Out of the past 9/12/06

25 years ago: Sept. 12, 1981

Construction has started on the addition to Cape Mercantile Bank and Trust Co., 325 N. Kingshighway; Jim Stovall is doing the grading, and Commercial Designs of St. Louis is supervising the structural work.

LUTESVILLE, Mo. -- Bollinger County authorities are searching for three men who robbed the Saveway Gas-a-Mat Service Station here; about $983 in checks, credit cards and cash were taken; the robbery is so inconspicuous that a man unloading a gasoline truck at the station doesn't realize the station is being robbed.

50 years ago: Sept. 12, 1956

The odor coming from newly installed sewers at Broadway and Lorimier Street has drawn considerable complaint and has left engineers puzzled; they say the new sewers, designed to carry away surface water, aren't connected to the original sanitary line at this point, and no direct odor from the sanitary line is possible.

The Eisenhower Bandwagon, accompanied by a caravan of automobiles bearing candidates and pretty young women wearing "Eisenhower dresses," parade through the business sections of Cape Girardeau amid cheers from spectators; the Bandwagon, one of six campaigning in the nation, spends part of the morning at Jackson before coming here.

75 years ago: Sept. 12, 1931

Establishment of a prohibition enforcement office in Cape Girardeau, with an agent in charge to direct liquor-control in Southeast Missouri, is announced by Jefferson Davis of St. Louis, prohibition administrator for Missouri; O.H. Cornelius, an experienced agent, will be placed in charge of the office.

Anton Sebek, owner of the building at 426 S. Middle St., formerly occupied by Koeck Ice Cream Co., and now owner of the holdings of that company, says he will operate a business at that location; Sebek says the new business will be known as the Cape Dairy Products Co.; it will manufacture ice cream and butter and will prepare buttermilk for sale.

100 years ago: Sept. 12, 1906

The building committee of the Methodist Church last night awarded the contract for the magnificent new structure; the structure will occupy the northeast corner of Ellis and Bellevue streets, in the midst of the city's best residential district.

A large crowd is on hand at 4 a.m. when the great Wallace Circus trains pull into Cape Girardeau; by 8 a.m., the cars are unloaded, and the crowd rushes to the lot on North Main Street, where the tent city is erected.

-- Sharon K. Sanders