Two jail bids ‘shock’ authority

25 Years Ago

—Bids to build the new county jail, submitted by general contractors Thursday to the Sequoyah County Jail Authority, were higher than expected, officials said.

Branco Enterprises Inc., of Neosho, Mo., bid the construction at $3,740,000 and the Ross Group of Tulsa bid the job at $3,626,000.

Architect Jeff Andrews of Muskogee said, “I’m very shocked by the price. I was hoping to see something a little closer to $3 million.”

County residents approved a half-cent tax last year to replace the county’s antiquated jail and for one-third of that tax to maintain the new jail.

The tax has been collected since June 2000, and jail authority members established investment accounts for $3,060,000 to build the jail. Authority members expected interest payments on the investments to make up the difference between the $3,060,000 invested and the estimated $3.2 million they expected the new jail to cost.

The contract for the jail was to be let Monday, but the authority said that meeting will most likely be postponed.

50 Years Ago

—Sallisaw Postmaster Carlile has announced that effective Saturday, March 13 full window service at the local post office will be cut back.

Carlile said that Sallisaw is one of only about five post offices in the eastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas area still offering full Saturday service. The U.S. Postal Service has directed that this be stopped at all post offices still offering Saturday service, Carlile said.

He said that call service will be available for two hours from 8 until 10 a.m. Saturday for those wishing to pick up packages, but no C.O.D. orders will be sold and the call service will be manned by only one person.

Carlile added that regular Saturday delivery of mail to box holders and along routes will continue and are not affected by the closing of window service at the post office.

75 Years Ago

—One of the remaining major construction items in connection with completion of the Tenkiller Ferry flood control-hydroelectric project on the Illinois River in eastern Oklahoma is due for commencement soon, according to Colonel Edward G. Herb, District Engineer of the Tulsa District, Corps of Engineers, Tulsa.

This work is construction of the powerhouse and switchyard at the dam, located in Sequoyah County, approximately seven miles northeast of Gore, Oklahoma. approximately two years will be needed for completion of the work.

100 Years Ago

—The preliminary hearing for Perry Chuculate, in connection with the shooting of Ross Taylor on Christmas day, last year, was held Thursday morning in Justice Jas. McLaughlin’s court. County Attorney Harry D. Pitchford represented the state, and Deputy Chuculate was represented by W.A. Carlile. A number of witnesses testified, and the evidence given by all proved conclusively that the shooting was unavoidable and that Deputy Sheriff Chuculate shot only after it had become apparent that his own life was in actual danger. Taylor was at home on leave of absence from the government hospital at Little Rock, Ark., and had secured a quantity of corn liquor that evening and had become violent soon after. Chuculate was called to quiet him, but upon entering the house Taylor ran at the officer with an open razor backing him onto the front porch. Chuculate fired two shots in defense of his own life, killing Taylor almost instantly. Justice McLaughlin held that the evidence was insufficient to bind Chuculate over for trial, and dismissed the charge.

—The sheriff’s force this week placed under arrest one H.R. Beels, said to hail from McAlester, upon complaint filed with County Attorney Harry D. Pitchford by local merchants charging the gentleman with “willfully, wrongfully and falsely spreading a false rumor with intent to affect the market price of property.” We are advised that the gentleman rested a few hours in the county jail, brooding over his careless remarks spread upon the streets. He was finally able to make a bond and got released from the jail.

From information that we are able to gather, it seems that the gentleman dropped into Sallisaw last week ahead of a car of seed potatoes that he very much desired to sell to farmers of this vicinity. He found that the local merchants were well supplied and satisfied. It is said he then ‘about faced’ and charged to every farmer who would listen that the seed potatoes handled by some of the local merchants were of inferior quality and would never germinate and grow. It is said Beels entered the place of business of several of the merchants and talked loud and long and made many and varied charges, with the result that the local merchants got tired of and had the gentleman arrested. When his car of spuds got here, he stored them in a local building so we are advised.