John R. Tabner, Deputy Sheriff

Hughes County Sheriff’s Office

 

In 1908, John Tabner was serving as a night watchman in Wetumka but also carried a commission as a Hughes County Deputy Sheriff.  About noon, Sunday, November 15, 1908, he approached brothers Ben and Jeff Smith who both had been drinking and causing trouble all over town. Jeff Smith met Monroe Reed in front of Fisk’s Barber Shop and continued with a dispute over a dog. The two men finally engaged in a fist fight. Ben Smith drew his gun which he waved around in an attempt to keep bystanders back.  Being the only officer in town at the time, John Tabner, who was asleep at the hotel, was sent for. Tabner drew his weapon and ordered Smith to desist. Ben Smith then fired several shots one of which tore a portion of Tabner’s collar. Tabner fired twice, hitting Ben Smith point blank. Tabner, finding his gun empty, ran across the street to Lumly’s Hardware store to secure more cartridges. Meanwhile, Jeff Smith got away from Reed jerking his brother’s gun from a bystander who had picked it up. He went after Tabner in the hardware store. Tabner’s gun would not fire as Smith fired at him. Smith’s second shot struck Tabner in the left side. After he fell to the floor, Smith clubbed him and kicked him and made Tabner get up and crawl and walk as best he could to the barber shop where his brother, Ben, had carried after he died. Once there, some one present distracted Smith by telling him his brother wanted to speak to him before he died. Seeing an opportunity to escape, with almost superhuman effort, Tabner ran out of the barber shop and down the alley. Tabner was able to make it through Hanks restaurant and across the street to the Texas Hotel, reaching his upstairs room. Smith tried to find Tabner but failed later being arrested and taken to Holdenville. Ira Smith and Thomas Sipes were also arrested as accessories. Deputy Sheriff Tabner died from his wounds ten days later at 1 A.M. the morning of Wednesday, November 25, 1908.

 

Compier, Mitchell

Mitchell Compier, Deputy Sheriff

Hughes County Sheriff's Office

Deputy Compier, 44, and young Wetumka Police Officer Weldon Wilson, 22, were conducting undercover prohibition investigations when on April 10, 1926, they made a whiskey purchase from Roswell Hamilton, 30. The officers arrested Hamilton as soon as he sold them the whiskey and took a .38 pistol off of him. The officers were transporting Hamilton to jail by car with Deputy Compier driving, Hamilton in the passenger’s seat and Officer Wilson standing on the right side running board. Hamilton later related that Wilson had been poking him in the side with his gun trying to get Hamilton to tell where he got the whiskey they bought. Following one of the pokes Hamilton brushed the gun away and it accidentally went off twice. One bullet struck Hamilton in the arm and the other struck Compier. Hamilton then took the gun away from Wilson and shot him twice fatally. He then shot Compier to death before he could draw his weapon.

 

David S. Cox, Deputy Sheriff

Hughes County Sheiff's Office

About noon on Friday, January 31, 1908, a gun shot and an outcry were heard from inside C. E. Sneed’s shooting gallery in Holdenville. Rushing inside bystanders found Deputy Cox shot in the left breast area. He died forty minutes later at the doctor’s office. Before dying Cox stated that Sneed showed him an unloaded gun then loaded it, pointed it at Cox and snapped the trigger. Cox then exclaimed to him not to snap it again, but Sneed did and the gun fired. Cox had previously searched Sneed’s business for stolen property. Sneed was later acquitted of the charges. Deputy Cox left behind a wife and seven children




Charles “Floyd” Trivitt, Deputy Sheriff 

Hughes County Sheriff’s Office

Deputy Trivitt was enroute to work in his patrol unit at 6:00 A.M. on Tuesday, January 18, 2000. Approximately four miles west of Stuart, his hometown, he was on the Salt Creek Bridge and noticed a vehicle going left of center into his lane of traffic.  Deputy Trivitt had no place to go due to concrete banisters on both sides of the bridge. Deputy Trivitt, realizing that he could take no evasive action, stopped his unit and braced for the impact. By shutting his unit down and reducing the impact level of this head on collision, two lives were saved in the other vehicle with only minor injuries to them. Deputy Trivitt was in intensive care for over a month before he died on February 21, 2000, due to the injuries suffered in this collision.  Only a well trained, seasoned veteran could have made a split second decision as this, saving two lives.