Charles Washington Hodges, Deputy Sheriff

 Haskell County Sheriffs Office

On Saturday, February 26, 1910, about 5 p.m. Deputy Hodges arrested John Sanders in the town of Quinton near the Haskell County line in Pittsburg County. Just after the arrest, a man named Roy Kent who Deputy Hodges had been drinking with earlier in the day approached the deputy and said he wanted to talk to him. Deputy Hodges told Kent “Go on away. I ain’t got time to fool with you.”

Sanders asked the deputy if he would take him to his friend named Honea’s house to secure his bond. Deputy Hodges walked with his prisoner to Honea’s house which was near Kent’s house. The two men saw Kent going in his house. After a few minutes Deputy Hodges, Sanders and Honea left the house and started to go up the street. As they passed a near tree Kent stepped out with a Winchester rifle behind the three men and as Deputy Hodges turned around Kent shot him in the heart, killing him.

Kent then pointed the rifle at the other two men then walked off into the nearby woods. Kent was arrested the next evening about 6 p.m. in Red Oak. Kent was convicted of first degree manslaughter and sentenced to nine years in the penitentiary.

Deputy Hodges had been a deputy for three months and was survived by his second wife Mary and one year old son Harvey.