Thursday morning, November 10, 1910, the district court room is crowded with curious citizens of Alva , Oklahoma and vicinity for the coroner's inquest. Everyone was hoping that something would arise to show that no murder had been committed in their little community. 

Justice Isaac B. Lawhon began holding the inquest in the district court room with County Attorney Claud McCrory conducting, examining the witnesses. The only spectators not allowed were the students of Northwestern Normal School , because President Grant Grumbine decided that the young people should be protected from the unmoral circumstances of Miss Oakes death. 

Mr. Oakes testified that his daughter had been in the employ of Miller for some time, and that in the months that had gone by he and his wife had kept careful note of her condition and female functions up to a certain time when it showed that her female functions were not performing their usual duties, and that he discovered the date in which they stopped. Oakes and his wife confronted their daughter with her condition, but Mabel strenuously denied that there was anything wrong. Mr. Oakes went to Nelson Miller. Miller denied that he was responsible for Mabel's delicate condition. While Miller attempted to put the father off, Miller called Mr. Oakes into his office one day and said that he intended to procure a divorce, and that he and Mabel would be married. 

The day of the murder, Mr. Oakes went in search of his daughter around 1:00 p.m., November 9, 1910, because she did not come home for dinner. Oakes stated under oath, ìI came directly past Mr. Millers Office. When asked how long he remained at Miller's office, Oakes replied, ìIt wasn't a minute. I just opened the door and looked in there and closed it again. Oakes testified that the door of the office was unlocked and he did not enter Miller's office. He opened the door of the office and looked in for a short few seconds to see if Mabel was in there and then closed the door again. If Mr. Oakes was concerned about his daughter's whereabouts, why didn't he explore further into the rooms of the old opera house? 

After Mr. Oakes hour of testimony, there was an adjournment for dinner before the inquiry resumed. After the testimony of the witnesses, it took the jury thirty minutes to return the following verdict: We, the jury, do upon our oaths find that the said Mabel Oakes is dead, that she came to her death on 9 November 1910, in Woods County, Oklahoma, that said death was caused by violence, by strangulation, with a scarf in the hands of another person with intent to kill and murder the said Mabel Oakes, and from the evidence before us, we believe said person to be N. L. Miller. 

(right: Judge R. A. Cameron) -- Justice Miller was ordered held in jail without bail for his safety and for the preliminary hearing scheduled for November 24, in the Woods County District Court, Case #612. Judge R. A. Cameron, trying the case, came down with a sudden serious illness when the preliminary scheduled for November 24, 1910 came around. The preliminary was postponed to December 1, 1910, 9:00, Thursday morning and again postponed by agreement of counsel to December 2, 1910. 

Between November 10 and December, 1910, community outcries, gossip and newspaper articles across Oklahoma and Kansas flooded this northwest Oklahoma community daily. The local newspapers reported that the verdict was generally approved as a ìbrave and honest verdict in ìaccordance with the evidence produced. 

Other local newspapers reported, ìThe previous reputation of the accused will not help to weaken the verdict. The sympathy of the entire community is with his (Miller's) estimable family, which is in nowise responsible for this crime for which the husband and father stands charged by a jury of his fellow citizens. 

The older citizens consensus was, ìThat for seventeen years, notwithstanding that we were living in a new country, filled with pioneers, and from which could not be kept a certain element that follows the boundaries of pioneer settlements, that no murder had ever disgraced the annals of our city, and each and every one hoped that this would not prove to be the first. 

As the preliminary approached, the prosecution in Woods County Case #612 consisted of, ìJ. N. Tincher, Medicine Lodge, Kansas , leading attorney; Claud McCrory, County Attorney ; and Moman Pruiett, as special prosecutor. 

(Left: Moman Pruiett) -- It was strange that the famous criminal lawyer, Moman Pruiett, took the side of the prosecution in the Old Opera House Murder. The Law Enforcement League was one of Pruiett's chief hecklers, because Pruiett had beaten, broken the morale of the League in past cases. The League knew that they could not beat Pruiett and decided to enlist Pruiett with $3,000 in cash before the defense could engage him. Pruiett took the League's offer to act as special prosecutor in the Old Opera House murder case in Woods County , Oklahoma . 

As we already know, the Law Enforcement League was established as the ìanti-vice movement -- a moral reform movement, funded with the purpose of enforcing local moral standards, investigating the backgrounds of newcomers to be sure they were morally and socially acceptable to the town fathers. 

