Volume 15 , Issue 6

Black Hand Letters of 1910

Back in 2002, when we were researching the "Old Opera House Death of Mabel Oakes" (9 November 1910) we found some interesting bit of evidence used in the trial of Justice N. L. Miller. It concerned some "Black Hand letters" that Mabel Oakes had received while she was alive.

These are excerpts of the Black Hand letters that Mabel Oakes received while she was working for Nelson L. Miller. Miller testified that Mabel had delivered to him over 40 to 50 Black Hand letters that she had received. Miller, upon Mabel's request, turned those letters over to his attorney Erskine Snoddy. A few of those Black Hand letters made it into the Defense Exhibits 2-15.

A couple in particular caught my attention and curiosity. It was listed as Exhibit No. 3 -- It reads as follows:

"I have another communication for your bootlegging friends. Tell them that all of the booze they get here this summer will not be of much good to them. Tell Goodwine that it will be WAR to the DEATH for that beer. We will not be BEAT. We shall WIN. As for you, you are certainly a fool and are watched the same as, Miller, Shaw, Virden, Shafer, Burge, Goodwine and others."

We know who Miller is they speak of, but who were Virden, Shafer, Burge, Goodwine and the others?

The other Black Hand letter offered by the defense was Exhibit No. 11 -- It reads as follows:

"Mabel Oaks. When you read this letter you will be worse surprised than you ever were in all of your previous life. I want to say now that I am the writer of all those notes you have been receiving and now I want to explain my conduct to you. I am a member of a band, you may call it whatever you like, but I am the same as a slave and I am forced to do all the bad work. You made enemies of the band when you defied them about that bootlegging deal and they then resolved to kidnap you and keep you for a purpose that is worse than death. I wrote the notes but I swear to you that I never knew who you were until today. I knew nothing of you excepting your name and though I have often seen you I did not know you were the intended victim. So believe me and do as I tell you. They have decided to make the attempt to capture you tomorrow night (Friday) or Sat. night. So be prepared and have help. I ask you to keep this for they would kill me if they knew I told you. The only reason I have in telling you this is because I love you and will do anything possible to save you. I have often tried to meet you but failed. I suppose you would hate me if you knew me personally and I could not stand that so I am going to leave here and lead a better life. I would be willing to die if I could for one day only say you were my wife. But that cannot be so I will leave and try to forget you. You know there is always some honor among thieves and this is the only honorable thing I can do. I wish your life to be all happiness. protect yourself tonight and tomorrow and forgive me if possible. Good-bye dear." Yours till death, Anamous

Were these black hand letters written by the extreme religious right that was determined to use scare tactics and violence to rid this northwest Woods County community of the bootlegging joints? Was this a Mafia-based religious secret society in this northwest Oklahoma community? Who was trying to intimidate young Mabel Oakes?

Who sent these so called Black Hand letters that Mabel received? Was Miss Oakes being used as a spy against the bootleggers in the area? Did this secret society have something to do with Miss Oakes' black eye, bruises, abrasions on the left side of her face a few days before her death?

In Miller's Testimony and other defense witnesses testimony it was stated that Mabel had broken her arm a couple of times, December, 1909 & March, 1910, taking off a month of work each time. It is somewhat very curious, strange that she seemed to break her arm twice in such a short period of time. Was she accident prone? Was it the result of one of her sinking spells? OR . . . Was it the result of some roughing up by the band of the Black Hand group that allegedly sent Mabel Oakes the threatening letters? Who really did send those Black Hand letters. Click Here to review, reread the defense's exhibits of those threatening letters.

Who was Dan Fletcher and Fred Frederickson that were being held in the Woods County jail during Miller's murder trial. Why were they fugitives from justice?   |  View or Add Comments (0 Comments)   |   Receive updates ( subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

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