WARNING FOR COUNTERFEIT MONEY

Henryetta Police Department has issued a warning to area residents to be on the alert for counterfeit twenty dollar bills. Greg Allen, Henryetta Police Detective, said some people were attempting to pass counterfeit twenty dollar bills in the Henryetta area.

Although the perpetrators have been arrested, there is concern some bills may still be in circulation. The Okmulgee Police arrested Glen Roberson of Okmulgee and Toni Knox, last address in Dewar, as the alleged counterfeiters.

A spokesman for the Okmulgee Police Department said some counterfeit bills were discovered at Wal-Mart and at Mid-Way Grocery on Friday, January 9, the people who allegedly passed these bills then returned to Wal-Mart on Saturday to return the merchandise for a refund.

They were allegedly recognized and police were called. Okmulgee Police called the Secret Service who are responsible for counterfeit money. After the arrest of Knox at Okmulgee Wal-Mart, police got a search warrant for a residence. They collected evidence and made the second arrest.

The spokesman said the bills looked phony but perhaps could have passed in with other bills. He said they were apparently scanned into a computer and printed on a laser printer. The two suspects are in federal custody and are expected to be tried in federal court in Muskogee.

BOOSTER CLUB ANNUAL TALENT SHOW

It’s that time of year, again! The Henryetta All Sports Booster Club is having their annual Talent Show, Sunday, January 18, 1998 at 2 p.m. at the Henryetta High School.

This is a showcase of Henryetta’s youth. There will be talents such as singing, dancing and comedy acts. All proceeds go to the Henryetta All Sports Booster Club to help fund activities throughout the year.

Everyone is invited to come join the fun! Who knows, we might have the next Reba or Garth waiting to be discovered!

50 YEARS AGO – 1973

AREA RESIDENTS

GETTING USED TO

WINTRY WEATHER

Although the old sun tried to peep out between the clouds several times today, a light snow continued to fall and the weather picture for Henryetta and the rest of the state remained gloomy.

Temperatures were expected to remain below freezing with more snow followed by more snow. By Monday, most Henryettans had learned to live with the weather if not like it. Stranded travelers who jammed local motels and hotels have mostly decided things are going to get worse before they get better and have gone on their way.

Henryetta police reported one minor accident today attributed to the ice. A 1971 pickup driven by Ronnie Moore struck the rear of a 1970 auto driven by Lyman Holcolm after Holcolm stopped for a yellow light at 4th and Main. Sgt. Everett Allen said the autos sustained about $125 damage apiece. No injuries were reported.

Allen said no citations were issued because the accident was due to weather conditions. The mishap occurred at 11:15 a.m. Record cold kept Oklahoma tucked under snow and ice today, and the weather bureau said a new winter storm could add as much as four more inches of snow by Wednesday.

Oklahoma already had a snow cover ranging from two to eight inches, prevented from thawing by temperatures that fell below zero in some sections and into the sub-teens throughout the state.

Oklahoma City’s low of zero early today was the coldest on record for the date, and it was even colder to the north. Gage had a low of four below zero, and Ponca City one below. Warmest low at a regular reporting station was 11 degrees at McAlester.

Temperatures had stayed below freezing all day Monday, with highs ranging from 26 at Ardmore to 11 at Gage.

The weather bureau issued a travelers advisory for the extreme west today and tonight and a winter weather watch for the rest of the state to four inches. The weather bureau said the snow might be mixed with sleet and freezing drizzle in the extreme south and southeast.

Roads already were icy from the previous storm, and the weather bureau said additional snow would make driving conditions very dangerous. Altus still had its eight-inch snow cover early today, and Hobart had six inches, Gage, Oklahoma City and McAlester five, Ft. Sill four, Ponca City three and Tulsa two inches.

There was little prospect for the snow to melt in advance of the approaching storm, with temperatures expected to be from 12 to 24, and highs Wednesday from 18 to 28. The extended outlook is for unsettled conditions and little temperature change Thursday through Saturday.

75 YEARS AGO – 1948

HIGHWAY HERE HAS BIGGEST TRAFFIC GAIN

US Highway 62 at Henryetta, US 64 at Enid and US 270 at Shawnee made the largest individual traffic gains that boosted Oklahoma’s Christmas week volume 11.7 percent over the same period in 1946 it is announced today by Maurice L. Cline, state highway department statistician.

For the week commencing Dec. 21, a total of 413,240 vehicles were recorded moving over highways by automatic recorders at 20 department stations in comparison to 369,842 for the same week the year before, 179,554 in 1944, last year of the war, and 337,638 for the same week in the pre-war year of 1941.

The gain over 1944 was 130.1 percent and 22.4 percent over 1941. According to the Cline report, stations showing increases the final full week of December over the same period in 1946 included: US 62 Henryetta 38.7 percent; US 64 Enid 30.9; US 270 Shawnee 29.2; US 66 Foss 27.8; US 270 Woodward, 25; US 64 Keystone, 18.7; US 70 Hugo, 17.

SAM JOHNSON SAYS HE’S NOT GUILTY

Sam Johnson, charged with assault with intent to kill in the shooting of Harry Dean, today pleaded not guilty to the crime he had said he committed on the witness stand during his brother’s trial on the same charges in superior court last month.

Johnson, who will be tried in the term of superior court beginning there Jan. 19, pleaded not guilty at arraignment before Superior Judge Jack Pitchford today. Johnson was the only defendant to appear at arraignment day in court here this morning.

Sam’s brother, C.Y. Johnson, had been charged in the Dean shooting until jury acquitted him after Sam took the witness stand and said he fired the shot that hit Dean. He said the shot was intended for Dean’s mother-in-law, Ada Penrod, who was charged with murder in the throatslashing death of Sam’s and C.Y.’s father, Jack Johnson. She had served about six months in the county jail.

