Henryetta Mayor Wayne Francis announced some very good news for the city at the Lion’s Club meeting on Tuesday.

The City of Henryetta will receive a $1,000,000 (one-million dollar) grant from the Oklahoma Department of Transportation.

The grant is to cover grading, drains and resurfacing of various streets.

Francis said the Henryetta City Council would like to use all of the grant money in overlay.

He was “afraid” that would not be possible because all the regulations attached to the grant have not been written as of yet.

The grant will not be awarded until fiscal year 1999, which begins on July 1, 1998.

50 YEARS AGO – 1972

BEST PLEASE AUDIENCE EVER IN HENRYETTA

Never has Henryetta done anything so well calculated to win popular approval both at home and abroad as to bring the great contralto here. Of course this does not disparage the King Koal Karnival, which moves along different lines.

The high school auditorium made it possible for the school people to manage this entertainment without leasing the opera house and the number of visitors from neighboring towns proved conclusively that it was a master stroke.

Some of our people shied a bit at the three dollars for a ticket but that could not be helped. A special car brought a heavy delegation from Okmulgee, taking them back to their homes after the performance.

Ada sent a considerable number of music lovers and other places nearby sent scattering visitors into Henryetta.

The auditorium was not quite filled. Several seats remained vacant in the rear on the ground floor, but the balconies were well filled as was all but the rear seats below. At eight thirty the stellar attraction appeared on the stage, and was met with a storm of applause.

Madame Schumann-Heink’s stage presence is equal to her wonderful voice. She looked the part. Her gracious bearing and perfect poise won her more applause. It was as if a whispered work of command had passed over the sea of faces when all became still as a spring morning.

Then came what we had all waited for – that matchless voice, gently and in splendid modulation that voice rose and floated out in cadences that left nothing to be desired.

Rich, full and mellow, no one had ever heard its equal, save those who had heard her on former occasions.

When she had finished the number, the audience gave abundant proof of their appreciation. Later came Miss Hardeman with her violin, and if she ever plays in the course of Europe, and in the most exclusive circles of music, she can never hope to have an audience more completely her slaves than was this one!

Her work fairly took one’s breath away! For technique, for sheer ability in execution, her work seems unsurpassed. Her rendition of the Dance of the Goblins was fine.

It remained for Madame to bring about the most pleasing incident of the entire evening when, after singing a number, she beckoned to Miss Hardeman from the wing, and when that young lady stepped out with her violin, Madame embraced her. Stepping back and leveling a loving glance at the younger woman, the great contralto blew her a kiss as lightly as would a school girl.

Then they joined in the rendition of the Indian Love Song from Lieruance. Right here it is but proper to say that Mr. Loeser is a most remarkable accompanist.

His manner of handling that difficult accompaniment was pleasing indeed. This number was the crowning triumph of the program.

Weird, mystic and strange those haunting cadences came from the great singer, enriched with a sort of counter-melody deftly interwoven by Miss Hardeman with the violin, and supported in a marvelous manner by Mr. Loeser in his matchless accompaniment.

The editor regards this as by far the richest thing of the entire program.

It is but true to say that the audience simply loved both Madame and Miss Hardeman. No other term can do justice to the enthusiastic response, and to the spontaneous feelings manifested.

If we never again hear the great contralto, we shall be glad to remember that we heard her this time.

MAN CAUGHT

IN ARKANSAS

After a two week man hunt, Deputy Sheriff Roby Ingalls arrested a former resident of Dewar, at Hatfield, Ark., who was charged with stealing a Dodge touring car from the City garage of Dewar, and is said to have had the car in his possession when arrested.

It is alleged that the man walked into the garage at Dewar and informed an employee that he wanted the car to haul some fishing tackle to the river, when a reasonable amount of time had elapsed and the car was not returned, the garage people became suspicious, and notified the officers, with the result that after a two weeks search the man and car were located by Deputy Ingalls, who is holding his prisoner in Hatfield, Ark. awaiting requisition papers.

75 YEARS AGO – 1947

MORE PAVING IS

DEMANDED BY CITIZENS

Since the last meeting of the city council when petitions presented asking for street paving represented about 16 blocks, many other persons than those signing the petitions, have been talking with Mayor Hawes about paving in their respective neighborhoods.

There is becoming a regular clamor for this improvement and, no doubt, before the time to begin work on that already petitioned for, many more blocks will be added.

One of the propositions discussed with the mayor yesterday was for the paving of Gentry Street from 5th to 12th, with a loop into Cummings. This is in one of the finest residence portions of the city.

The paving idea is spreading rapidly and no doubt many more blocks will be paved this summer.

“HI-JACKING” THE “WILLIES”

That the hi-jackers who have been working Henryetta so energetically for the past few days are no respecters of person, was evidenced last night when two of the fraternity entered a K.O.&G. box car where seven “weary willies” were taking their evening siesta, and covering their victims with a gun, proceeded to shake them down.

