Volume 8 , Issue 20

Old Opera House Mystery Tidbits...

[l & r: Woods County map of Twp. 28N-Rge 14WIM] - Where was Oakes land North of Alva? Who owns the Oakes' land now? We looked through our handy "1906 Woods County Atlas" and found where George Oakes owned 160 acres in the northeast quarter of Section 11, Twp 28N, Rge 14WIM. His neighbors to the north were J. C. Martin, Chas. E. Watkins, and L. H. Walton. To the west was Irena Jarred; South, E. A. Higgins, W. F. Reid; and East was L. Kranz.

Miller, Mabel & Spring 1910 Buggy Ride... [r: 1906 Woods County Map - Twp. 27N-Rge 15WIM] -- In the "Old Opera House Mystery" we spoke of a Spring 1910 buggy ride that Nelson Miller and Mabel Oakes took out west of Alva where Miss Oakes allegedly lost her innocence. While we were thumbing through the 1906 atlas we did a search for the parcel of land that Nelson Miller was supposedly inspecting on a Spring, Sunday in 1910 with Mabel Oakes. Miller described the land as 6 miles west of Alva to the southeast corner of the section line. We estimate that would put it about the southeast corner of Sec. 23-Twp. 27N-Range 15WIM, West of the old McKeever School and near the N. B. Litton land. Other owners showing around there were W. T. Abbott and J. M Benton, and T. R. Shirley.

As to Moman Pruiett... Why Did the famous criminal lawyer, Moman Pruiett, take the side of the prosecution in the "Old Opera House Murder?" We are not quite sure of that yet, but Moman's second wife was Leda Sniggs, daughter of the Hon. August T. Sniggs who was residing in Alva, Oklahoma, Woods County during that time, and the sister of Pruiett's junior law partner Victor Sniggs. We suspect that the "Law Enforcement League (Law and Order League)" made Pruiett an offer he couldn't refuse. The League was one of Pruiett's chief hecklers. It was during the another case and defense of Jim Stevenson, Judge Maben, and Agnes Gilbert, Moman had broken the morale of the League. The League was persuaded that they could NOT beat Moman Pruiett and decided to enlist him for $3,000 in cash to go to Woods County to act as special prosecutor in the N. L. Miller vs. State of Oklahoma murder trial. Leda Sniggs and Moman Pruiett were married on July 7, 1903 in Leda's hometown of Alva, Oklahoma, and their marriage lasted forty-one years until her death in 1944. This information came from a book written about Moman Pruiett (He Made It Safe To Murder) by Howard K. Berry, pages 346-352.

Claud McCrory, county attorney (1910)... resigns & vanishes... The county attorney, Claud McCrory, was under pressure by the Oakes family, citizens and Law Enforcement League to quit stalling the case. When Moman Pruiett moved in as a special prosecutor hired by the League, the gang around the courthouse acknowledge that a lawsuit was going to be tried. Claud McCrory resigned as prosecuting attorney, 9 January 1911 when public sentiment had risen that he had to do one or the other -- resign or prosecute Miller. McCrory quit when it appeared that the case was coming to trial. After McCrory quit, he seemed to vanish into thin air. The League hired runners and detectives to find Mc Crory and supoena him as a witness, but to no avail. Who was hiding this ex-county attorney? AND... Why? Stay-tuned for the "Prairie Connection" July/August edition.

George Oakes' Filings of November 9 & 10, 1910... Last week we had a couple of filings that George Oakes had filed back in November 9 & 10, 1910 during the Old Opera House Murder case. We thought that rather strange that the victims family had to file a complaint & warrant to get the authority to investigate and prosecute, but with some other information we found concerning the gang at the courthouse and county attorney Claud McCrory... we think we are beginning to see the "REAL" picture here. BUT... we are not going to divulge too much here until it comes out in the "Prairie Connection's" July/August edition. Stay Tuned!
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