Mr. Pruiett's second wife was Leda Sniggs, daughter of August T. Sniggs, Alva , Oklahoma . Moman and Leda were married on July 7, 1903 in Leda's hometown of Alva , Oklahoma . Their marriage lasted forty-one years until her death in 1944. 

Moman Pruiett arrived in Alva, Wednesday afternoon, November 30, 1910 and spent a few days visiting his in-laws while waiting for the preliminary case to begin. While in Alva, Pruiett looked over the case and insisted that Mr. Tincher should be present if possible. Tincher was reached by phone Thursday morning and made a trip by auto to Kiowa, Kansas where he caught the 1:00 p.m. Santa Fe and arrived in Alva that afternoon, December 1, 1910, by train. 

On December 2, 1910, an agreement of counsels was filed before Judge Cameron to continue. The court room was packed with spectators, except for the students of the Normal school, for the preliminary hearing with Judge Cameron on the bench. Those present in the courtroom were County Attorney , Claud McCrory; J. N. Tincher; and Moman Pruiett for the prosecution; attorneys Erskine W. Snoddy, Judge L. T. Wilson and Chris H. Mauntel for the defense and the defendant, Nelson Miller. The defense counsel waived the reading of the information, entered a plea of not guilty and waived preliminary examination. The Court ordered that the defendant Miller be held in the Woods County jail of Oklahoma , without bail, to answer the charge of Murder in the first degree. 

When Miller's defense counsel announced that they would waive preliminary examination, the counsel for the State announced that they wished to introduce and perpetuate the testimony of Dr. Saffold. The reasons being, ìDr. Saffold was a most important witness in the case; that he had removed his residence from the county; that he was now present in court and that by perpetuating his testimony it would not be necessary to require his attendance during the subsequent trial of the case. 

This introduction of testimony of Dr. Saffold brought a heated objection to the proceeding from the defense counsel, Judge L. T. Wilson, as irregular on the grounds that when the defendant waived preliminary examination that no further proceedings in the case should be taken. Judge Cameron over-ruled the objection of the counsel for the defense taking the position that he saw no reason why Dr. Saffold's testimony should not be taken. There was sparring between Judge L. T. Wilson and special prosecutor, Moman Pruiett, in the preliminary, but the local newspapers reported that it produced no serious results. 

Dr. Saffold was sworn and testified, ìThe first time Miller asked me to go down to see her, Miss Oakes, professionally was August 1 or 2, 1910. I was called down to Miller's office and found Miss Oakes in almost an unconscious condition sitting in a chair. The second time Miller asked me to call on her and the last time I saw Mabel was October 17, 1910. Miller came to me and asked me to examine her. Miller asked me to produce an abortion. I refused. The doctor testified that Miller then said that he could perform the operation if he had the instruments, as he had read or studied medicine, but Dr. Saffold refused to loan Miller the instruments. 

Mr. Tincher asked Dr. Saffold to state to the jury whether or not on November 9, 1910 if he had a conversation with Mr. Miller over the telephone. 

Dr. Saffold responded, ìYes sir, I did. He called me and said ëThis is N. L. Miller, and I want you to come immediately.' I told him I was sick and couldn't come. He says, ëIt is very important and you must come.' I replied that I was sick and couldn't come and he repeated that it was about that girl, and he wants me to come immediately. I answered the same. As near as I can say, it was about 2:30 p.m., November 9, 1910. 

When Tincher asked Saffold how he you arrived at that time, Saffold said that was the time that one of his nurses had told him that the Rock Island train had came in -- on time. The defense counsel moved that the testimony of Dr. Saffold be excluded and withdrawn from the jury, for the reason that it was based wholly upon hearsay testimony. The Court overruled. The State and Defense rested and the Court adjourned until 2:30 p.m. 

The local newspapers were reporting, "The strong array of legal talent on both sides of this case was promising to make this case one of the most interesting in the annals of western Oklahoma and it will be strongly contested till ended. From then on there was a battle of news headlines pounding down on Woods County , Oklahoma . 

The Oklahoman News headlines, Accused to Solve Mystery of Death - Oklahoman article , dated 12 November 1910, stated -- ìN. L. Miller, the justice of the peace who is in jail charged with the murder of Miss Mabel Oakes, announced today that when he was called to trial he would be able to produce the man responsible for the girl's condition. Miller admits he was in love with the girl and says he intended to get a divorce and marry her.