Out of the past: Dec. 7

1997

Representatives from medical, law enforcement and social service fields have created a sexual assault advocacy group to serve victims in Cape Girardeau County; board of directors president Tammy Gwaltney said the recently-organized Southeast Missouri Network Against Sexual Violence will piece together services that until now have been partially offered by various county agencies; the organization recently gained not-for-profit status and will assist female and child victims through every step of the trauma they face as a result of sexual assault and abuse.

Cape Girardeau businesswoman and civic leader Judy Wilferth will receive the Vandiver Show Me State Award during commencement exercises Saturday at Southeast Missouri State University; she is the second person to receive the award, which is conferred by the Board of Regents and recognizes leaders in various fields and citizens whose achievements have made commendable contributions to the University, the region and the state.

1972

The season's first cold snap resulted in a cutoff of gas to all interruptible customers of three Southeast Missouri utilities companies; at least five schools in Southeast Missouri were forced to close yesterday afternoon or today because of interruptible contracts with Missouri Utilities Co. in Cape Girardeau, Arkansas-Missouri Power Co. of Blytheville, Arkansas, or Associated Natural Gas Co. of Sikeston, Missouri, a wholly-owned subsidy of Ark-Mo; closed today are public schools at Illmo-Scott City, Chaffee, Charleston, Bloomfield and Campbell.

Reported dissension in the staff of 10th District Rep. Bill D. Burlison has brought about the resignations -- or firings -- of two Cape Girardeau staff members; James W. Herod, district field secretary for Burlison since his election in 1968, announces his resignation; Mrs. Pat Benton, a secretary in the congressman's district office here, is also no longer on his payroll.

1947

The Cape Girardeau Ministerial Alliance will work to supply a portion of the basic needs of some of the indigent families of the community this Christmas; the Rev. Bayard S. Clark, president of the alliance, says the organization will work with local welfare agencies and a local coal company, placing in the hands of the agencies a sum of money to be used for this purpose; the agencies will determine where and how great the need.

Due to quick work by members of the Cape Girardeau Police Department, a 20-year-old man is captured atop a skylight of the Crescent Cleaners establishment, 132 S. