Out of the past: Aug. 1

1997

Cape Girardeau police are searching for the men who shot the 57-year-old caretaker of Old Lorimier Cemetery early Thursday in a possible robbery attempt; Robert Banfield was approached by two men as he was unlocking a gate to the cemetery in the 400 block of North Fountain at about 6:30 a.m.; they made Banfield lie on the ground behind a storage building and demanded money from him; when the caretaker said he had only a small amount of change, one of the assailants shot him; the small-caliber bullet struck Banfield in the cheek, passed through the other cheek and exited.

The Bank of Missouri has received approval to open a full-service bank in Cape Girardeau; the new Bank of Missouri is the former Bank of Perryville, which already has a loan production office in Cape Girardeau.

1972

Reaction to the withdrawal of Sen. Thomas F. Eagleton as the Democratic party's vice presidential nominee is swift -- and generally negative -- among Cape Girardeau and Missouri voters and political leaders; Edward L. Downs, Cape Girardeau County Democratic Central Committee chairman, declares that presidential aspirant Sen. George S. McGovern now has his own "credibility gap" as a result of asking Eagleton to exit the ticket after having just the week before said he supported the Missourian "1,000%"; unable to convince McGovern the issue of his history as a psychiatric patient would go away, Eagleton sadly stepped down last night, clearing the way for McGovern to look for a new running mate.

Thirty-two persons, all alumni of State College or friends of the college, depart from Cape Girardeau Municipal Airport, bound for New York, where they will leave for a 17-day tour of Scandinavia; the tour, sponsored by the college Alumni Association, is the first of its kind.

1947

The bulk of their summer crop of apples out of the way, Cape Girardeau fruit growers look back on a fairly successful season, marred only by a weak market for the Transparent variety, which found the price dropping to such rock bottom prices it hardly paid to pick the fruit; many bushels were left still hanging on trees.

The mercury yesterday hit a season high of 100 degrees at 5 p.m. in Cape Girardeau, while Jackson topped out at 102 degrees; in Lutesville, Missouri, with the weather unusually hot, residents of this Bollinger County community are without a public water supply; the trouble has been that the power line leading to the water pumping station was too light to serve demand, since Lutesville bought and installed a larger motor to pump the water; some residents have had to dip into the dozen wells in town to get needed water.

1922

An attempt to get the 140th Infantry, Missouri National Guard, to encamp at Cape Girardeau for a short time before demobilization is being made, according to Col. Warren L. Mabrey, regimental commander; he has assured prominent men here that the regiment could be sent to Cape Girardeau, if a request is made at once to Gov. A.M. Hyde and Adj. Gen. W.A. Raupp.

L.O. Groseclose of Randles is devoting much of his time this season to the growing of cotton on his farm, and he is more than pleased with the results; in years past, Groseclose has attracted attention by successfully growing rice in Cape Girardeau; he has temporarily abandoned rice planting until the price is more favorable; if he harvests a good crop this year, Groseclose plans to put 1,000 acres in cotton in 1923.

-- Sharon K. Sanders