County Sheriff Assists with Cherokee Crisis

County Sheriff Assists with Cherokee Crisis Sheriff‚s Office gets radio set

— Sequoyah County Times, Aug. 17, 1997

From the files of Your Sequoyah County Times 25 Years Ago

(From the Aug. 17, 1997, issue of the Sequoyah County Times)

–Sequoyah County‚s sheriff, Johnny Philpot, found himself in the middle of the Cherokee Nation conflict Wednesday, when he answered a call for assistance from the Cherokee County sheriff.

Philpot explained Delena Gross, Cherokee County sheriff, called for assistance from neighboring law enforcement agencies when an ousted faction of the Cherokee Nation announced their plan to take back the Cherokee Courthouse in downtown Tahlequah Wednesday from the supporters of principal Chief Joe Byrd.

Non-Cherokee law enforcement was called in because the Cherokee Courthouse is not located on Indian land.

And when violence did erupt, Philpot helped remove those trying to take back the courthouse from the courthouse back porch. Mannon and Poindexter assisted in the arrest of one of those storming the courthouse.

From the files of Your Sequoyah County Times 25 Years

(From the Sept. 22, 1996, and Sept. 26, 1996, issues of the Sequoyah County Times)

–A robber wielding a long-barrel revolver made off with the contents of the cash drawer at Sparks Convenience Store, five miles north of Sallisaw, Wednesday.

Deputy Robert Mathis, with the Sequoyah County Sheriff‚s office, said the white mail, about age 25, didn‚t raise any suspicion when he went in about 7 p.m. and said he was waiting for a ride to Marble City. The suspect stood around by the magazine rack, and then went outside after he saw a man walk in and go towards the restroom.

“I tell you what. You just give me all your money and I won‚t shoot you,” the suspect told the clerk when he walked back in the door and pulled out the revolver.

He then ran out the door and left in the other man‚s truck, which had the keys in the ignition.

—Sequoyah County‚s Employment office is once again a full-time, full-service agency, and is offering a computerized network which lists jobs throughout the country.

Johnny Blakey, employment service manager of the State Employment Service in Sallisaw, said the service now has a computerized network offering thousands of job opportunities in a date base on the Internet.

And job seekers do not have to have their own computer to access the information. They may use the employment office‚s computer.

50 Years Ago (From the August, 1972, issue of the Sequoyah County Times) —Files for this time period cannot be read.

75 Years Ago 50 Years Ago

(From the Aug. 22, 1947, issue of the Sequoyah County Times)

—Perhaps it‚s these excellent Sallisaw sidewalks or maybe it‚s the heat, but a Perry, Okla., resident mistook the walk in front of Bynum‚s store Tuesday evening for the highway.

Yes sir, that man was driving his automobile right down the sidewalk and probably would have continued on up main street if Sheriff E.C. Steward hadn‚t been parked on the opposite side of the street.

The man gave his name as Sam Hunt, he had stopped at Farmer‚s D-X station on the corner of U.S 64 and filled up with gas. Leaving the station he evidently thought the sidewalk was the highway until steward set him straight, Ordinarily you would think there might be a little liquor drinking messed up in the yarn like this, but courthouse officials said the man was sober as a judge.

He was fined $16 anyway.

(From the Sept. 23, 1971, issue of the Big Basin Herald) —The Arkansas-Oklahoma Livestock Exposition and District Free Fair which is scheduled to begin Sept. 24 and through Oct. 2 is expected to be bigger than ever this year.

As of Monday, entries in the open and junior beef and open and junior sheep classes were running ahead of 1970 final figures.

All animals will be in place at the show ground at Kay Rodgers Park by 3 p.m. Sunday and will remain in exhibition until 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 2.

Motorcycle races will be featured at Harper Stadium at 8 p.m. Friday with an Open Horse Show slated for the arena Saturday, Sept. 24 and Quarter Horse Show on Oct. 2.

Old McDonald‚s Farm will be featured again this year, an all time favorite of the children, it will be open daily.

100 years ago

(From the Aug. 18, 1922, issue of the Sequoyah County Democrat)

—Chief of Police M.F. Newman arrested Sam long in this city Tuesday afternoon and found six quarts of corn whiskey in his wagon and one quart whiskey on his hip. Long was brought before police judge J.M. Barton and fined seventeen dollars and a half in SEE HISTORY, PAGE A7