Out of the past 5/17/06

25 years ago: May 17, 1981

The Grace United Methodist Church Bell Ringers and the St. Mark Lutheran Church Choir combine to present a concert of sacred music in the afternoon in the sanctuary of St. Mark Church.

NEW MADRID, Mo. -- Two New Madrid County jail prisoners escape from the lockup in the evening, steal a dispatcher's car and are involved in a brief gun battle with a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper in a Sikeston, Mo., subdivision before they flee on foot.

50 years ago: May 17, 1956

Cape Girardeau, by actual count, has more school-age children today than at any time in its history; school enumeration figures show there are 5,290 boys and girls in the city in the age group 9 to 19 inclusive; that is an increase of 109 over last year.

The third annual all-breed dog show of the Southeast Missouri Kennel Club will be held tomorrow at the Arena Building with a record number of 364 entries for the event to be staged under rules of the American Kennel Club.

75 years ago: May 17, 1931

Fifty-one people are baptized at a special afternoon service in the waters of Juden Creek at Juden School on Bend Road and are welcomed as members of Red Star Baptist Church; this is one of the largest classes of members for baptism in the church in recent years.

Members of the Cape Girardeau Board of Education, in a session late yesterday, employed William B. Ittner of St. Louis as architect to plan the two additions to be constructed this summer to schools of the city; a gymnasium and four class rooms will be built at Franklin School, and two additional classrooms will be erected at Washington School.

100 years ago: May 17, 1906

The findings of the school census-taker, who recently completed his canvas, shows that the number of schoolchildren in Cape Girardeau had been underestimated; according to his report, there are 2,603 children of school age in the city who should be in school; the compilation of the taker follows: white males, 1,078; white females, 1,264; black males, 117, and black females, 144.

The Normal School baseball team edged out the Rolla School of Mines at Rolla, Mo., 13-12; the losing pitcher was Adkins.

-- Sharon K. Sanders