I am researching a murder that occurred in Durant, OK in 1914. I have not been able to l;ocate a coroner's report, medical report, death certificate, or police record of the myrder. Perhaps someone knows which Law Enforcement Agency had jurisdiction for that town then?

Pauline Amsel Murder?

YES. How did you know?

I run into queries about it from time to time when I'm doing research. Good Luck

Here's a link to an article from the Durant newspaper about this.
http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:6UtrTDq3y3UJ:www.d...n&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us

Here's some more links:
http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:Rpu_drn2RTgJ:archi...n&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=us
http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:FtOcKMnuFIIJ:archi...n&ct=clnk&cd=3&gl=us
http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:utVx7P-HtkkJ:websl...n&ct=clnk&cd=4&gl=us
http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:xScks2MC2OgJ:www.m...&ct=clnk&cd=11&gl=us
http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:SNfIv1yxGZ8J:lists...&ct=clnk&cd=16&gl=us

You might have looked at these already, but....
Take care...

Bryan County Vital Records
Bryan County Court Clerk
Bryan County Courthouse
402 West Evergreen
Durant, OK 74701
(580) 924-1446
Court clerk has marriage license, divorce, probate, civil and criminal court records. For land records contact: Bryan County Clerk (580) 924-2202

Hours of Operation:
8:00am to 5:00pm
Closed for lunch from 12:00pm to 1:00pm

Thank you--I've been down that road with no luck. I've also sent genealogy angels to the archives in Calera. If any records were made at all, evidently they were not kept.

Might try checking with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, or OSBI. Although not formed until 1925, if the murder of Pauline was still unsolved, the case might have been turned over to them.

In the early 1920's gangs of outlaws roamed the state robbing and burglarizing banks and terrorizing the citizens of many Oklahoma towns. These gangsters often escaped lawmen by fleeing across county lines.

The U.S. Marshal's Service was the only law enforcement agency with statewide jurisdiction, but its officers were outnumbered by the bandits.

In 1925, Governor M.E. Trapp, in his State of the State Address recommended the creation of an agency of special investigators or state police to combat the outlaws. Thus the legislature appropriated $78,000 to establish the Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation, now known as the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.

For questions please contact the Public Information Officer at: pio@osbi.state.ok.us

ALSO, as stated above The U.S. Marshal's Service was the only law enforcement agency with statewide jurisdiction, so you might try them as well.

U.S. Marshals Service offices are based on the organizational structure of the Federal District Court system. Oklahoma is divided into three judicial districts to be known as the Northern, Eastern, and Western Districts of Oklahoma.

Eastern District of Oklahoma

The Eastern District comprises the counties of Adair, Atoka, Bryan, Carter, Cherokee, Choctaw, Coal, Haskell, Hughes, Johnston, Latimer, Le Flore Love, McCurtain, McIntosh, Marshall, Murray, Muskogee, Okfuskee, Okmulgee, Pittsburg, Pontotoc, Pushmataha, Seminole, Sequoyah, and Wagoner.

Court for the Eastern District shall be held at Ada, Ardmore, Durant, Hugo, Muskogee, Okmulgee, Poteau, and S. McAlester.

Eastern District Contacts Phone Number/Fax

District HQ Phone (918) 687-2523
Fax (918) 687-2526
Operations Supervisor (918) 687-2523 Ext. 233

U.S. Marshals Historical Records Assistance

The USMS Collections

Our research collections consist of subject area files, listings and references to names and copies of materials on line-of-duty deaths, most official USMS publications, and a small library of secondary source information and photographs. The last is drawn from other sources with an emphasis on historical events. Most surviving original material, including Oaths of Office, are found at the National Archives.

Researchers are welcome to e-mail, mail, or call the Historian at 202-307-9114 on any subject of historical or genealogical interest in relation to the agency.

National Archives

The best resource for original records on USMS personnel is the National Archives. As the repository for all federal governmental records, their Civil Reference Division is the custodian of this material. The fastest way to reach an archivist is through their website at archives.gov – and then to their “research room” segment. You may also write their facility at:

National Archives at College Park
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, MD 20740-6001

When you contact the National Archives, it assists their search to have the following pieces of information:

-Full Name or Names
-Date of Service (or a Range of Service)
-State of Service (and if possible, district)

The following record groups maintained by the National Archives have notable references to the activities of the U.S. Marshals.

-RG 21 Records of Federal Courts (Specify State or District)
-RG 60 Letters Received by the Department of Justice
-RG 118 Records of U.S. Attorneys (and formerly U.S. Marshals)
-RG 206 Records of the Solicitor of the Treasury
-RG 527 Records of the U.S. Marshals Service

Library of Congress

The Library of Congress Manuscript Division maintains the records of most major American political figures, including the Presidents of the United States and key members of the judiciary. Application letters for appointment of U.S. Marshals are found within these letters.

In addition, their Photograph and Prints Division contains the portraiture of early U.S. Marshals.

Local Repositories

There is still much material held in state and local historical societies and archives. Photographs, news accounts, and personal papers of prominent citizens can yield much material that make reference to service.