County jail under small pox quarantine

From the files of Your Sequoyah County Times

25 Years Ago

(From the Feb. 27, 2000, issue of the Sequoyah County Times) (From the March 5, 2000, issue of the Sequoyah County Times) —Folks in Muldrow do not have to do without a park any longer thanks to former Sequoyah County resident Paul Phillips and his wife, Louise.

Phillips donated $90,000 to the town of Muldrow for the purchase of land for a city park. The Phillips, who live in Ohio, were visiting relatives in Muldrow last October. “We noticed there wasn’t a park in Muldrow, and Roland has a nice park, so we thought Muldrow should have one too,” Phillips said.

Phillips said they started looking for land and decided to buy nine acres between State Highway 64B and Caddo Street for the park.

“It’s not on the main street. It’s a good quiet atmosphere,” Muldrow Mayor Carl Fugett said.

Fugett said Muldrow purchased an additional acre to be added to the park. Fugett said the additional acre is for parking.

Fugett and Phillips said they hope the people in Muldrow will get behind the project and help out. “I want the community involved,” Fugett said.

Phillips said he and his wife are anxious to see the park completed and are planning to head back Muldrow’s way this spring to see how the park is coming along.

50 Years Ago

(From the March 6, 1975, issue of the Sequoyah County Times) —There was lots of smoke at the Star Furniture and Manufacturing Co. in Sallisaw when a pile of packing quilts in the back of a trailer caught fire. Cause of the blaze is not yet known. About $1,000 damage was done.

—District Judge Bill Ed Rogers Monday dismissed the suit brought by Claud Parris of the Guys and Dolls against the City of Sallisaw.

Rogers ruled that an ordinance passed on Jan. 14 by the city is constitutional. It limits the hours of operation of the recreation center to the hours of 8 a.m. to midnight Monday through Saturday and from 1 p.m. to midnight Sunday.

Prior to the ordinance the center was allowed to stay open 24 hours a day, except for Sunday when it had to close from 4 a.m. to 1 p.m.

75 Years Ago

(From the March 10, 1950, issue of the Sequoyah County Times) —Electric power in Sallisaw was shut off for about 15 minutes Monday night, when an oil switch burned out at the power plant, according to an employee.

“We had to shut down the engine until things were fixed up,” he said.

One down-town concern continued to wait on customers, using the light from a 5-cell flashlight to carry on its business. Citizens the town over lighted lanterns, candles and flashlights until the power was again turned on.

—The Sallisaw Glass Plant made its first shipment of novelty lamp chimneys Wednesday, according to Guy E. Stoy, sec’y-mgr. of the chamber of commerce.

There were 8,000 pieces in the first order, he said. And the plant will ship every day until the order is filled.

Also he stated, the glass workers started making standard lamp chimneys Tuesday, and will produce them from now on.

100 years ago

(From the March 6, 1925, issue of the Sequoyah County Democrat) —Dr. R. T. Kelleam, county physician, placed the Sequoyah County jail under quarantine on Wednesday of this week, following the discovery that one of the prisoners has a pronounced case of smallpox. The yellow flag went up Wednesday morning and no visitors of any character are permitted to go to the third floor of the county court house. Tuesday morning the sheriff’s force placed under arrest one Ed Turner from the southeast section of the county, charged with robbery of the Brannisson Store at Short last week. When first brought to the jail he showed no symptoms of the dreaded disease and said nothing about having been exposed, but Wednesday morning his general appearance aroused the sheriff’s force to the point of calling the county physician and it was but a short while until the jail was under quarantine.

—The Brannison Store at Short was looted of several hundred dollars worth of merchandise on the night of Feb. 17. This being about the fourth time that the store had been looted during the past two years and the alleged looters were able to escape the hands of the law until early Tuesday morning, when Sheriff C.M. Gay and Deputy George Ritter raided the wilds of northeastern portion of the county and placed Willard Roden, age 24, Ed Turner age 20 and Willard Potts, age 12 under arrest. Alleged stolen goods were found either at the homes or on the persons of the three alleged suspects.

According to J.H. Brannison, head of the Brannison Store at Short his concern has suffered approximately one thousand dollars loss as result of a series of robberies.

The three suspects were brought to the county seat early Tuesday morning and were placed in the county jail.

—George Keen, a well known Vrona farmer, who has been confined in the county jail for four weeks, was released Saturday under a two thousand dollar bond. Keen was arrested following an alleged family dispute, in which his daughter in law, May Keen, was shot twice and Mrs. Keen’s brother, Sam Benge, shot once. The injured were taken to a Fort Smith hospital for medical treatment, and in the meantime Keen was held in jail awaiting the outcome of their condition. Sam Benge was released from the hospital about two weeks ago and Mrs. Keen was released last Saturday. Keen it is said is held on assault in attempt to kill with a dangerous weapon.