Out of the past 10/5/10

25 years ago: Oct. 5, 1985

A fugitive who escaped from the Cape Girardeau County Jail on June 29 is arrested by Illinois authorities in the morning along Highway 4, a mile west of Oraville, Ill., in Jackson County.

Walter H. Oberheide, who rose from janitor-messenger of Farmers & Merchants (Boatmen's) Bank to become its president, dies at the Lutheran Home, where he had been a resident nine years; he was 89 years old.

50 years ago: Oct. 5, 1960

A court action seeking a declaratory judgment to determine if the city is empowered to call an election to pass a salary ordinance demanded by firemen, or if such power rests solely as an administrative and executive function, is authorized by the city council.

Only a fill between the Water Street curb and ballast for the Frisco Railroad tracks, and dressing of the ground between the tracks and floodwall remain to bring to an end the construction work involved in building of the concrete wall the past several years.

75 years ago: Oct. 5, 1935

A demonstration of play activities and physical education for all grades will be presented at Houck Field House Oct. 17 as a new feature of the annual convention of the Southeast Missouri Teachers Association; the program will be given by pupils in Cape Girardeau's public schools, with between 400 and 500 pupils participating.

The public park lounging season is over; all 155 seats at Courthouse Park are removed from the park by city employees and placed in winter storage in the basement of the Community Clubhouse in Fairground Park.

100 years ago: Oct. 5, 1910

The all-night rain has flooded the whole country about Cape Girardeau, and from some localities come reports of near cloudbursts; the heavy rains started landslides between here and St. Louis, interfering with the train schedule.

The directors of the Cape Girardeau Fair Association decide to not call off the fair on account of the continued rain; they are confident that the weather will clear in time to allow two days of activities.

-- Sharon K. Sanders