Chief of Police Rufus Nicholson Gilbreath

Rufus Nicholson Gilbreath

Chief of Police R. N. Gilbreath succumbed to an accidental gunshot wound when his pistol fell from his holster.

Chief Gilbreath relieved the desk sergeant and went into an empty cell in the city jail to repair a chain that locked down unruly prisoners. The chief’s pistol fell from his holster and discharged. The bullet passed through his left wrist and entered his skull near his nose. He was found lying in the cell by the desk sergeant. He was taken to the hospital and died at 12:11 p.m. on Saturday, June 1, 1929. The coroner held an inquest, and his death was held to have been accidental.

Gilbreath had served with the Wink Police Department for 15 months and served as the Chief of Police for one year. He was survived by his wife and four children.

He was buried in the Middleton Chapel Cemetery, Wainwright, Muskogee County, Oklahoma.