Out of the past 11/1/01

10 years ago: Nov. 1, 1991

Estimated 4,000 youngsters and young at heart turned out last night for West Park Mall's annual Safe Halloween Party; although weather outside was damp, mall was transformed into weather-perfect pumpkin patch for holiday.

Jackson - Staff of District 32 Missouri Public Defender's Office began moving from Cape Girardeau County Courthouse yesterday and, as of Monday, should be operating out of new offices across street; office serves counties of Cape Girardeau, Perry, Bollinger, Scott and Mississippi.

25 years ago: Nov. 1, 1976

Cape Girardeau County sheriff's deputies are busy delivering election supplies to workers assigned to 51 precincts which will be used in tomorrow's presidential election; those familiar with local voting patterns, are predicting good turnout of voters, particularly if weather adheres to forecast of warmer temperatures and sunny skies.

No reports of poisoned or otherwise tainted Halloween candy have been received by Cape Girardeau Police Department, after what appears to have been safe Halloween.

50 years ago: Nov. 1, 1951

One hundred twenty men and $5 million worth of dredging equipment are involved in multimillion-dollar gamble against Mississippi River at Wittenburg, 25 miles north of Cape Girardeau; men are digging ditch and laying natural gas pipeline under Mississippi; when completed, line will be unbroken, untapped 24-inch welded tube stretching from Refugio, Texas, to Chicago.

Police credit rainy weather and entertainments sponsored by various groups for lack of vandalism by Halloween pranksters last night; only two incidents were reported; 1923 Ford Model T touring car was turned on its side in middle of 300 block of North Henderson.

75 years ago: Nov. 1, 1926

Mystery surrounds escape from Cape Girardeau city jail sometime last night of Belleville, Ill., bootlegger, who was serving term for transporting whiskey; locks on doors of his cell and to "bull pen" were intact, while there was no evidence to be found that he had escaped through bars over window, or cut his way through brick wall; escape is discovered this morning by Capt. H.P. Wickham.

Ralph De Palma, famous American automobile racing driver and holder of world's fastest time for half-mile track, is in Cape Girardeau for several hours en route to Los Angeles, Calif.; for most part, he is making trip to test new Studebaker Six; he is head of Studebaker Motor Corp.'s experimental engineering department.

- Sharon K. Sanders