Marshall County:

Lebanon, Chickasaw Nation

January 21, 1885

Day Unknown
Five Died in Shooting at Buck Smith's Place
Buck SMITH of Lebanon, Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory held a dance party at his residence on the night of 20 January 1885. He invited many friends and per his testimony, he mentioned that about 25 to 30 came uninivited. Three men, Henry CRAIG, Burrell ODENWOOD (Oatenwood/Ottenwood) and Tom MACKEY (MacKay/Macey), attended the party and brought women friends. Craig and Odenwood were invited.
From the examinations of the witnesses, there was an argument in one of the rooms and Henry Craig fired the first shot. The first one went up in the ceiling and more shots rang out...about 4 to 5 at a time. Smoke filled the room and the witnesses were not able to determine who fatally shot George A. GORDON, Buck Smith's guest from Cedar Mills, Grayson Co., TX.
Some witnesses recollected seeing Odenwood with a gun in his hand. Henry Craig was shot badly and still alive. He had stumbled out to the porch. Odenwood said he was going to go get a wagon and come back to get Craig in the morning. The men brought Craig back inside. According to Buck Smith's testimony, Craig told him "Buck it is awful. I would not have had it happened for nothing. not for a thousand dollars." Craig handed over his pistols per Buck's request.
Wallin/Walter GRAVELY, Jno. STEWARD, Frank ETTER and Charlie HAYS were wounded. Tom MACKAY was killed. Odenwood came back in the morning and took Craig home where Craig lived another few hours.
Odenwood said that Craig told him that he was the one who shot Gordon. One or two witnesses said it was Odenwood who fired that shot. A warrant was issued for Odenwood's arrest and he was arrested a few months later then taken to Sherman, TX for a trial in September 1885. From the testimonies, it is obvious that no one knew for sure who fatally wounded Gordon. Odenwood was found guilty and went to jail in Dallas, TX where he was for about 6 months.
The witnesses listed were: William A. HUFF (from Cedar Mills area, Grayson Co., TX)
George W. GILLET(from Lebanon area, IT)
Buck SMITH
Henry G. HUFF
Allie CHANCE (female)
Frank WELCH
Robert "Bob" CHANCE
W. J. CHANCE
Wm. "Bill" SMITH
N. J. CHANCE
Other names mentioned of those at the party were Buck's son W. R. SMITH, Tom RICHARDSON, STERRITT, PEMBERTON, SPANGLER, Margaret LANE, OVERSTREET, MCDONALD and Tom SMITH.
Buck SMITH mentioned that there were about 32 shots in total, from the holes in walls and bodies.
Submitter's Note: The sources I used to find this information was from the federal court record at the National Archives in Fort Worth, TX. Crimes in Indian Territory committed by non-Indians were considered federal cases. It is a good idea to check their files for your names as well as those of known friends and neighbors.
(Crimes also include stealing, liquoir, fightings, etc.)
Also check for alias names. Burrell Odenwood is an alias name and his case is filed under that name, not his real name (William A. LEMONS). Luckily his daughter told me about his alias which helped me find him.
Story Recounted in 1952 in The Madill Record, 11 September 1952 (not paginated), Special Edition.
This article mentioned that Buck SMITH's place was on Briar Creek, not far from the present site of Powell, in 1883. [Note: The year is wrong. It happened on 20 Jan. 1885. Facts do get distorted and exaggerated over the years.]
The writer goes on to mention that complete details of the shooting are not available and that the story has never been written accurately. There were no newspaper accounts of the tragedy when it occurred, simply because there wasn't a newspaper in the county at that time.
The people at the party include: J. E. (Jesse) GRINSTEAD [who later founded the first newspaper,The Oakland News (predessor of The Madill Record) in Oakland (Marshall Co., OK) in 1895. He moved to TX and wrote western stories.]
Jim BOUNDS, father of the late Frank BOUNDS Will LOVETT Miss Mattie CARTER, who later married Governor OVERTON Mr. MACKEY, Buck SMITH and his daughters, Miss Alice SMITH and Miss Ellen SMITH, Hugh WIGGS, George HOLFORD Leck MUNDY.
The last three persons, according to the article, probably did not attend the party, but knew all about the party.
Three men were killed outright and many were wounded. Two of the wounded died. One of the latter was Mr. Mackey (Tom MACKAY), who was shot in the arm. His arm had to be amputated, and he died shortly thereafter.
Nova A. Lemons  lemstar@juno.com

Woodville Beacon

January 26, 1906

BELL
On January 19th 1906, Mrs.. Arvilla Ann Bell died of Pneumonia in Woodville, I.T.: she was the widow of the Rev R.S. Bell,deceased, who was twenty years a missionary in the Choctaw and Chickasaw nations for twenty years;she came with her husband and family to the Chickasaw nation in the year 1860, and has resided here ever since, she was born in New York state in the year 1817,which made her age at the time of death eighty eight years, two months and nineteen days: she suffered very much in her latter years from diseases incidents to old age but never murmured or complained: was always cheerful and resigned: she had many friends, especially among the Chickasaws: she professed faith in Christ early in life, which faith never wavered, but was always a source of great consolation especially in her declining years: dear mother farewell, but only for a short while, I know that your Redeemer and mine too, liveth,and in that bright resurrection morning, when the trumpet sounds----and it will sound, and be heard in every part of this earth---your glorified body, freed forever from pain will arise and we will then and there meet each other together with all other loved ones whom we have known and loved here on  earth: until that glad day, farewell
Note: Arvilla Bell was the mother of Robert S. Bell, whose obit is listed below.
Submitted by Vicki Reynolds rreynolds@pdq.net

