Robert T. "Bob" Blassingame, City Marshal

City of Wister

On June 17, 1928, two men attempted to rob Marshal Blassingame on the railroad platform in Wister. Blassingame broke free of the man who had grabbed his arms from behind, drew his gun and began a point blank gun battle with the man facing him. One of the robbers fell dead after running only a few feet still holding a .32 automatic pistol. The other robber was also wounded but escaped. Blassingame was wounded in the stomach and taken to a hospital in Fort Smith, Arkansas where he died on July 3rd. The dead robber was identified as James Adams alias James Gordon, 25. The other robber was arrested a few hours later and identified as Noland Gordon.

Thearel Major Johnson, City Marshal

City of Wister

The evening of Friday, June 30, 1950, Marshal Johnson saw two men he was looking for to question about the robbery of a taxi cab driver two days earlier. As Marshal Johnson, 41, approached the two men, one of them, Troy Sterling, 22, drew a gun and opened fire on the Marshal. Although he was hit three times, in the head and chest, Johnson returned fire. Marshal Johnson died a short time later in a Poteau hospital. Sterling’s dead body was found a short distance from the shooting scene. The other man, 17 year old, Odis Ollar, surrendered to the Sheriff the next morning. His wife and five children survived Marshal Johnson.