Three bank bandits killed in raid
— Sequoyah County Democrat, Sept. 29, 1922
From the files of Your Sequoyah County Times
25 Years Ago
(From the Sept. 28, 1997, issue of the Sequoyah County Times)
–Construction of a reservoir and dam northeast of Roland is in full swing now, with yellow-bellied equipment scooping, pushing, and moving earth to make room for a 50-acre lake.
Construction on the water treatment plant is already ahead of schedule. The foundation has been readied and a prefabricated building ordered to house equipment and supplies.
David Reddin, city manager, said the projects are expected to be completed by Dec. 1998, but it will take months for the lake to fill up enough to start supplying water.
The new system is being built to supply water on peak-usage days, that is, supply 800,000 gallons a day, said Jay Updike, engineer with Holloway, Updike and Bellen Inc. of Muskogee.
“The town will be in good shape for many years to come,” he said about the new system.
50 Years Ago
(From the Oct. 5, 1972, issue of the Sequoyah County Times)
—Hundreds of members of the Cookson Hills Rural Electric Cooperative will gather in Sallisaw Saturday for the coop‚s 24th annual membership meeting, James Humphrey, president, said this week.
The meeting to be held at the Sallisaw High School, will begin at 9 a.m.
A large number of free prizes will be given away at the meeting, including food mixers, toasters, coffee makers, electric blankets and other items.
Humphrey said members of the coop‚s board of directors and the manager will give members a report on the current operation of the cooperative.
75 Years Ago
(From the Oct. 3, 1947, issue of the Sequoyah County Times)
—Bottleneck on paving U.S. Highway 64 east of Sallisaw has only improved slightly, officials in the local highway department office said Thursday. During the past week 15 more carloads of gravel have been received here, but no sand has been shipped.
There is a total of 85 cars of gravel at the Missouri Pacific yard now. It has been estimated 900 to 1,000cars of sand and gravel will be required for the 8.8 miles of paving.
Paving operations cannot begin until the railroad car shortage eases up and more material is received, officials said.
—Johnny Marrs, who recently purchased the Marrs‚ Café on main street in Sallisaw from Sonney Hines, announced the café will open Saturday after extensive remodeling and complete refurnishing.
The equipment and fixtures are all new, including eight modern, upholstered booths, six tables, a 38-foot bar, a counter, 15 counter stools, twin three-gallon, automatically controlled coffee urns, two steam food warming tables, Fri-O-Lator for frying potatoes and chicken and florescent lighting fixtures.
Marrs has extended an invitation to the public to come in and inspect the kitchen Friday evening.
100 years ago
(From the Sept. 29, 1922, issue of the Sequoyah County Democrat)
—Bank Raid Failing, Two Sequoyah County Bandits Slain, Third Dying, Two Captured George and Chas Price shot by citizens of Eureka Springs as they rob bank and attempt to escape with $115,000 in cash and Liberty Bonds The “Cookson Bank Gang” Broken Up Members of a Notorious gang of Oklahoma bank bandits that has long operated in this section of the state came to grief today when three Cherokee County men were shot to death in a running battle with citizens of Eureka Springs, Ark., where the gang had robbed the First National Bank of $25,000 in cash and $90,000 in bonds.
The dead are: Cyrus Wilson, 49; George Price, 40; and Charles Price, 25, his brother.
The wounded: Mark Hendricks, 45, Park Hill, Cherokee County; Frank Cowan said to be from Barber, Cherokee County.
Hendricks and Cowan are reported to have been seriously wounded.
All members of the bandit gang were either killed or captured.
E.G. Smith, cashier of the bank sounded the alarm by stepping on a section of the bank floor which was connected with the burglar alarm.
Alarmed citizens met the bandits with gun fire as they emerged from the bank with their loot, carrying before them the bank teller as a shield. The bandits returned the fire.
Ernest Jordan, jeweler, whose store adjoins the bank, received powder burns from the bandit‚s pistols.
None was masked. They pointed pistols at Smith, ordering him to hold up his hands. He complied, but at the same time, placed his foot on a button which set off the bank‚s burglar alarms on the street in front of the bank.
Citizens in the mean time began hurrying to the vicinity of the bank and taking up vantage points in doors and windows from which they commanded the bank entrance.
Becoming alarmed, Cowan started to drive away. A shot was fired at his car by G.E. Burson, cashier of the Bank of Eureka. The shot did not take effect however, Burson not firing directly at the driver because he was not certain it was a bandit car.
Wilson dropped instantly killed by the first shot said to have been fired by Jordan, the jeweler who stood in the open in the street with Constable Homer E. Brittain.
The other four were wounded in quick succession, the Price brothers dying in the Huntington Hospital where the four were taken. They each lived more than an hour after being shot.
Before dying Wilson fired at Jordan at such short range that the jeweler‚s face was powder burned.
Charley Price at the present time is wanted in Sequoyah County on a charge of participating in a daylight raid on the First National Bank of Muldrow four months ago.