According to one of the victims the only loot secured was a blue serge coat and a pocket knife. The general description of the men answers that given by other victims of hold-up artists in the past week.

100 YEARS AGO – 1922

YOUTH KILLS FATHER DEFENSE OF MOTHER

OKMULGEE, Okla. – Arthur Brown, 55 years old, rushed toward his wife with butcher knife drawn, in their home Saturday morning.

James, 18-year-old son of the couple, pulled the trigger of a pistol he had obtained as his father began the quarrel in which he already had struck his wife several times. The father fell to the floor mortally wounded. He died at 8 o’clock Saturday night.

The boy went immediately to the city marshal of Morris, told him what had happened, and was brought to the county jail. After he had told the story of the affair to County Attorney James Hepburn, he was released on his own promise that he wouldn’t “run away,” and that night he was at his mother’s side, planning a happy future with her and his four little sisters.

The boy, in died-eyed excitement, from his cell in the county jail, told of the shooting and the events that led up to the tragedy.

“I had to kill him – he was trying to kill my mother and he had a big butcher knife in his hand,” said the boy. “It wasn’t the first time he ever tried to kill her; he has done it several times in the past few years.

“I saw him and knew exactly what he was going to do, so I ran into the bedroom and got a gun out of a drawer where mother had put it after she took it away from my father. As I came back into the room he ran at mother and she ran out into the front room. He started after her, and I levelled the pistol right at his heart and fired twice as fast as I could.”

The boy said his father did nothing but sell whiskey and choc.

GLASS FACTORY IS

EMPLOYING MANY WORKERS

The opening of the Henryetta glass factory will aid in the matter of unemployment, and will furnish jobs for a considerable number of people from the beginning.

Frank H. Miller, a practical glass blower and also a stockholder in the concern, says they have already employed thirty glass workers, twenty boys and an equal number of girls to begin in the new factory which is located in the east part of town near the Western smelter.

Twenty-five homes will be required for the new families coming in for this industry alone. It is no wonder that Free-Lance urges everybody who can do so to build a house – two houses – as many as possible. There is no danger of getting too many unless a thousand could be built in thirty days.

MAYOR HAWES TILLS POLICE ENFORCE LAW

Absolute indifference on the part of many drivers to the traffic ordinance has prompted Mayor Hawes to begin drawing lines of the law a little closer and in pursuance of that idea he sent to Chief Stormont and his police force, the following communication: Gentlemen: I think that it would be a good idea if we closed down a little bit tighter on the people with automobiles and I have noticed the following faults with some of these folks: 1st. Some of them are inclined to approach corners and go around some fast, which is dangerous.

2nd. Truck drivers have a habit of filling their carburetors with gas in order to make them “shoot,” also, these truck drivers should moderate their speed as they are difficult to handle and dangerous.

3rd. The buses and oil deliveries have a habit of tooting their horns and ringing their bells for advertising purposes, which should be stopped. Also they should not stop on the crossing.

4th. Cars should not be parked more than 10 or 15 minutes in the middle of the street.

5th. Keep tab on the boys who make unnecessary noise and unnecessary speeding.

I do not expect you men to have these folks live up to our present law to the letter, but they should at least be reasonable with us. I do not expect you to make wholesale arrests, on the contrary, make as few arrests as possible but when a man needs it, whether friend or stranger, arrest him. I have every confidence in your judgment, each of you, and under the present automobile law, it is largely a matter of judgment on your part.

Give the people every courtesy you can, but above all things, do not permit them to impose upon us.

Yours Very Truly, James Hawes, Mayor

RUMOR OF WHIPPING

There have been no stories lately coming from the Ku Klux Klan, and we have wondered if the organization be still in operation here. It should be remembered that we published an authentic statement from the Klan bearing the seal and official signature stating that all the publicity they sought would bear the unmistakable seal and number 24. In the absence of authentic matter we have heard nothing until yesterday, or last night rather.

The story is a bit nebulous, and is not authentic. It may or may not be true. As it reaches us, through a story told by a man who declined to give his name, it is about as follows: A man came here from Okmulgee. He was accused of mistreating his wife. She was working in Okmulgee and seemed to be a good woman who was doing her best. It was said that she worked for money to pay some of his debts. But in addition to mistreating her, he took up with a bad woman, and spent most of his time as well as his earnings on the bad woman.

Some propaganda was put out, some way, the report of which was that his “woman” was in Henryetta and wanted him. He started from the oil field to town, but was held up on the way and captured by masked men supposed to be Ku Klux. When they had finished with him, they brought him to town, and left him at the Frisco station where his wife found him. This is the high light in the rumored story, and all that we have been able to get on it. Ture of only a dream, we give it as we got it – and could not learn the man’s name.