A LOOK BACK AT JACKSON

25 years ago, 1972

Jackson Retail Merchants Association voted to change store hours on Mondays, remaining open until 8 at night, starting next Monday; businesses will also stay open on Friday nights until 8, but other days of week stores will close as usual.

With approval of low bidders for two contracts Monday night, all work is now under contract for expansion of Jackson's electrical generating plant; council also voted to go ahead with public hearing on zoning change in west Jackson Oct. 2 and handled number of other matters; council accepted low bid of Natkin and Co. of St. Louis for power piping for two 6,800 kilowatt dual fuel generators; its bid was $189,270.

All candidates still active for general election have now filed statements of campaign expenses with County Clerk Rusby C. Crites and County Recorder Leonard J. Schumacher; most recent filing was Walter F. Kelpe, Republican candidate for County Court judge from 2nd District; he filed Monday, 11 days after deadline; his expenses were listed as $25.

50 years ago, 1947

Melvin Kasten went to Columbia this weekend where he will enroll as medical student at University of Missouri; he has taken preliminary work at State College following his discharge from military service; he is son of Mr. and Mrs. John C. Kasten.

Meeting of farmers of Cape Girardeau County was held in Circuit Court room of courthouse Wednesday night to hear president of Missouri Farmers Association; because of interest shown in M.F.A., it was decided to establish M.F.A. exchange and elevator in Cape Girardeau County.

Mrs. Elbert McFerron sustained broken shoulder in fall down basement steps at home of her brother, William Zimmer, tripping on top step and falling to basement floor; Mr. and Mrs. McFerron have been residing at Zimmer home since selling their dwelling to Bertha Puchbauer.

Annual autumn job of stripping sorghum cane has been started, and soon cane will be cut and moved to local mills; crop is said to be fairly good, in spite of dry weather.

Workers are removing large brick oven at Wagner Bakery; output from bakery during renovation will be only to take care of daily needs; to replace old oven, fired by coal, firm has purchased butane gas oven of ample size to take care of bakery needs for this district for some time to come; new oven is all steel and measures 8 by 10 feet; Martin Wagner is senior member and Richard Wagner junior member of firm.

75 years ago, 1922

Gottfried Brugger, one of jurors up on regular panel of petit jury, is nursing very sore left hand, result of blood poisoning caused by very small scratch on hand several weeks ago.

This is first year in several decades that County Court has ordered all poll taxes in county to be paid in cash, while heretofore poll taxpayers were permitted to pay in labor; paying in labor was found unsatisfactory by most overseers, inasmuch as some men couldn't or wouldn't do fair day's work, and there was too much loafing.

Mrs. Frank Yoder, 73, living in Roberts school house neighborhood, fell in her yard recently and injured her hip; she has been invalid for past four years and it is feared this injury may be permanent.

Large number of Jackson folks are preparing to go to county fair at Cape Girardeau this week.

Word has been received of death of Mary Ringer, formerly of Jackson, at Malden; she had been living with a son, George; Ringer was 70 years old and some time ago was victim of stroke of paralysis, which is considered to have brought on her demise; a daughter, Mrs. J.H. Poe, lives in Jackson; other children are living in various parts of country.