100 YEARS AGO – 1923

OPENS TERRITORY HALF MILE

NEARER THE CITY

The week just closed has been a bumper on in the matter of increased production in the Henryetta Oil Field. The prediction, made several days ago, that by last night the total production would be averaging 25,000 barrels daily, has been fulfilled.

In addition to the several large wells brought in during the earlier days of the week, there came in yesterday morning another immense well, that of the Gladys Belle Oil Company, in the southwest corner of the southeast quarter of the southeast quarter of section 13-11-11, a well which at the time of the latest report yesterday evening, was making 150 barrels per hour, proving this to be the largest well yet brought in the Henryetta field.

It is not alone in its vast production that makes this well of much interest to Henryetta, but the fact that its location brings this rich, proven territory one-half mile closer to the city, it being that distance east of the two big wells, the Independent and the Gypsy, in this section, both of which came in at 2,500 barrels.

The full promise of the wonderful possibilities of this last well has probably not been reached as the drill had gone only two feet into the sand which was found at 2,713 feet.

The well will prove of much interest to all oil men interested in this field, for the location has been looked upon as indicating the trend of the Quinn pool and more than half a dozen rigs were ready to be placed in the immediate vicinity of this well should it come in a good oil well, or even one strong in gas. Geologists have fixed the location of this well as being on the highest point of the structure.

There are at least ten more wells due in from one to five days and with the coming in of the Waite Phillips well at 3,500 barrels, only to be exceeded by the Gladys Belle yesterday morning, the possibilities of the field cannot be estimated.

The week was also marked by increasing activity in the city. Supply companies are being taxed to their capacity to keep up with the demands from the field. The business generally of the city is responding to the increasing work in this vicinity.

While machinery firms, supply houses and other interests directly connected with the oil industry are clamoring for trackage, buildings and locations of all kinds, the crying need is for dwelling houses and office rooms. There are many companies and firms desiring to locate here, but find it impossible to secure office locations and there is not an hour in the day that the Free-Lance office is not filled with people seeking to rent houses and rooms in which to live. They clamor to see what advertisements of property for rent are going in the paper before it is printed.

Many buildings are in course of construction and many more will commence at once, but the demand is for something right now. The newcomers are resorting to any kind of makeshift that they may be on the ground and secure the first desirable property offering. Those having residence and business property for sale accentuate their offer by mentioning “immediate possession” and they are getting results.

POOL HALL MAN AND BOY UNDER AGE PAY FINES

J.T. Cornell was charged in police court this morning with permitting a boy under age to patronize a pool hall. He entered a plea of guilty and the mayor only fined him $10 and did not forfeit his license, as there appeared to be extenuating circumstances in the case. Following the hearing of the case, the mayor was examining the ordinance to learn if he could not fine the boy for his part in the transaction and found he could, as the ordinance makes it a misdemeanor for a boy under age to frequent such places. The mayor said he might not fine the boy this time, but he was going to send for him and have a talk with him.

The mayor said another pool hall proprietor was fined only a short time ago by reason of this same boy having been found in his place. The mayor said the man fined today told him that when the boy came to his place he said he was 18 years of age when, he said, the boy is only 16 years old.

This afternoon the mayor had the boy before him. His name is Wimston Reynolds and he was charged with frequenting a pool hall. The mayor gave him an extended lecture and fined him $5. The mayor has found the ordinance provides a fine for boys under age entering pool halls and he is going to enforce the ordinance against the boys as well as against the proprietors.

ROBERTSON VS. HEPBURN

Every day, and even faster than every day, comes new and interested developments in the Robertson-Hepburn bout. Now the governor manifests a keen desire to get before that grand jury. Why is this? He says it is to prevent Hepburn bringing about a false indictment. Is it possible that the governor thinks so little of our grand jury as to imagine it will indict a man merely on the recommendation of the county attorney? Surely not!

As a matter of legal procedure, Governor Robertson can come before a grand jury only by a subpoena and in the exactly same manner that other witnesses are summoned. We do not know whether he is to be subpoenaed or not, but if not, he certainly has no more right to enter that grand jury room than has any other citizen – not so much, in fact, since it is supposed that he is to be considered by the jury. Does every man who is indicted or liable to indictment have a chance to appear in the grand jury room and advocate his own cause? If not, then the governor has no right to do it. In other and plainer words, the governor must not be permitted to exercise any right or privileges not accorded to any other citizen.

It sounds a bit as if the governor desires to get before that jury in order to “explain away” whatever may be offered in evidence against him. Was that privilege extended to two of our citizens who were indicted by the former grand jury on a charge of election frauds? Was that privilege extended to all of those indicted? No, certainly not. Well, then, the governor is not entitled to it. Let him take his chances before the grand jury just as all other men do.

Our guess is that he is taunting Hepburn in an effort to bring about a subpoena, for Robertson is a lawyer, and knows that he has no right to enter that room save as a witness. But once there, even as a witness, he might sway the minds of the jury by his eloquence and by his high office.

Free-Lance has not been strong for grand jury work, but since we have it let us have it right and fair – fair to the governor of course, but fair to all alike.

FINE SLEDDING

The steep grade of North Fifth, where the paving was recently completed, supplies a wonderful place for coasting. Seeing that such would be true, it was planned in advance that whenever a snow come, the hill should be taken over for that purpose.

This morning was such a time. A fine snowfall made it just right. The south end of the required street was fenced off at Cummings, and the traffic was turned away at the top of the hill, and then the fun began.

Prof. Carder caught the spirit of the affair, and permitted the high school pupils to attend provided only that they first obtain parental consent. This was forthcoming in most instances, and that hill soon became as populous as a bathing beach in the summer time.