Out of the past: Aug. 18

1992

Cape Girardeau lawyer Bill Syler and Cape Girardeau County Associate Circuit Judge Ben Lewis were interviewed Friday by aides to Gov. John Ashcroft about filling a vacancy as circuit judge in the 32nd Judicial District. Syler and Lewis both sent letters to the governor asking that he consider appointing them to the post after Ashcroft appointed Division I Circuit Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. to the Missouri Supreme Court on Aug. 7.

Despite residents' urging, the Cape Girardeau City Council yesterday took no action to seek bids from private trash haulers on the city's residential trash service. In other business, a petition was presented to the council with the signatures of 1,786 voters who favor switching from at-large to "zone" council elections.

1967

Work has started on the first ornamentation project in the beautification program of the Metro Business District. A parking-meter space in front of the Cape Federal Savings and Loan Association, 102 N. Main St., is being converted into a small "mini-park" area. When completed, it not only will add a touch of beauty to the area, but also will afford a resting place for shoppers.

A burly Jackson youth is back in Cape Girardeau County Jail after he was apprehended in Capaha Park late yesterday afternoon, ending a four-hour manhunt. The 18-year-old youth broke and ran from deputy Bill Sperling while en route to the county jail from the Cape Girardeau County Courthouse. Just before his escape, he had been sentenced to six months in the county lockup for repeated traffic offenses, including improper car registration and driving without a license.

1942

The 73 school districts of Cape Girardeau County have been chosen as the focal points for collection of a quota of 1,740,000 pounds of scrap metal between Sept. 1 and 20. That's a shift from the 15 communities that had been chosen in tentative plans.

Preliminary plans are being made to reopen the Dorsa Dress factory on Spanish Street sometime during the coming week. The factory has been shut down for three weeks because of a temporary materials shortage.

1917

E.L. Purcell of Illmo, a newspaper editor, has been appointed a deputy game warden for Southeast Missouri by the new state game warden, Tim Birmingham.

CAMP CLARK, NEVADA, Mo. -- The entire Sixth Regiment is quarantined on account of smallpox. The first man to go down under the inoculation for smallpox was Ethelbert Clayton of Caruthersville, Missouri, followed by Harry Tibbs of Cape Girardeau. Four members of the Sixth Regiment band are also feeling the ill effects of the vaccination shots.

-- Sharon K. Sanders