Possibility of arson in Saturday night fire and explosion

From the files of Your Sequoyah County Times

25 Years Ago

(From the Nov. 21,1999, issue of the Sequoyah County Times) —Four residents of a four-apartment condominium at Green Acre Village in Sallisaw lost their homes Wednesday when a fire broke out above the ceiling in one of the four apartments.

The fire was reported at about 3:15 p.m. Wednesday, and firemen had the fire under control in about two hours, but were on the scene until after dark to make sure the blaze did not rekindle.

Charles Mattox, the builder of the village, said the four apartments were destroyed, either directly by the fire or by smoke and water damage.

“We might be able to rebuild if the walls are not too badly damaged,” Mattox said.

50 Years Ago

(From the Nov. 28,1974, issue of the Sequoyah County Times) —Six explosions rocked the downtown area of Sallisaw Saturday night when gasoline cans filled with flammable liquid blew up, gutting the inside of a trailer rig parked in the alley between the Kelly Service Station and the Sallisaw Auto Parts store at 310 E. Cherokee.

Fire Marshal John Nidiffer, who is investigating the incident, said the trailer had been towed to its dowmtown parking spot on Tuesday, Nov. 19 after having been abandoned on North Walnut near Revlon.

Late Saturday night someone broke the locks on the trailer, placed six gasoline cans inside and then ignited them.

Ninety-eight truck tires, possibly stolen, had been in the trailer rig. Only 27 of them were in good condition following the fire.

The rig had been parked on North Walnut for two weeks before it was declared abandoned by the police department. It had no license tag or other identification attached to it.

The FBI has been called into the investigation.

75 Years Ago

(From the Dec. 2,1949, issue of the Sequoyah County Times) —Last Tuesday evening Sheriff EW Floyd led a raid on the Cities Service Station, leased by Slim Henderson, located at the south end of the Arkansas River bridge in Moffett.

A search warrant was served immediately after it was issued by the Moffett justice of the peace.

Floyd and representatives from the bureau of Criminal Investigation were investigating complaints that had been made against a Moffett dance hall when they were told that slot machines and gambling would be found at the filling station. They made the raid immediately but found no evidence of slot machines or gambling paraphernalia.

—Nancy Gulledge, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joe Gulledge of Sallisaw, was selected recently to sing in Carnegie Hall in New York City with 17 other sopranos November 16 and 17.

The group was accompanied by the New York Philharmonic orchestra, directed by Leopold Stokowski. They sang works of the contemporary French composer Olivier Messien.

Miss Gulledge went to New York two years ago after graduating from Sallisaw High School. She formerly attended the Manhattan School of Music, but is now studying under her voice teacher, Andrea Palestrana.

100 years ago

(From the Nov. 28,1924, issue of the Sequoyah County Democrat) —The shipment of mine chat recently ordered by the ladies of the Cemetery Association arrived last Saturday and teamsters have been busy unloading it and completing the roads inside the City Cemetery south of the city. The work will be complete this week and the roads will be ready for use just as soon as workmen can lay the chat and get it spread properly City Manager Fred Johnston has kindly volunteered his services in supervising the work and this insures a good road when the work is finished. The chat is a little more expensive than the gravel, but makes a better and more lasting road and wisdom was shown in choosing chat for the roads inside the cemetery grounds instead of gravel.

—Arrangements for a number of child health conferences are being made by a group of interested women in Sallisaw, Gore, Vian, Muldrow and Marble City. These conferences are held under the direction of the Bureau of Maternity and Infancy, State Department of Health, in cooperation with the local physicians.