James Baughn
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James Baughn is the webmaster of the Southeast Missourian.
FeaturesNovember 14, 2020
Cape Girardeau's telegraph towers were a technological triumph -- until a tornado hitThe world became a lot smaller March 21, 1850, when the first telegraph message was sent between St. Louis and Cape Girardeau. Thanks to the miracle of Morse code, Cape had immediate access to news from St. Louis and the major cities of the East Coast...
FeaturesOctober 10, 2020
Shoving a peanut up Broadway with a crowbar, and other election wagersThe 1916 Presidential election was a nail-biter. Woodrow Wilson, the Democratic incumbent, faced a stiff challenge from Republican Evans Hughes. The early results on election night suggested that Hughes would pull off an upset. It wasn't until two days later that W...
FeaturesSeptember 5, 2020
The rise, fall and revival of drive-in movie theatersOur new era of social distancing has brought one silver lining: drive-in movie theaters are making a comeback. Richard Hollingshead of New Jersey is credited with developing the drive-in concept. In 1933, he received Patent #1,909,537 for a parking ramp layout that...
FeaturesAugust 1, 2020
Culprit caught in Cape classifieds caperAs crime stories go, this one has it all: secret messages passed via classified ads, a shootout with police, a getaway that eluded roadblocks and bystanders mistakenly arrested before the real culprit was discovered. It was the summer of 1930 and Harry E. Brown, 35...FeaturesJune 27, 2020
From baseball season to rabbit seasonImagine you've been put in charge of hosting two celebrities who are visiting for the day. Where would you take them? Wayne Berry, president of the Cape Girardeau Capahas baseball club, was faced with that question in November 1920. His guests were Branch Rickey, m...
FeaturesMay 23, 2020
Hunter brothers take flying where few could followAn advertisement proclaimed "A Thrill Every Minute" when the circus came to Cape Girardeau on June 6 and 7, 1925. This was no ordinary circus, however. This was the Harry H. Perkins Flying Circus featuring dare-devil pilots performing aerial stunts and taking passe...
FeaturesApril 18, 2020
Exercise Tiger: a costly and forgotten episode of World War IICloa Welker Klobe of Jackson received a brutal telegram on May 10, 1944. "The secretary of war desires to express his deep regret that your husband, Corp. John T. Klobe, was killed in action April 28 in the European area. Letter follows. Dunlop, Acting Adjutant Gen...
FeaturesMarch 14, 2020
The Mississippi River bridge that never wasCape Girardeau was poised for greatness on March 20, 1871, when the Missouri legislature authorized the construction of a railroad bridge across the Mississippi River here. This permission was granted to former state governor Thomas C. Fletcher, who had just organi...
FeaturesFebruary 8, 2020
Jean Dale: Cape Girardeau baseball sensation (with an asterisk)From match-fixing to sign-stealing, professional baseball has had its share of scandals. Recent events reminded me of the story of Emmett Eugene Dale, a former major-league pitcher who became embroiled in a bribery scandal, but then found redemption in Cape Girarde...
FeaturesJanuary 4, 2020
Dr. Piper of Jackson: The man who re-invented the wheelDr. Herman Herbert Piper arrived in Jackson as a veterinary surgeon, but his real passion was inventing. He racked up a total of 10 U.S. patents for a variety of useful contraptions during his lifetime (1865-1937). Although this pales in comparison to Thomas Edison...Advertisement
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