Out of the past 7/31/05

25 years ago: July 31, 1980

Approximately half of the 32,728 registered Cape Girardeau County voters are expected to go to the polls in next Tuesday's primary, attracted by contests for governor, a state Senate seat, and the Cape Girardeau County sheriff's race; usually, around 12,000 to 13,000 county voters cast their ballots in the primary.

CAIRO, Ill. -- Mississippi River towboat pilots don't see any "one-lane traffic only" signs, but some sections of the river between New Madrid, Mo., and St. Louis have been reduced to that; Coast Guard officials are keeping a close watch on a string of 10 barges that ran aground yesterday near New Madrid due to low water and a narrow channel; the river stage at Cape Girardeau is 9.4 feet.

50 years ago: July 31, 1955

Special "C-Day" services are conducted at First Baptist Church honoring the Rev. L.C. Cleland, who arrived home Friday after spending two months abroad.

The eighth annual VFW V-J Day picnic, which concluded last night at Capaha Park, was one of the best ever attended; climaxing the three-day affair was the giving away of the 1955 Plymouth; A.W. Eyer of Kansas City, Mo., an auto parts representative who calls on local merchants, was the winner.

75 years ago: July 31, 1930

An offer of $19,000 for the sale of the rails of the Cape Girardeau Northern Railroad from Jackson to Perryville, Mo., is under consideration in Common Pleas Court; George W. Cross, receiver of the road, got the offer from a firm which wants the rails to be sent immediately to South America.

The Cole Bros. Circus arrives in the morning by railroad; old as well as young folk make up a sort of reception committee, which meets the elephants and tigers as the show is unloaded from a track of the Missouri Pacific Railroad on the Boulevard.

100 years ago: July 31, 1905

An assault Saturday night on Normal School president W.S. Dearmont has startled the whole community; Dearmont, in company with councilman Williams and the Rev. W.E. Furr, were inspecting the new Normal School building in the evening; they were stopped by the night watchman and ordered to leave the building; as they were trying to exit, the watchman hit Dearmont on the jaw twice, with such force he broke the president's jaw.

Judge Jefferson W. Limbaugh dies in the afternoon; Limbaugh, who was a member of the bar for more than 25 years, suffered with consumption the last five years.

-- Sharon K. Sanders