• Near Bald Hill, investigators uncovered a heartbreaking scene of extreme poverty. A three‑month‑old baby in the Reed family had died, and the 10‑year‑old eldest child went to neighbors seeking help to bury the infant. The family lived in a drafty, ramshackle shack with only hay‑filled mattresses and thin coverings. Both parents and all four children were severely undernourished. The father, Henry Reed, had been ill for six months and was unable to work. The mother, also underfed, struggled to care for the children. Neighbors and oilfield workers quickly rallied, bringing food, clothing, bedding and heat. Captain William Oliver later delivered additional supplies and confirmed the family’s dire condition. The father was expected to require surgery before he could ever return to work.
• In Okemah, 23‑year‑old Beverly Gunn was instantly killed in what authorities ruled an unavoidable accident. Gunn had stopped in a hardware store with a companion when a traveling salesman, R.W. Crume, was demonstrating a Colt .45 revolver. Crume accidentally dropped the gun, and the impact caused it to fire. The bullet struck Gunn in the chest, passed through his shoulder and killed him instantly.
An assistant county attorney investigated within minutes and cleared the salesman of wrongdoing, concluding the shooting was accidental.
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• In Okmulgee County, Sheriff Art Hackney presented OHP Trooper Leon Hudson with a plaque of appreciation on behalf of 34 Auxiliary Police officers who completed a 120‑hour training school he conducted. The program drew support from a wide range of officials and specialists, including state senators, district judges, law enforcement agents and Red Cross personnel. A staff photographer captured the presentation.
• Oklahoma State Tech announced that 54 students from Okmulgee County were among the 276 graduates scheduled to receive diplomas at the upcoming commencement. The ceremony, part of the school’s 82nd graduating class, was set for Friday evening, with an honors program and departmental open houses earlier in the day. Local graduates represented fields ranging from legal secretarial science and accounting to auto body, electronics and air conditioning – reflecting the breadth of programs at the nation’s largest residential technical college.
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