A Dewar man has died of injuries from a head on crash on U.S. 266 in Okmulgee County, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol said.

Connie Cleo “Little Dude” Burney, 35, died in a Tulsa hospital after the accident Tuesday evening, December 19. The report said Burney attempted to make a left turn onto a county road when his vehicle and a pickup collided.

His passenger, Phillip McLeod, 46, was listed in fair condition at Okmulgee Memorial Hospital, the patrol said. The driver of the pickup and a passenger, Charles W. Hancock, 55, and his 2 year old granddaughter, Samantha, were also hospitalized in fair condition.

ELDERLY MAN SHOOTS ROBBERY SUSPECTS

An elderly Okmulgee man shot two people Wednesday after they broke into the victim’s house and robbed him. The suspects reportedly received “minor injuries” to their faces. The two are expected to have the “buck-shot” pellets removed at a Tulsa hospital.

Neither the victim nor the suspects’ names have been released. Police said the suspects are both in their 40s and live in Okmulgee. The incident began when the two suspects broke through the front door of the residence and held the victim then beat on him. They made away with an undetermined amount of money, according to Police Chief Leo Willey.

The victim, an 83 year old man who lives in the 400 block of North Alabama, fired buckshot at the suspects. The elderly man also shot at the vehicle they were driving.

“The car is certainly marked for identification now,” Willey said. A teacher at Okmulgee High School phoned the police department at 1:46 p.m. on Wednesday to report an elderly man firing a shotgun at cars.

No arrests have been made and charges have not been filed.

SPECIAL CHRISTMAS GIFT

It was a cold wintery morning as dawn broke the horizon in Henryetta, inside the Mansfield house hold things were progressing just as they should be, Bonnie was considering upcoming events of the day and Lisa was feeding her week old baby.

Baby Eryn Leigh Nicole had only been home from the hospital for a day and life was adjusting to the new family member and thoughts were turning to Christmas and what to do for Eryn on her first Christmas.

It was a scene worthy of Norman Rockwell’s brush, a lovely portrait of American life. The peace and calm of a warm home with all members focused on the arrival who was enjoying a morning feeding in the warmth and security of her mother’s arms.

When Lisa sat Eryn up to turn her so she might burp tragedy struck without warning. As many premature babies are inclined to do, Eryn coughed and began to aspirate her formula.

The life sustaining liquid, which had been given with such loving care, suddenly became a death threatening menace. Attempts to help Eryn clear her tiny airway proved to be futile.

“Nothing we tried seemed to help,” Bonnie Mansfield recalled. “We could not clear the phlegm out of her tiny throat. I could just see her slipping away from us.”

A call was placed to the 911 Emergency system for assistance but Eryn was already turning a cyanotic purple and time was of the essence. Before Lisa could hang up the phone there was a knock at the door. Henryetta Police Officer Jess Watson Jr. was on duty and just happened to be in the area. When Jess saw the situation he took little Eryn and assisted her in clearing her airway.

Just as suddenly as tragedy struck, life giving oxygen began to reach Eryn’s young lungs and she began to recover. Her color started to regain its baby like pink shades as she gasped for breath.

“I just thank God for placing Jess in the neighborhood on that morning,” Bonnie Mansfield said as she recounted the events of the morning.

Eryn did recover completely from her potentially fetal experience and the Mansfield’s are thankful that Henryetta has officers like Watson on the force to come to the aid of Henryettans at times like this.

This is not the first time an alert Henryetta police officer has prevented a potentially fatal situation from occurring or stood by an accident victim until medical care could arrive.

Life at the Mansfield home has returned to normal and the Mansfield’s are very thankful to have received such a special early Christmas gift as Eryn and her rescue from the grips of death.

50 YEARS AGO – 1972

LYLE BERRYHILL TO SUCCEED COX?

Lyle Berryhill, former Henryetta football coach, is one of five who have been interviewed at secret school board sessions lately as a possible successor to Dr. Raymond Cox, superintendent of schools.

School officials readily released information about interviews already held when told that radio station KHEN had dug up a partial list of applicants who have been spirited in and out of town before clandestine sessions of the board of education.

Dr. Cox today indicated reluctance to release the names of the future interviewees because “some of them do not want their schools to know about it.”

Berryhill, a winning Henryetta high school coach and a former state college grid star himself, is now superintendent at Ramona. When he left Henryetta in 1959, he went into school administration and has been either a principal or superintendent most of the time since then.

Three applicants met with the board in an unannounced meeting earlier this week as school officials attempted to keep local school patrons and taxpayers from knowing what they are doing about picking a successor for Dr. Cox, who retires at the end of this school year.

It is legal for school boards to discuss personnel but nothing else in executive session. The three applicants interviewed during the past week were Raymond Sewell, elementary principal now completing work on his doctorate degree at OSU; Vere Brown, high school principal, who has been working on his doctorate at OSU; and Dr. Warren Adams, Waurika school superintendent.

Sewell and Brown reportedly are planning to leave the Henryetta system if they do not get the promotion to superintendent. If these reports are true, at least one of them will not be here next year.

The fifth educator interviewed earlier in secret by the board, without knowledge of school patrons, was Dr. Virgil Wells, Washington school superintendent.

IMMACULATE

CONCEPTION REPORTED

By: Matthew and S. Luke, Staff Writers (EDITOR’S NOTE: By popular demand, we herewith reprint the modernized newspaper version of how a 20th century journalist may have covered the Nativity.)

BETHLEHEM. December 25 – (Special to the Free-Lance) A clamour swept this Judean capital city today as natives gathered around a manger to witness a reported supernatural event. Tax collecting ground to a halt despite throngs which had trekked here in droves for the annual tax paying deadline. Crowds were so heavy all motel and hotel rooms have been booked solid for days.

