A INFAMOUS PAST AND PRESENT

 

Crossing the Caney River 

in northern Washington County

 

the Caney is running high from all the snow and rain we have had. The road over the river

will take us into the Northern part of

Osage County, Oklahoma

past the home

of

 

The Historic and equally infamous 


Mullendore Cross Bell Ranch
from which the book was written

about the murder of EC III
in Sept of 1970

A grand jury is looking into the  unsolved murder
 of EC III this month since the capture of 
Damon "Chub" Anderson.

Mullendore Cross Bell Ranch to be featured on RFD TV this next week

further down the road from the ranch is



The Labadie Cemetery
and 

The Infamous Haunted Labadie House 

There are many stories about Frank and Samantha Labadie most which are not true.
I guess makes for a good story and makes them folk legends.  The story is they died in this house but actually they died in a home in the country outside of Ochelata, Oklahoma in Washington County.  The house was not finished yet, it was a cold winter's night and they both were asphyxiated by the natural gas in the house. They found them in front of the fireplace in their  chairs.  My mom calls them Uncle Frank and Aunt Samantha.  They were related to my mother's oldest sister's husband.  They were buried back up there by the original "haunted house" because their family members were buried there and it was the small family cemetery. 

 The Labadie House Revisited on Abandoned Oklahoma

 

Kids have gone up there at night for years and still do.  My brother graduated in the mid 1960's and the house was intact back then.  It was more dangerous to go there then because it was land owned by the Mullendore Ranch.  Back then

the Cross Bell was well patrolled...patrolled by ex-convicts on horseback - and with rifles (the Mullendores maintained an arrangement with the Oklahoma Parole Board to employ ex-cons at the ranch)

 

There are graves that are marked with just a sandstone rock, no name, no dates....

one does have flowers left by someone

It looks quite peaceful and quiet down these roads doesn't it?  Well a lot of nights

it hasn't been so peaceful in these parts.