July 27, 1907

The Marshall County Democrat

BELL
Died: At his resident near Woodville, died Monday evening July 23rd at 9:00 clock p.m., Robert S. Bell. Mr. Bell was born in Searcy,Arkansas 56 years ago, he was the son of Rev. Robert Scott Bell and Mrs. A.A. Bell who came to this country as Cumberland Presbyterian Missionaries in the early sixties, the subject of this sketch being then in his boyhood and he has lived here nearly all his life. He has been sick for abut 2 years with progressive locomotor ataxia, and has been confined to his bed for 15 months. He professed religion and joined the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in early manhood and has lived a faithful consistent, Christian life , and died happy ; trusting in the Lord whom he had served so faithfully. He had many friends in this country and Texas who will hear of his death with feelings of sadness, for he was a man, that to know him, was to love him. He leaves a wife and four children to mourn his loss. We can only say to them that he God in whom he placed his trust is their God, and he had never yet forsaken the "widow and orphan". The funeral was preached by Rev. McKinney of Kingston and the funeral services were conducted by Masons of which fraternity he was an honored member.
Submitter's Note:
I have proof of the fact that my Great Grand father that this obit talks about was married 10-13-1871 to a Martha N. Barton & together they had three children to which one was named Joseph Bell. Martha Barton died & when his son Joseph bell was 16 years old his father remarried 10-1-1890 to Ezetta Buck and together they had 3 children. Ezetta was 17 years old at the time of the marriage & lived till 1952. Robert S. Bell was appointed Postmaster of Woodville,Ok 7-1888. I do have the names of the children he left for one of them was my Grandfather.
Arvilla Bell was Robert S. Bell's, mother .
Submitted by Vicki Reynolds rreynolds@pdq.net

DENNIS HANNAN (HANNON) 11-15-1856/ 6-19-1916

DEATH ANGEL TAKES UNCLE DENNIS HANNAN

UNCLE DENNIS HANNAN OF LINN DIED AT HIS HOME ON LAST MONDAY WITH ACUTE INDEGESTION, AND WAS BURIED AT THE LINN CEMETERY TUESDAY AFTERNOON AT 3 O'CLOCK.
MR. HANNAN HAD LIVED IN WHAT IS NOW MARSHALL COUNTY A NUMBER OF YEARS, COMING HERE FROM GRAYSON COUNTY, TEXAS, MORE THAN TWENTY YEARS AGO. HE HAD ACCUMULATED A NICE LITTLE FORTUNE IN MARSHALL COUNTY AND WAS CONSIDERED ONE OF THE BEST FIXED MEN IN THE COUNTY. UNCLE DENNIS WAS A GOOD MAN AND HAD NUMEROUS FRIENDS BOTH IN TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA WHO WILL BE SORRY TO HEAR OF HIS SUDDEN DEATH.
THE ENTIRE CITIZENSHIP OF MARSHALL COUNTY JOINS WITH THE TIMES IN EXTENDING CONDOLENCE TO THE BEREAVED RELATIVES AND FRIENDS.

submitted by RParker232@aol.com

Pioneer Resident Dies in Amarillo
Bob BUCK Known Over County
R.L. (Bob) Buck, 64, well known throughout Marshall county as a former singing school instructor, died at his home June 22 in Amarillo, Tex.
Funeral services were conducted by the Reb. Ben Bell, a nephew of the deceased. Burial was in the Llano cemetery, at Amarillo.
Mr. Buck spent most of his life in the Woodville comunity, teaching singing school.
He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Edna Buck, Pleasant Valley and by two sisters, Mrs. K.O. Attebury, Greenville, and Mrs. Maggie Young, Madill, Okla.
Funeral arrangements are in charge of Blackburn-Shaw Funeral Home.
Submitted by Vicki Reynolds rreynolds@pdq.net

April 1959

Mrs. Edna Elizabeth Buck
Mrs. Edna Elizabeth Buck, 74, died at 5:20 a.m. Tuesday in St. Anthony's Hospital.
Her home was at 209 Rose Drive.
Mrs. Buck, a resident of Amarillo since 1926, was a member of Pleasant Valley Methodist Church. She was born April 8, 1884, in Woodville, Okla.
Funeral services will be conducted at 2 p.m. Thursday in Blackburn-Shaw Memorial Chapel by the Rev. Uel D. Crosby, associate minister of Polk Street Methodist Church.
Pallbearers will be C. C. Brown, Raymond Ford, C.R. McPherson, D.H. Scoby, Roy Burkham and R. M. Rose.
Interment will be in Liano Cemetery.
Mrs. Buck is survived by a sister, Mrs. Nellie Bledsoe of Kingston Okla., a brother, Albie Bostick of ARtesia, Calif. and a niece, Mrs. Gladys Dean of Amarillo.
Submitted by Vicki Reynolds rreynolds@pdq.net