On top of the Judean citizens, tourists flocked to the city as rumors spread throughout the Mideast of the impending miraculous event. Two of the first contingents arriving were a group of Shepherds from the desert and another delegation of magicians, referred to in some circles as “wise men.” Both groups said they were drawn to the city be some super-natural force.

Joseph and his wife, Mary, said to be a virgin, became the parents of a son in the manger they were forced to occupy when they couldn’t get a reservation at any of the local inns.

One Innkeeper, reportedly as an act of compassion for the pregnant woman, offered the use of his manger where the couple made a bed of hay. A brilliant star shone almost directly overhead. The Shepherd delegation was visibly moved by the event.

One of them said “An Angel of the Lord appeared to us in our fields while we were guarding the sheep and it scared us nearly out of our wits.” He quoted the Angel as saying: “Have no fear, this is good news I am bringing you, news of great joy that is meant for all people, today you have a savior born in Bethlehem, the Lord Messiah.”

The Shepherd spokesman added the angel offered proof, telling them “you will find a baby wrapped up and lying in a stall for cattle.” He added that “this is exactly what we found; what that Angel said we would.”

He and his colleagues then told about a whole group of Angels appearing out of the sky proclaiming in unison: “Glory to God in high heaven and peace on earth to men of Good Will.”

Reports had been circulating for days among the Capitol Press Corps in Jerusalem that “a new king of the Jews was due to come on the scene soon in the form of a child.”

Palace political observers had reported to him that the “wise men” corps had received reports of the expectant birth of this so-called king.

He summoned them to a secret session in violation and defiance of the open meeting law and asked them to follow their directions to the child king and return the information to him of the child’s location.

One of the wise men told one of these reporters today, however, that they had been so moved by the supernatural event that they agreed among themselves to dodge the King and not report their information.

Instead of consummating a political deal with the King, the group, struck by every detail matching their advance notice, gave gifts to the child and his family.

Our Nazareth correspondent checking into the background of the parents discovered they had a history of marital trouble that once was threatened by divorce. Joseph reportedly was upset to discover his bride was pregnant.

Our former reporter with a long record of accurate predictions, Isaiah, had predicted today’s events more than a year ago. In one of his last dispatches filed before his retirement, Isaiah predicted: “A virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel (colloquial expression meaning God).” The Shepherds, wise men and the native referred to the child as “The Son of God.”

Praises being sung of the new child called to mind another Isaiah dispatch which read: “For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called 'Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.'” These reporters have learned a secret plan has been formulated to whisk the child out of Bethlehem and out of the reach of Harod, who reportedly is out to destroy the child.

Joseph and Mary named the child Jesus.

75 YEARS AGO – 1947

PATROL WARNS DRIVERS

As Oklahoma’s traffic death toll in 1947 raced furiously to overtake last year’s high record: state highway patrolmen came to Henryetta Saturday to urge Henryettans to take care that citizens were not among the 20 Oklahomans expected to die during the Christmas holidays.

State troopers, who were distributing safety cards to pedestrians here, said that 18 percent of persons killed on state highways are pedestrians.

They also warned Henryettans that during the holidays, persons driving over 60 miles per hour on highways during the day and over 50 miles per hour at night will be stopped by patrol cars.

Drivers may be arrested or warned, troopers said. Drivers stopped because of bad lights or brakes will be arrested if the defects aren’t remedied as soon as possible, according to patrolmen.

Fatal accidents are caused, over 50 percent of the time, by excessive speed, troopers said, as they warned citizens against the dangers of holiday travel.

100 YEARS AGO – 1922

HI-JACKER PLEADS

GUILTY

Glen Gordon was charged in the superior court today with pointing a gun. He entered a plea of guilty and was fined $50.00 and sentenced to serve three months in the county jail.

This was a case of quick justice. It was alleged that at about 6:00 o’clock yesterday evening Gordon held up a milk man named McMullen, near Whitehead No. 2 Mine pointing a big gun at him and demanding his money. The milk man “beat it” just as fast as he could and was not robbed.

This was the third case of “hi-jacking” in the city this week, Henry Gouge and J. E. Cooper having held up and robbed Tuesday night while on their way home.

The police were early satisfied these hold-ups were being carried on by local men and have been working along the line that belief, Ton Tate, a constable arrested Gordon and last night he also arrested two brothers, Jeff and Red Johnson. One of these is held at the police station for investigation and the other is said to be wanted in Okmulgee for breaking jail some time ago.

Henry Gouge saw three men and could not identify either being one of the two who held him up Tuesday night. Police believe they know the “master mind” of these crimes and last night went to the east side in hope of apprehending him. Officers Dave Sanders and Bill Smith went to a house over there and as they approached the door some persons fired a shot through it, coming close to Sanders as to splatter broken glass all over him. Sanders then emptied his gun into the house and Smith took a shot or two, but when they got inside the man had flown.

This afternoon the police had a tip that the man they wanted was in the vicinity of Whitehead No. 2, and made a run there, but again did not find him.

In addition to these hold ups there have been several cases of petty thieving reported. One night two overcoats and a hat was missing, but in one case it was believed the young man had only misplaced his coat and forgotten where he left it.

REPORTED ILL

The trial of C. W. Jeffress, editor of a Morris newspaper charged with criminal libel as a result of the publication of an alleged false oath of the Knights of Columbus, was continued in county court today until December 28.

Illness of the defendant was the reason for the continuance. A motion by his attorneys for a continuance for the term was by Judge Hugh Murphy, overruled.