True Crime Chronicles: A Mayes County deputy died breaking up a fight in Hogan Township in 1908
- Dennis McCaslin
- Apr 23
- 2 min read
On a cold Christmas Eve in 1908, the rural community of Hogan Township in Mayes County gathered for a festive holiday program at the Hogan Institute.
Families filled the modest building with music, recitations, and the warm spirit of the season just one year after Oklahoma achieved statehood.
Among those in attendance was 36-year-old Deputy Sheriff Charles Nicholas Mitchell, known to friends and family as Nick.
A former farmer and onetime Tulsa police officer, Mitchell had deep ties to the area and lived with his wife Susan.
The evening unfolded peacefully until a disturbance erupted outside the institute around 8 p.m. Mitchell, ever the dedicated lawman even while off duty, stepped out to quiet the situation and restore order to the celebration.
Moments later, several gunshots shattered the night air. Attendees rushed outside and discovered Mitchell lying dead at the scene.
He had been struck by three bullets: one in his left arm, one in his left side, and a fatal shot to the back of the head.
The brutal killing sent shockwaves through the tight-knit rural community fifteen miles southeast of Pryor. Investigators quickly focused on three brothers: Sam Frye, Henry Frye, and George Frye. All three were arrested and charged with the murder of Deputy Mitchell.
The case moved through the courts in the following months. Sam Frye stood trial and was convicted, receiving a sentence of twenty years in prison. Henry Frye pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years. George Frye was later tried and found not guilty.
puty Mitchell left behind his wife Susan. Some accounts also note he was survived by five children, two brothers, and three sisters.
He was laid to rest in Hogan Cemetery near Locust Grove in Mayes County, where his grave still stands as a quiet reminder of his service.At the time of his death, Oklahoma was still a young state adjusting to law and order in its rural territories.
Deputy Mitchell had transitioned from farming to law enforcement, serving the public in both Tulsa and Mayes County.
His willingness to intervene in a simple holiday disturbance cost him his life and highlighted the dangers faced by early Oklahoma officers who often worked alone without modern radios or backup.
More than a century later, the Mayes County Sheriff's Office continues to honor Deputy Nick Mitchell as one of its fallen officers. His name appears alongside later tragedies in the department's memorials, ensuring that the Christmas Eve shooting near Hogan School is not forgotten.
The case remains a stark example of how a routine community gathering in 1908 turned deadly in an instant, claiming the life of a dedicated deputy who simply answered the call to keep the peace.
