The Story of the Corner Saloon

We have previously written about the hanging of four men by a mob in Ada, OK in 1909. We discussed the reasons for the men being in jail there. To refresh your memory, they had all been involved in the murder of former deputy U.S. Marshal Gus Bobbitt near his ranch at Roff, OK. At this time there was a federal court in Ada.

The four men were Jesse West, Joe Allen, D. B. Burrell and Jim Miller.

Unscrupulous white men began "Indian Skinning" by getting some of the Indians drunk and buying their allotment of 160 acres of restricted land for $50. An Oklahoma law said that such sales of restricted land from Indians to whites had to have the approval of the county court judge.

Gus Bobbitt pushed for the honest men to hold the elected jobs of county attorney, sheriff and county judge. Jesse West and Joe Allen, two ne'er-do-wells, were getting rich "Indian skinning" by bribing these county officials to sign the phony papers.

Allen and West asked a cotton buyer, named D. B. Burwell, from Texas if he knew of a professional killer who could take care of Bobbitt. Burwell made the arrangements for "Deacon" Jim Miller to do the job of killing Bobbitt for the sum of $2,000.

Jesse West and Joe Allen, two ne'er-do-wells, were getting rich "Indian skinning". These two men owned a saloon on the north banks of the Canadian River in Oklahoma Territory called the "Corner Saloon". It was a hellhole. It had it's own cemetery behind the place.

At this time there was a community called Corner at the junction of the Seminole-Pottawatomie county line and the Canadian River. The saloon was literally on the riverbank to catch the traffic from Indian Territory.

Many of the Indian Pioneer Papers have mention of what an evil place the Corner Saloon was. The locals knew to keep away from the place but many of the victims were pilgrims who happened upon the saloon not knowing how dangerous the place was for the unwary.  Many a traveler was murdered just for walking into the place with a little money on him.

The following was published in the Roff News. Remember that there was a Federal Court in Ada, OK in 1905. This was two years before Statehood for Oklahoma.

Roff - July 14, 1905

To Oust The Corner Saloon:

Petition to Governor Furguson (Oklahoma Territory) to Abolish Liquor House. It Is Said That A Large Per Cent Of Crime At The Ada Court Is Traceable To Corner Saloon. Said cases appearing on the United States Commission are docket at this place:

James GRAYSON, assault to kill, Jan.11,1902;

Edward MCCARTY, assault to kill, Jan.11,1902 ;

Ollin RHODES, assault to kill, April 8, 1902;

W.C. HACNER, assault to kill, May 13, 1902;

Bob RIDLEY, assault to kill, May 13, 1902

Harrison PORTER, murder, Sept. 28, 1902

Arthur OWENS, et al, murder Oct. 25, 1902

George CULVER, assault to kill, Oct. 25, 1902

Jack MILLER, assault to kill, May 3, 1902

Ed HENDRIX, murder, Oct. 31, 1903

Barney CARNEY, et al, murder, Nov. 21, 1903

Henry AMBURG, assault to kill, Nov. 21, 1903

Eli STEPHENSON, et al, assault to kill, Jan. 5, 1904

Jim GOODSON, assault to kill, Jan. 11, 1902

Johnson PORTER, assault to kill Feb. 29, 1904

Oscar WILLIAMSON, et al, assault to kill, March 31, 1904

Jackson BLACK, assault to kill, May 16, 1904

Thos. CARNEY, assault to kill, Nov. 29, 1903

Louis BROWN, murder, July 22, 1905

Louis BROWN, murder, July 25, 1904 ????

Leo COMSTOCK, murder, Oct. 25, 1904

Willie COFFEE, assault to kill, Nov. 1904

James BOREN, assault to kill, Dec. 12, 1904

Since Feb. 1905, the following murders have been committed at the Corner Saloon:

Henry LOBO, murder

Frank STAR, murder

George MILLER, murder

Well folks, this is one time I hope that you did NOT find a relatives name in this article.

Submitted by Dennis Muncrief, April 28, 2005.