Out of the past 6/15/07

25 years ago: June 15, 1982

The ski shows and boat regatta set for this weekend as part of Cape Girardeau's fourth annual Riverfest will be held as scheduled; there had been speculation they might be called off.

The Missouri attorney general's office says it will file a motion to stay a mandate granting convicted murderer Douglas W. Thompson a new trial and will appeal once again to the U.S. Supreme Court the order granting the new trial; earlier this month, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of appeals ruled Thompson should be retried because the Mississippi County sheriff personally picked prospective jurors for his trial there.

50 years ago: June 15, 1957

A cloudburst 125 miles away leaves Cape Girardeau without telephone service to St. Louis and vicinity, disrupts transportation and cripples mail service; the flood, which follows an all-night rain in St. Louis, sweeps away a section of coaxial cable carrying long distance telephone lines between here and St. Louis 16 miles south of St. Louis; the water also knocks out a section of the main line of the Frisco Railroad.

Col. William B. Wilson, a retired Army doctor and descendant of an early Cape Girardeau family, died last night at the family home in Redlands, Calif.

75 years ago: June 15, 1932

Based on approximate sales of automobiles and accessories in Cape Girardeau during 1931, consumers of this immediate district will, within a year, pay a total of $28,886.66 in the new federal taxes on those two items.

A communication to Cape Girardeau Mayor Edward L. Drum from the office of Attorney General Stratton Shartel contains an "unofficial" opinion that the city of Cape Girardeau cannot issue bonds to purchase the traffic bridge over the Mississippi River.

100 years ago: June 15, 1907

The Chautauqua association, which has been a matter of speculation in Cape Girardeau for several days, is perfected when a representative gathering of influential residents signs articles of agreement and subscribe liberally to the capital stock; it is agreed hold a Chautauqua meeting here in September.

The great tabernacle revival in Cape Girardeau is coming to a close; the Rev. Lincoln McConnell will hold his last services tomorrow.

-- Sharon K. Sanders