Out of the past 11/7/05

25 years ago: Nov. 7, 1980

A petition drive here, aimed at placing the home rule charter form of government to a vote of the people in the April general election, kicks off at the Chamber of Commerce First Friday Coffee; Mayor Paul Stehr, one of about 80 chamber members and guests present, is the first to sign his name to one of the petitions.

After being delayed several times, a coroner's inquest into the death of 18-year-old Randall G. Todd Sept. 20 is canceled by county coroner Harold G. Cobb at the request of county prosecuting attorney Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr.

50 years ago: Nov. 7, 1955

Picket lines are thrown up at 6:30 a.m. at the Cape Girardeau plant of the International Shoe Co., and an estimated 1,000 production workers go on strike in a dispute with management over the wage clause of a new contract; the plant here is one of many in a four-state area which joins the strike.

Only the Delta Statesmen of Cleveland, Miss., remain in the way of the State College Indians from completing the 1955 football season undefeated, and the two teams will meet at Cleveland next Saturday night; the Indians hold an eight-game winning streak, after downing the Kirksville College Bulldogs Saturday.

75 years ago: Nov. 7, 1930

SIKESTON, Mo. - Paving of Highway 61 between Sikeston and Benton, Mo., scheduled to have started this week, has been delayed by the failure of the equipment for the contractor to arrive.

Three hundred Boy Scouts from 17 towns and eight high school football teams from Southeast Missouri are present at Houck Field Stadium as guests of the Teachers College during the football game between the college Indians and McKendree College.

100 years ago: Nov. 7, 1905

A petition signed by the people living in the Pocahontas and Gordonville neighborhoods is presented to the county prosecuting attorney seeking the revocation of the charter of Acme Telephone Co.; it seems that the lines running from Jackson to Gordonville, Pocahontas, Appleton, Tilsit and other places were long neglected and finally taken down, thus preventing those neighborhoods' speaking connection with the county seat.

Judge W.H. Willer asks that Julius Hanney be appointed deputy assessor, to aid him in the assessment of Cape Girardeau; Willer has been ill for several weeks and isn't strong enough yet to make the complete canvass.

-- Sharon K. Sanders