Dale Kuhrt Passed Away Thursday June 23, 2011

Thirty-nine year old Dale Kuhrt came from four generations of farmers and ranchers and his great-grandfather had homesteaded the land Dale was born on. Kuhrt was a respected stockman in the American Hereford Association and a long time 4-H judge. He had been moving up the ladder, managing one large ranch after another, each one bigger than the one before. Kuhrt had also worked at several big spreads outside of Oklahoma including the Milky Way Hereford Ranch in Phoenix, the Lucky ranch in Loyalton, California and the Baca Grant Ranch in Moffat, Colorado. He was managing the Codding Cattle Research Station near Foraker, Oklahoma when E.C. contacted him about the job in August 1969.

View my interview with Dale:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stwEjzra5XA

Chub Anderson and Sheriff Wayman Interview: The Complete Series (Video)

For new visitors to the site, we have put together the complete 9-part series of video clips from a meeting that took place in Chub’s apartment in Caney, Kansas, in February 2009. It was only the second time in over forty years that Chub Anderson and Sheriff George Wayman were face to face.

Jump directly to the complete 9-part series.

Here is Part 1 of that interview:

View the complete 9-part series here.

Rubyane Burkhart Interview

Ranch foreman Mike Burkhart was hired by Dale Kuhrt in 1969 as more staff were hired on at Cross Bell to keep up with E.C.’s ambitious plans for the ranch. Dick Whetsell, the President of the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association called Burkhart a “true cowboy”. Burkhart’s only ambition in life was to be a cowboy, spending his life around horses and cattle, studying how the grasses lay and how many cattle you could put in each pasture. Burkhart understood how cattle think and he could anticipate their actions, enabling him and his crew to work huge herds of animals quickly and safely.

Mike had married a true country girl named Rubyane Adcock whose parents Helen and Elwood were from the southern part of the county. Her father’s family had been ranchers for several generations after migrating to Oklahoma  in 1906 when the state was still Indian territory. Her mother’s family had also been ranching in the state since 1906. Ranching was the only way of life Rubyane had ever known. She and her nine brothers and sisters had worked right alongside their parents, working cattle and hauling hay from an early age.

Mike’s days started at five in the morning and he was usually on horseback in one pasture or another by six. He and the early rising E.C. usually caught up with each other by sunrise and Mike would give E.C. a rundown on the cattle and how different horses were coming along.

Mike passed away in 2008.  In this interview  his widow Rubyane speaks at length about the activities at the ranch on the day of the murder and in particular, the tension between Chub and E.C.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZF9RN8874s

Chub Anderson and Sheriff Wayman, 2009, Part 9

Chub and Sheriff Wayman- Part Nine

This is the final video clip from the last conversation between Chub and Sheriff Wayman and there was a lot going on behind the scenes that the two men didn’t know about. At the time this was supposed to be a secret meeting but an informant in the Osage County D.A.’s office alerted private investigator Gary Glanz to what was going on and told him that fresh evidence was being retrieved by the current sheriff’s office. Secret deals, offers of money and an operative in the D.A.’s office! George was unaware of all this and at 83, many years retired and 40 years after the murder, he was convinced that his theory of the murder was the only way it could have happened.

George urges Chub to come clean about the murder and promises him that he won’t spend any time in jail. He even tells him that I (Dale) can bring him in and take him home the same day.

Chub knows his health is failing and that he probably doesn’t have long to live. He listens politely to the old sheriff encouraging him to get right with God and says that he believes that the sheriff is being truthful and not trying to trick him. Afterwards however Chub told me what he really thought and over the next few weeks he told me the true story and gave me proof of what really happened on the night of September 26, 1970.

Next week I will be posting the beginning of Footsteps in the Dew: The Chub Anderson Story, the book I have spent the past four years writing with Chub’s cooperation and signed consent.

Chub Anderson and Sheriff Wayman, 2009, Part 8

In this portion of his meeting with George Wayman, Chub gives a glimpse into his personal thoughts about the murder. Both he and George agree that there had not been any Mafia involvement in the crime, something Chub and I had also discussed before.

Wayman also mentions detective Gary Glanz, a hard nosed cop turned private investigator who was hired by Linda  Mullendore the day after the murder and who has been involved with the case in one way or another ever since. The Wall Street Journal once called Glanz “super sleuth” and referred to him as one of the best private investigators in the southwest.

Chub had told Glanz in an earlier interview that he had disposed of the murder weapon on his way into Dewey and Glanz had tried to get him to pinpoint an exact spot where it might be found. Chub laughingly mentions the money that Glanz left him after each of his visits to the apartment in Caney. The gun mentioned in this clip is a World War II era Victor 38 pistol.

For his part, Glanz has publicly stated that for $100,000 he could immediately solve this murder case. It makes you wonder who was playing who in this forty year relationship that started on September 27, 1970.

Next week is the last clip and is also the last time that these two would talk as Chub has since died. The old Sheriff asks him again to tell him who killed E.C. and a deal is struck involving me, solving the 40 year old mystery.

For the most recent media coverage of this case check out  Ann Kelley’s story on the front page of  today’s Oklahoman (12/26/2010).

Chub Anderson and Sheriff Wayman, 2009, Part 7

If you are a first visitor to this site you may want to go back to Part One of these video clips and watch them in sequence to put everything in perspective.

This week the conversation between Chub and the Sheriff touches on Chub’s life in Montana and the time he spent working on Snow Crest Ranch which belongs to broadcasting mogul Ted Turner.
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Chub Anderson and Sheriff Wayman, 2009, Part 6

In this clip Chub and the Sheriff talk about the night of the murder in detail- especially Chub’s relationship with E.C. and the two of them outrunning Deputy Bill Mitchell in Chub’s souped up red Chevelle. The car was a gift from the Mullendore family who were known for treating their staff well and inspiring a loyalty which kept many people working at the ranch for years.

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Chub Anderson and Sheriff Wayman, 2009, Part 3

Part Three of a Serious Dialogue…

This video was made as Chub and the former Sheriff were aging and battling health problems. They were both facing the possible end of the road in their lives and the tone of their conversation reflects that. The feeling throughout their meeting was very respectful, without any anger or recrimination towards one another.  They were able to thoughtfully discuss many details about the Mullendore murder, including some false leads such as the much discussed bone chip that some claim had landed on Chub’s hat.

Check out the most recent installment in my profile of the Sheriff which gives you a greater understanding of the character of this man who has been haunted by the two crimes he could never solve.

Then keep your eyes peeled for a new posting next week from my travels under Down The Road as I take a side trip to Branson, MO to check out this year’s Christmas events.This is one of my favorite places to visit and I am sure that many of you are already familiar with it. If you haven’t been there the holiday season is one of the best times to go.