the Wall Reunion'
because vets of both sides were there." -- Charlie Cook
Old Cowhand's List...
"Just saw a relative of mine on the Old
Cowhands list from the Freedom Rodeo. I attended that rodeo three
or four times way back when." -- Floyd
Vanderbilt University... The
history of the medical school -- "The first diplomas issued
by Vanderbilt University were to sixty-one Doctors of Medicine in
February of 1875, thanks to an arrangement that recognized the University
of Nashville's medical school as serving both institutions. Thus,
Vanderbilt embraced fully-organized and functioning medical school
even before its own campus was ready for classes in October of that
year."
August 31 -- Happy Re-BirthDay
DoRight!
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Waynoka's 1st 2-story building...
 "This
may be the first two story building in Waynoka...pretty early, no
cars, no bicyles, just buggies and hitching posts. The photo was
printed by G.F. Green, jeweler and photographer, Waynoka, Okla."
-- Charlie
Olmstead
Knife was a give away from the store.
Click photos for larger view.
Joseph Barnett's Log Cabin... "Would it
be possible to provide me the email address of Charlie Cook, great
grandson of Sheriff Martin? He mentions Joseph Barnett, and that name
is on the abstract of the log cabin property (the Waynoka Historical
Society recently moved a Cherokee Strip log cabin to town, piece by
piece). The log cabin property was apparently owned by Sheriff Martin
at the time of his death! I'm very anxious to talk to Mr. Cook. Thanks."
-- Sandie
Barnett Log Cabin Connection... "It is
phenomenal that through your newsletter I have found the history and
original photos of the log cabin owned by the Waynoka Historical Society!
We moved the cabin to town a few weeks ago. The timing is serendipitous.
We are blessed. The cabin was built in 1897 by Joseph Barnett, whose
daughter, Ida, married Woods County's first sheriff. Joseph and Wealthy
Ann, with their six children, lived in the cabin south of the Cimarron
near Waynoka. A descendant found your site, looking for information
about Sheriff Martin. Thank you so very much!" -- Sandie O.,
President, Waynoka Historical Society
Edward Gray Family Info... "Everytime I
check out your site it is changed. Keep up the good work. I like your
surname list. I noticed you didn't have statistics on Edward Gray
and Jane Alexander. This is what I have and they are important to
me because that is my beginning as far as I can find ---
— Edward Gray - born abt. 1779 in Hanover, Adams
Co, PA, died bef. 8 Aug 1835 in Rhea Co, TN.
— Jane Alexander - born Nov 11, 1783 in Guilford,
Franklin Co, PA, died 1883 in TN (probalby Rhea Co.); married in 1801.
— Five children: John - Jun 30, 1802; William King
- Mar 3, 1804; Stephen Alexander - abt 1808; Nancy Ann - abt 1810;
Catherine - abt 1812." -- Nancy Gray Blackman
Alva Memories of POW Camp... "I have really
enjoyed finding your page. I lived in Alva from 1938 to 1947. I went
to Horace Mann school. I lived at 911 College and my grandparents
lived at 802 College. My father was in the gasline business. My sister
Betty and I would set in her room and watch the Germans being marched
to the camp. Being second generation German, I always wondered about
some of the very young boys. I would go with my father to deliver
gas at the camp. I lived there when Woodward was blown away from a
tornado. I now live in Hobart, Ok. Thanks for this good site."
-- Marilyn Deere
Creighton
University... The history of Creighton
Universtity -- "Edward Creighton and his younger brother, John,
came to Omaha in the 1850's. Edward was primarily responsible for
the laying of the transcontinental telegraph lines from Omaha to the
west coast and his financial interests became a major force in the
economic development of Omaha. Edward died in 1874 and his widow,
Mary Lucretia Creighton, who inherited his fortune, included $100,000
in her will for the purpose of establishing a school in memory of
her husband. She specifically directed that the school be "in
the city of Omaha," "of the class and grade of a college,"
and "known as Creighton University." |
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