3 Sequoyah County men in fatal affray near Texarkana

25 Years Ago

—Sallisaw city officials officially purchased the Professional Building in Sallisaw Wednesday, with plans to remodel the building as the new city hall.

The building was purchased by the city for $225,000.

The city commission approved the purchase of the building at a special meeting, after receiving an estimate of $1 million to remodel city hall and the adjoining old post office building.

50 Years Ago

—The Oklahoma Water Resources Board Tuesday delayed indefinitely a decision on a Tulsa request for 165,000 acre-feet of water per year from Tenkiller Lake.

Currently most of the water in the lake is used for power production, and if the Tulsa request had been granted the water would not have been available until the engineers and Congress changed the lake’s designation from power production to municipal water use.

—Sequoyah County will get a new health clinic. An extremely light turnout of voters, a total of only 954, passed the bond issue 818 to 136. The issue failed in only four boxes. Redland turned it down, five noes to two yeses; Roland 1 had 13 noes and three yeses; Roland 2 13 noes and four yeses and Rocky Point seven noes and three yeses.

75 Years Ago

—James and Ray Farmer, operators of the recently-completed modern new D-X service station at the corner of Cherokee and Wheeler avenues, announced plans this week for the gala grand opening Saturday, June 17.

Vanda orchids will be given to all the ladies who attend the opening, and balloons and bubble gum will be presented to the kiddies. The orchids were flown in from Hawaii especially for this occasion, said Ray Farmer.

Also to be awarded, he said, will be a Firestone bicycle, two electric mixers, two pop-up toasters, one $10 merchandise coupon book and 10 lubrication jobs.

Visitors will see one of the most up-to-date stations in this part of the country Saturday, Farmer pointed out. The attractive exterior of the porcelain enamel building is cream and red, traditional D-X colors. The sales display room he said, has an area of 350 square feet, and the driveway has an area of 5,800 square feet.

100 Years Ago

—(From Daily Texarkanian) Texarkana, Ark., June 10—Luther Malone, of near Garland City, is in the county jail here following the shooting of Howard J. Johnson, 22 years old, near Garland City, Saturday night, though pending change in the condition of Charles W. Fout, one of the three alleged victims of Malone’s bullets, no charges have been filed.

Doctors said today that Fout, who is paralyzed from the waist down with a spinal injury, had little chance to recover. J.M. Frost, the third victim, is expected to improve as the result of an operation through which a bullet was removed from behind his right eye.

Malone refuses to make any statement, beyond denying all knowledge of the shooting.

Fout, while still conscious Saturday night, told Deputy Sherrif Bob Smith at a local hospital that Malone was the assailant.

The tragedy occurred at Fout’s home on the Mrs. C.M. Person’s plantation, about three miles southeast of Garland City. Fout said he had warned Malone not to come to his house, but that on the occasion of a private dance at the home Saturday night, Malone did appear.

Fout said he did not say anything to Malone when he first saw him, but that later, when he noticed Malone in extended conversation with his wife, Mrs. Fout, he interrupted them, cautioned his wife to say nothing more to him, and ordered Malone from the house. He said Malone left and that while he, Fout, was leaning against the door jamb some time later Malone opened fire from outside.

The bullet struck Fout in the back, coming into contact with the spine. He had a pistol on his person at the time, but said he was never able to draw it.

Fout said Malone continued to fire shots striking both Johnson and Frost in the head. Johson and Frost were unarmed, he said. Johnson was killed almost instantly, the bullet going entirely through his head.

Johnson’s body was shipped to the home of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. J.A. Johnson of Sallisaw, Okla.

Latest word from Texarkana indicated that Frost and Fout may recover. The men are all well known hereabout, Johnson was not of a quarrelsome disposition, and was known as a peaceable man. He had no part in the gun fight and was standing in a door way when the stray bullet struck him.