John H Fowler, Deputy Sheriff

Pontotoc County Sheriff's Office

On the afternoon of Wednesday, November 18, 1931, Deputy Fowler became involved in a pursuit with a man named Bun Land driving a stolen car from Fitzhugh to Ada. Near the Springbrook bottoms, Land pulled into a driveway. As Deputy Fowler approached the stopped vehicle, Land shot him, in the intestines and breaking his left arm in two places. Deputy Fowler returned one shot, which missed and Land escaped. Deputy Fowler, 45, died the next evening, November 19th at 8:30 P.M. His wife, six sons and two daughters survived him.

 

Alvis Jones, Deputy Sheriff

Pontotoc County Sheriff's Office

On Friday, January 29, 1937, Deputies Jones and Charley Shockley along with Deputy U. S. Marshal Allen Stanfield stopped a car on Highway 12 east of Ada. The officers were searching for the suspect in an armed robbery that occurred in McAlester in which a policeman was wounded. As Deputy Marshal Stanfield was searching the car, the driver, Jack Scott, 17, opened fire on the officers with a .22 automatic pistol, shooting through his pocket. Deputy Marshal Stanfield was wounded and Deputy Sheriff Jones, 38, was hit in the left side, the bullet fatally puncturing his aorta. The suspect, Scott, then drove off with officers firing at him. He was arrested the next morning near his bullet-riddled car one mile south of Stringtown. Scott had been wounded in the left hand and the tip of his nose had been shot off by the officer’s bullets the day before. Scott was a runaway from St. Louis and said he just “wanted some excitement”. Deputy Sheriff Jones had been a Deputy four years and was survived by his wife


 

Lem E Mitchell, Sheriff

Pontotoc County Sheriffs Office

Mitchell had served as a Deputy U S Marshal in Oklahoma Territory and as City Marshal of Ada prior to being elected to two terms as Sheriff of Pontotoc County.

Just before noon on Tuesday, February 10, 1914, Sheriff Mitchell was returning to Ada by train from taking some prisoners to the state prison in McAlester. Close connections were necessary at Tupelo. His connecting train was already starting to move when Mitchell arrived at the station and he attempted to board it but slipped and was thrown beneath the car, crushing his left leg just above the ankle. A local doctor tried to save his life by amputating his leg, but he died about 6 P.M. that evening. Mitchell was survived by his wife and daughter.

 

Peter Gus Nebhut, Deputy Sheriff  

Pontotoc County Sheriffs Office 

About 9:30 A.M. on Thursday, March 10, 1921, several officers from Ada and Pontotoc County surrounded the Byrd Hotel in Ada in an attempt to arrest B. F. Marshall for possession of illegal moonshine whiskey. Marshall, seeing the officers, ran to the back door of the hotel where he was met by Deputy Gus Nebhut. The two men struggled and Marshall shot the deputy with a .25 Colt automatic pistol. Nebhut fired three shots at Marshall as he fled and Marshall returned shots at the deputy. Nebhut, having been shot twice, then collapsed. Marshall was arrested soon after that with four bullet wounds. Deputy Gus Nebhut died the next morning, March 11, 1921, about 10 A.M. and was survived by his wife and four children. Marshall was convicted of killing Deputy Nebhut and was sentenced to life in prison.