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Old Opera House Mystery
Renfrew's Record, Alva, Wds Cty, OK - Nov. 11, 1910
Tragedy In Old Opera House - news article
Mabel Oakes, Daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Geo W. Oakes of This City, Made
the Victim of the First Homicide in Alva - Coroner's Jury charges N. L.
Miller With Crime
The blackest page in the history of Alva, will be written in the circumstances
surrounding the death of Miss Mabel Oakes, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George
Oakes, of this city, aged about 23 years, 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, where her remains lay.
Mabel had left home about 10 o'clock a.m. to go down town and expected to
return soon, but as she did not come back to dinner, the parents were somewhat
uneasy.
The next time the parents heard of their daughter, was the information above
stated. The girl was found lying on her back, on a piece of carpet on the
floor of the room, with her hands folded across her breast as though her
body had already been straightened for the grave. Her scarf was wrapped
three times tightly around her neck and suspicions as to the cause of her
death were at once aroused.
Miller's connection with the affair was so plain that Judge Lawhon told
him that he would either set a guard to watch him or send him to jail for
safe keeping, and Miller said he preferred to go to jail. His request was
granted and Sheriff Hugh Martin placed him behind the bars, where he remains
at present.
Miss Oakes had for over a year been clerk and stenographer for Justice Miller's
court, but her parents some weeks ago, thinking that the position was not
a proper place for her, had persuaded her to quit the position.
The body was still warm when found, but it was the general opinion that
life had departed some three hours before.
The officers took charge of the remains, but owing to the suspicious circumstances
connected with the girl's death, the physicians of the city were called
and instructed to make a thorough examination of the remains, in order to
learn if possible the cause of death, and an autopsy was held. The following
is a list of the coroner's jury impaneled by Judge Lawhon, acting coroner:
T.B. Roby, J. T. Herold, G.W. Crowell, R.B. Dugan, C.R. Moore, W.M. Goebel.
The jury adjourned until nine o'clock Thursday morning to await the report
of the physicians.
Soon after nine o'clock Thursday morning, Judge Lawhon began holding the
inquest in the district court room, which was filled with spectators. County
Attorney McCrory conducted the inquiry and examined the witnesses. Sheriff
Hugh Martin was the first witness and he testified in substance to what
has been above stated.
Doctors Bilby, Templin and Grantham, who made the autopsy, testified briefly
and agreed on the following points: First, that death resulted from strangulation,
caused by the silk scarf being drawn so tightly about the neck that suffocation
followed: Secondly that the victim could not have caused her own death and
placed her hands across her breast as the body was found: Thirdly, that
another person or persons had evidently caused the death of Mabel Oakes.
The physicians all agreed that the heart and other internal organs were
in perfectly healthy condition. All agreed that the victim would have been
a mother in the course of four or five months if she had lived. No other
evidence of violence than that produced by the use of the scarf, was found
that could have caused the death of the victim.
George W. Oakes, the father of the victim, was placed on the witness stand
and testified to very damaging evidence against N. L. Miller, in regard
to the victim's condition. C. O. Green testified to having seen N. L. Miller
enter his office between noon and one o'clock on the day on which Mabel
Oakes' body was found in the opera house adjoining.
At the close of the examination of witnesses, Judge Lawhon adjourned the
inquest until one o'clock.