Like lots of kids, I managed to get into all kinds of mischief when I was a teen. My brother, Gary, who was only eleven months younger than me, was involved in most of these as well. In almost every case, there were others involved as well who shall remain nameless. They may not feel the need to repent of their sins!
I can't begin to get these in chronological order since they all happened in a two to three year period when I was between 15 and 18 years of age. After that, I began to settle down and grow up a bit. Fortunately, none of these pranks involved any serious physical harm although they certainly could have.
I'll start with the worst, at least from a financial point. It was Halloween in either 1961 or 1962. The new bridge over Salt Creek had been completed but the highway was not yet paved. A bunch of us young bucks were out prowling and looking for ways to cause havoc. After tipping over a few outhouses (yes, we really did that), we decided to build a bonfire on the new bridge. We rounded up a few old tires and carried them out to the middle of the bridge where we lit them on fire. It was a spectacular sight! What we didn't consider was that the tire fire would burn so hot that would actually damage the concrete on the new bridge. The next day, Mother asked if we were involved in building the fire. Although we assured her that we weren't, I'm sure she knew the truth. We heard later that the cost of repairs was substantial.
There was a railroad underpass on the east side of Mannford, just east of Glen Tate's Phillips station. It was a perfect place for kids to get into trouble and we did. Our favorite occupation here was to drop water balloons off the railroad tracks onto cars passing underneath. One night we were engaged in this pastime when a convertible approached! This was beyond our wildest dreams so we let a balloon go just as he went under the bridge. It was a direct hit! The only problem was that, even though the driver was soaked, he was mad enough that he stopped the car and started chasing us through the woods. If it hadn't been dark, he could have easily run this short fat kid down. As it was, we got away.
As we got older, Gary and I became less concerned about what time we got home after going out to town. One early morning as we were attempting to sneak in the back door at home, we met Dad coming out on his way to milk the cow. He gave us a disgusting look and, in his most stern voice, told us to get our clothes changed because we were going to the hay field in an hour. I know that he worked us harder that day than he ever had before.
Then there was the time we were practicing our fast draws. I know its hard to believe today, but we all had firearms as teenagers back then. On the other hand, there weren't any school shootings or other tragic events back then. At any rate, two of us had revolvers (good to practice fast draw with) and one had a semi-auto pistol (NOT good to practice fast draw with). The guy with the semi-auto made a mistake and pulled the trigger before the pistol had cleared the holster. The bullet traveled down the leg just under the skin and lodged just above the knee. It didn't even bleed, although when his mother found out, she was panic stricken!
My initiation into the FFA (Future Farmers of America) was interesting, to say the least. We all met up at the school and the new kids were given their assignments. Mine was to steal the hubcaps off the local Marshall's 1957 Chevy. The Marshall was Lee White and back then, he was the perfect man for that job. The kids all respected him and he didn't try to scare them to death. I didn't relish my assignment but I left the school and walked the two blocks to his house. I was kneeling down trying to get the first hubcap off when a deep, loud voice behind me asked what I thought I was doing! Yep, it was Lee White. Come to find out, the FFA officers had called him and warned him that I was coming. Apparently, this was an annual prank.
OK, now the truth is out. Please remember that this was 50 years ago and I don't do things like that today! Fortunately, I think most kids today are better behaved than I was!
Showing posts with label Lee White. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lee White. Show all posts
Saturday, July 26, 2014
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
The Great Mannford Gunfight
In October, 2012, I mentioned a gunfight that I had witnessed as a teen. In 2003, the Keystone Crossroads Historical Society published a book of Mannford history called "Mannford Through The Years" and they asked me to write a short story about it. Here is a copy of that story.
"One day in 1963, I believe it was on a Saturday afternoon, Mom asked Gary and me to take her car to Ted Norwood's service station for an oil change.
"Since we both worked for him, part time anyway, this was a good reason to go to town. We took the car in and put it on the rack. There were a few people hanging around as they often did, including Roy Russell, the Superintendent of Schools and a good friend of Ted's, the Pepsi route man whose first name was Bill and Willard Oller. Oller was a big man and very overbearing but we weren't particularly scared of him.
"In a little while, a tall, lanky man whom I did not know walked through the door of the station. Almost at once, he and Willard began fighting. I was amazed at this sight - two grown men fighting like school children. Ted told my brother, Gary, to go get Lee White, the local constable, and Gary left in Ted's pickup truck.
"As Willard and the other man fought (I found out later that he was Ted Hix, Willard's brother-in-law) the fight moved from the office out into the shop bay. Although Ted weighed about half of what Willard weighed, he soon began to get the better of Willard. Willard finally got a chance to escape and took off through the door of the station to his Cadillac, which was parked in the drive. I remember standing there in disbelief watching Willard lean over into his car and come out with a .32 automatic pistol. I thought to myself, "He will never use that thing!" The next thing I knew, Willard came back through the door of the station and, without saying a word, started shooting at Ted. I was standing behind Ted, and Bill, the Pepsi route man, pushed me down underneath Mom's car. Ted was hit four times, twice in the chest and twice in the leg. In spite of being shot, he chased Willard out the door of the station, took the gun away from him and tried to shoot him. Fortunately for Willard, the gun had jammed. Willard ran up the hill west from the station.
