Henry L. Harper – Undersheriff, Harmon County

About 10:00 A.M. Sunday morning, September 14, 1919, 33 year old Undersheriff Harper and Justice of the Peace O. O. Hager went to a school house in Gould to check out a couple of suspicious men who were camped out near the school in a Ford car with California license plates. The men were found inside the school house. While talking to the two men Harper noticed that one of the men had a gun and took it away from him. He then told the men to go with him into town. As they were starting to walk toward town one of the men drew a gun and shot Undersheriff Harper twice. Harper was able to return fire before he died. Hager was wounded in the hand. The two men escaped but were soon located and arrested. Curley Williams was convicted of killing Harper and sentenced to life in prison. The other man, Bob Cox, turned state’s witness and was not charged in Harper’s death. The Ford was found to be stolen from California.       Undersheriff Harper was survived by his wife and three young daughters ages 8, 4 and 1 year old.

John W Sims – Sheriff

Harmon County Sheriffs Office 

On June 2, 1909, Governor C. N. Haskell signed a proclamation establishing a new county called Harmon County from the western part of Greer County in southwest Oklahoma. Harmon County then became the 76^th county in Oklahoma with the county seat at Hollis. That evening a full slate of county officials was sworn in, including John W. Sims as the first Sheriff. Sims was a well respected citizen of Greer County before becoming Sheriff of the new county.  About three months later at 2:15 a.m. the morning of Tuesday, August 31, 1909, Sims was asleep at home with his wife Mary in Hollis when a shot rang out. His wife who had been sick was slow to fully wake up and see that her husband had been shot in the head. Later examination would reveal that the bullet entered just below and behind the right ear, ranging slightly upward, and coming out just above and a little in front of his left ear. The bullet was found buried within the pillow beneath the Sheriff’s head. The Sheriff and his wife had been sleeping with their heads at opposite ends of the bed. The Sheriff’s own 45 caliber Colt revolver, which he slept with under his pillow, was used to kill him. An inquest was held and later a special session of the grand jury was called for the purpose of investigating the murder. Both determined that the Sheriff was murdered. A young man named Bart Roberts, who lived on the Sims’ farm 15 miles from Hollis, was arrested for the murder on word of the Sheriff’s wife. The day after he was arrested Mrs. Sims shot Roberts in the right shoulder when he was taken to court. He was later released and no one else was ever charged with the murder.