The Daily Ardmoreite
January 28, 1962
Marshall County Attorney O. C. Barnes, 57, was shot by his ex-wife, Oma Brandon, at her home in Madill Saturday night, sheriff Urkle Hargis reported.
Barnes was taken to an Ardmore hospital suffering from a bullet wound in the right shoulder. His condition was reported good by hospital authorities. The former Mrs. Barnes was in a Madill hospital suffering from shock. She is expected to be taken into custody by police when released.
Hargis said madill police officer Henry Morgan was called by telephone by the farmer Mrs Barnes who reported she had shot the Marshall county attorney.
According to Morgan, when he arrived at the woman’s home at 501 East Wolfe, she was in the doorway with a pistol in each hand. According to Morgan she handed over both pistols and said she shot Barnes. The first report of the shooting was at 8:10 p.m. Morgan took the pistols and brought Barnes to the city police station where an ambulance was waiting for the trip to an Ardmore hospital.
Police found a small arsenal at the address. Weapons included two .32 caliber pistols, a .22 caliber pistol, a rifle and a shotgun.
Hargis, who went to Ardmore to talk to Barnes, said the County Attorney told him his ex-wife had invited him into the address. The former Mrs. Barnes told Madill police that Barnes had come to her home and threatened her. The sheriff’s department and City police continue their investigation. The couple had been divorced for several months.
The Daily Ardmoreite
May 23, 1962
New Ambulance in Service Monday
Robert Trimble, administrator of Ardmore Hospital and Sanitarium and a director of the Southern Oklahoma Ambulance Service left today for Knightstown, Indiana to drive the services new ambulance to Ardmore.
The ambulance, the larger and more completely equipped of the two bought by the service has been completed and is ready for delivery. It is expected to be in service Monday.
Below photograph taken of the oil camps at Staunton in Carter county in 1916. Staunton was an oil boom town that sprang up originally as an oil camp, but the population grew enough that a post office opened on September 24th, 1914. Like the boom town it was, it disappeared with the oil, with the post office closing on April 21, 1921. Nothing remains of Staunton today. I haven’t found a lot of information out there, so if anyone has anything on Staunton, I’d love to see it. As best I can tell Staunton was north of Healdton to Highway 76 and Highway 53 West intersection, then about 2 miles SW of that intersection.
Map where Staunton, Oklahoma was approximately located
Below is a drawing of the Carter county courthouse by Ardmore architect Ludwig Isenberg
Below is the Ardmore High School located at Stanley and F Street Southwest.
Below is the lobby of the old Mulkey Hotel back in the day.
The photo below is the Pollock Cafe in Lone Grove.
The picture below was a Go-Fund-Me when I was a kid back in the day.
Some mail from this week’s MAILBAG….
This is the recipe of Ola Day who worked at Priddy’s Salad Dressing.
Priddy’s Salad Dressing
1 quart mayonnaise (real)
1/4 cup Fresh grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup American Cheese
1 small can chopped black olives
1 small jar chopped pimento (optional)
1/2 cup sweet pickle relish
2 tsp fresh grated garlic
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 Tbs papricka (more if you want)
2 or 3 Tbs milk (just to thin a little)
1 tsp black pepper
Mix all very well and store in container in the refrigerator. Will keep
for several weeks. Use on salad or as a sauce on burgers or fish.
SEMPER FI & ANCHORS AWAY ! HOO AH TO ALL WHO SERVE ! -Steve Miller
Trish and I were traveling last month and I had entered the wrong TSA number into my profile for flying. When I got to the checkpoint they said my number was wrong and I would have to go through the regular line. Then they asked my age. When I told them I was 75, I learned that nobody 75 or older has to remove their shoes passing through the checkpoint. So, now you know. Just tell them you are 75 and walk on through. -Monroe
Below is from my Vol 4, Issue 169 July 15, 2000 newsletter:
I also got a pic of the bell at the old Jim Eskew Ranch at the south edge of Ardmore on Highway 77. This was my second visit to the Eskew Ranch. Jim Eskew Jr. was a world famous trick roper. My first time to visit the Eskew Ranch was in May 1977 when I worked on the ambulance. Mr. Eskew had been sick a long time, and it was then I took him to the hospital where he later died at the age of 59. When I looked at that weather beaten bell this week, I thought how it stood now in silence in memory of a man who set records everywhere he went. In WWII he performed for over 2 Million servicemen. One of his major accomplishments in the Army was his performance on the TC-87, a 3 hour physical endurance test. He scored 596 out of a possible 600, a score that has never been matched.
Jim Eskew Jr – World famous trick roper
https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc1625767/m1/1/
I was talking to one of the auditors a while back that comes to the courthouse from time to time to do audits. She commented that one of the first things she notices when she walks in our courthouse, is how computerized it is, with computers everywhere. She told me some courthouses she goes to are fortunate to have 3 or 4 computers in the entire courthouse. Yes, she is right, our courthouse has come a long way in the area of computerization. In January 1995 we had some offices that only had one computer, others with 2 or 3, and the county barns had none. Many of the employees had to share what computers their office did have in place.
To make a long story short, I can report that nearly every employee has a computer workstation on their desks with few exceptions. There has probably been 3 or 4 dozen new, state of the art computers installed within the last year. Even all three county barns have modern computers. Not long ago the two secretaries at the commissioners offices received their two new computers, needless to say they are happy! By the way, the reason the courthouse had so many computers in the beginning was the pushing and urging for computerization of the courthouse by District Judge Tom Walker. Like they say, it starts at the top.
Below is a picture I took at the county commissioners office and their 2 new computers (1 for each secretary) in 2000.
I had a reader email me a pic of Springer, Oklahoma taken back in 1908. That looks like the old Methodist Church in the background, which still stands today.
“Butch, In one of your mailbog letters in This & That 7/7/00 the person mentioned the ice house at the railroad tracks and C St. SE (300 1st SE). Your Uncle Paul Bridges worked out of this plant and he helped deliver ice to residence (customers) who displayed the amount they needed as the ice truck drove by. Your Uncle Doyle Bridges ran a satellite dock on the corner directly across the street from your Grandparents home at 805 3rd NE Street. Doyle chipped sizes of ice from the 100 lb blocks for customers who came to the dock for 12 1/2, 25, 50 lb pieces. Cool jobs during the hot summer months.”
“My dad owned a houseboat that was docked at the marina until about a year ago. I know that dumping your sewage ANYWHERE in Lake Murray is illegal. There is a service you pay for once your tank gets to a certain point and they come pump it out for you and dispose of it properly. I thinks it’s about $12 or something. I may be off on the price, but I know it’s not outrageous.”
“When I was in Pennsylvania last August, I saw lots of bells. There were everywhere. Around here, all the bells we have are on boats. From 24″ bells to little tinker bells on the end of the outriggers so they know when a fish is on a line. When I was commercial fishing, that bell ringing was music to my ears. We do have a bigger one at the State Capital. It is a replica of the Liberty bell with crack and all. I drive by it about 5-10 times a week. Love the sound. It is a deep throaty sound. See you Saturday on T&T.” -Juneau, Alaska
“When I find myself fading, I close my eyes and realize my friends are my energy.” -Anonymous
See everyone next week!
Butch and Jill Bridges
Ardmore, OK
580-490-6823