In the small town of Stigler, Oklahoma, a dedicated lawman, Deputy Sheriff Charles Washington Hodges, met an untimely and violent end. At the age of 47, the White / Caucasian male had only been with the Haskell County Sheriff's Office for three months before his fatal encounter on Saturday, February 26, 1910. His death left a void in the community and a deep loss for his wife and seven children.
The day of his death began as any other, with Deputy Hodges carrying out his duties.
He had arrested a man and was in the process of walking him to the local jail. Along the way, they were approached by another man who had been seen with Deputy Hodges earlier in the day. The prisoner then made a request to be taken to a nearby location to secure a bond, a place that happened to be near the other man's house.
As Deputy Hodges and the prisoner were leaving the location where the bond was to be secured, the man who had approached them earlier emerged from behind a tree, brandishing a rifle. Without warning, he fired a single shot that struck Deputy Hodges in the heart. The gunman then fled into the nearby woods, leaving the deputy to succumb to his wound.
The search for the assailant was swift. By the following evening, around 6 p.m., the shooter was apprehended in the town of Red Oak. He was subsequently tried and convicted of first-degree manslaughter for the murder of Deputy Sheriff Charles Washington Hodges. For his crime, he was sentenced to serve nine years in the state penitentiary.
