Out of the past 12/12/07

25 years ago: Dec. 12, 1982

LUTESVILLE, Mo. -- Woodland school students will hopefully be back in class tomorrow; volunteers have been working long hours at the Bollinger County school since it was inundated during a flash flood Dec. 3; mud and debris have been shoveled out, and the buildings hosed down and mopped up.

Reflecting its heritage, members of St. Mary's Cathedral parish are building a scale model of a German Christmas village; the village, being built in a southern Bavarian style, was designed by Kay Miller and the Rev. Lewis Hejna, associate pastor of St. Mary's.

50 years ago: Dec. 12, 1957

C. Curtis Summers, 67, city health officer of Cape Girardeau for 22 years, died yesterday of a heart ailment; he is survived by his wife, Mrs. Elizabeth Summers; two daughters, four brothers, five sisters, and his mother, Mrs. J.W. Summers of Kennett, Mo.

M. Luther Hahs, insurance company representative, was presented as the new president of the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce last night; he succeeds Howard Boyd.

75 years ago: Dec. 12, 1932

A log cabin in South Cape Girardeau, once the pretentious home of the Capt. George G. Alt family, is being torn down by the owner, Federal Materials Co.; the structure, built in 1899, is at the north end of the Blue Hole quarry.

Police say among those coming to police headquarters Saturday night and Sunday night seeking a place to sleep were three couples; one man and wife had six children with them; transients who have no place to bed down are allowed to sleep in the Cape Girardeau jail.

100 years ago: Dec. 12, 1907

The Stacker Lee comes down in the morning leaving a big lot of freight; Capt. Lightner telephones Commerce, Mo., that he won't land there, as the water is too shallow; last year, he got hung up there for several hours.

Police chief Willis Martin was given a hard chase yesterday when a horse and buggy were taken from in front of Hirsch Bros.' Store in Haarig; jumping into Gust. Schultz's buggy, Martin lashed up the horse and started out the Jackson Road to apprehend the thief, only to find he was a 9-year-old boy on a joy ride.

-- Sharon K. Sanders