1/6/2009

1971, 38 years ago this week

•Sheriff Charley Ray Hudgins announced this week that his office has broken a giant theft ring and recovered more than $90,000 in “loot.” The recovery is the result of a four-month investigation of the Bandito Cycle Club of Tarrant County. Assisted by Texas lawmen and the Southwestern Cattlemen’s Association, Hudgins raided giant loot caches in McCurtain County that contained tractors, trailers, scramblers, boats, firearms and other farm equipment. Much of the property is said to be stolen from Fort Worth, Texas. The cycle club was using parts of the county as a hiding spot before they sold the stolen goods. Five arrests were made and sev-eral warrants were issued. “We’ve worked long and hard and we’ve got ‘em on the run now,” Hudgins said.



1961, 48 years ago this week

•The new $1.5 million Dierks timber plant at Craig, east of Broken Bow, is expected to go into production next week. The plant will employ 75 people and turn out 20,000 square board feet per day.



1941, 68 years ago this week

•A Cisco community mother received the greatest Christmas present a mother can receive last week. Mrs. W.J. Young received a letter from her son, Louie Lee Copeland, who was stationed at Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked. Young told her he was “alright so far” and had been transferred to the U.S.S. Oklahoma just days before the attack. The U.S.S. Oklahoma sustained massive damage, he said, but he was able to get off the ship. December 26 marked the first communication Young had received from her son since the Dec. 7 attack. Mr. and Mrs. T.C. Reynolds of Valliant didn’t fare so well. They received news that their son, who was also stationed at Pearl Harbor, had died in a plane crash days after the Dec. 7 attack.

Nationally, “everyone is anxious to get the Japanese.” Famous movie star Wayne Morris, star of the recent hit “I Want Wings” about Navy pilots, enlisted in the U.S. Navy this week. Recruiting is so hectic locally that McCurtain County Legionnaires have been asked to aid recruiters in getting boys signed up. A full-time recruitment office, to be located be-tween Idabel and Hugo, is expected to be established soon.



1931, 78 years ago this week

•An election to grant a franchise to the Public Service Company of Oklahoma to provide power to Idabel for the next 25 years failed by a vote of 647 to 242.



•Don’t miss the talkie pictures this weekend: “The Long, Long Trail” and “The Indians are Coming!” For the kids, “Tom Sawyer,” a picture every school pupil should see, has been reduced from 20 cents to 10 cents.



1911, 98 years ago this week

•The state game warden wrote a letter to Senator Thomas Gore this week prompting a bill for the establishment of a state game preserve of more than 100,000 acres. The preserve would be in McCurtain, Push-mataha and Leflore counties, he said. The proceeds from the sales of hunting licenses go into a fund which now has more than $100,000, money which could be used to purchase the large amount of land, the game warden said.



•A Christmas tragedy struck in the county after a 13-year-old killed his sister with a shotgun while the two were arguing over candy. The 11-year-old girl told her older brother to give her some of his Christmas candy. The boy said no, but the girl persisted and tried to grab the candy. The 13-year-old grabbed his new shotgun and said he would blow her head off if she didn’t put down his candy. He stuck the shotgun barrel to the girl’s face, but the hammer of the gun caught on his coat as he did so, shooting the young girl in the face. The editor said a boy that age has no more business with a gun than a lion has with a butcher knife.