"About that time, Gary returned with Lee White, who very calmly walked up the hill and told Willard he was going to have to arrest him. Lee took Willard to Sapulpa and the ambulance took Ted to the hospital. I remember that while Ted waited for the ambulance, he sat down on the curb of the station, unlaced the work boot on the leg, which had been shot, and the boot filled up with blood.
"About two hours later, after Gary and I had gone home to relate the story to Mom and Dad, a pickup truck pulled into our driveway. Dad looked out and recognized the two men in it as being employees of Willard Oller. He said, "Well, it looks like we've got trouble!" then he got the 12-gauge shotgun off its rack, loaded it and the three of us, Dad, Gary and I went out into the yard. One of the men got out of their truck and said, "We understand that your boys saw what happened at the station today. We just want to talk to them about it." Dad told them that there was no way we were going to talk to them and with a shotgun pointed at them, they decided not to argue the point. They got into their pickup and drove off.
"Later that evening, I was back at Ted's station and Willard Oller came back in! He had made bail and bragged that he beat Lee White back to Mannford from Sapulpa. In his usual blustery manner, he was chiding me for ducking under a car when the gunfight was going on. I don't know what he thought I should have been doing!
"During the next six months, I was called out of class four times by County deputies to be served subpoenas, twice for the criminal trial and twice for a civil suit filed by Ted Hix against Willard.
"Willard pled temporary insanity during his trial and was acquitted. He bragged to us later that he had "bought off' the jury". Since it was in Creek County, we all believed him.
"Ted did win a $38,000 judgment although it is not known if any of it was ever paid."
"One day in 1963, I believe it was on a Saturday afternoon, Mom asked Gary and me to take her car to Ted Norwood's service station for an oil change.
"Since we both worked for him, part time anyway, this was a good reason to go to town. We took the car in and put it on the rack. There were a few people hanging around as they often did, including Roy Russell, the Superintendent of Schools and a good friend of Ted's, the Pepsi route man whose first name was Bill and Willard Oller. Oller was a big man and very overbearing but we weren't particularly scared of him.
"In a little while, a tall, lanky man whom I did not know walked through the door of the station. Almost at once, he and Willard began fighting. I was amazed at this sight - two grown men fighting like school children. Ted told my brother, Gary, to go get Lee White, the local constable, and Gary left in Ted's pickup truck.
"As Willard and the other man fought (I found out later that he was Ted Hix, Willard's brother-in-law) the fight moved from the office out into the shop bay. Although Ted weighed about half of what Willard weighed, he soon began to get the better of Willard. Willard finally got a chance to escape and took off through the door of the station to his Cadillac, which was parked in the drive. I remember standing there in disbelief watching Willard lean over into his car and come out with a .32 automatic pistol. I thought to myself, "He will never use that thing!" The next thing I knew, Willard came back through the door of the station and, without saying a word, started shooting at Ted. I was standing behind Ted, and Bill, the Pepsi route man, pushed me down underneath Mom's car. Ted was hit four times, twice in the chest and twice in the leg. In spite of being shot, he chased Willard out the door of the station, took the gun away from him and tried to shoot him. Fortunately for Willard, the gun had jammed. Willard ran up the hill west from the station.
"About that time, Gary returned with Lee White, who very calmly walked up the hill and told Willard he was going to have to arrest him. Lee took Willard to Sapulpa and the ambulance took Ted to the hospital. I remember that while Ted waited for the ambulance, he sat down on the curb of the station, unlaced the work boot on the leg, which had been shot, and the boot filled up with blood.
"About two hours later, after Gary and I had gone home to relate the story to Mom and Dad, a pickup truck pulled into our driveway. Dad looked out and recognized the two men in it as being employees of Willard Oller. He said, "Well, it looks like we've got trouble!" then he got the 12-gauge shotgun off its rack, loaded it and the three of us, Dad, Gary and I went out into the yard. One of the men got out of their truck and said, "We understand that your boys saw what happened at the station today. We just want to talk to them about it." Dad told them that there was no way we were going to talk to them and with a shotgun pointed at them, they decided not to argue the point. They got into their pickup and drove off.
"Later that evening, I was back at Ted's station and Willard Oller came back in! He had made bail and bragged that he beat Lee White back to Mannford from Sapulpa. In his usual blustery manner, he was chiding me for ducking under a car when the gunfight was going on. I don't know what he thought I should have been doing!
"During the next six months, I was called out of class four times by County deputies to be served subpoenas, twice for the criminal trial and twice for a civil suit filed by Ted Hix against Willard.
"Willard pled temporary insanity during his trial and was acquitted. He bragged to us later that he had "bought off' the jury". Since it was in Creek County, we all believed him.
"Ted did win a $38,000 judgment although it is not known if any of it was ever paid."
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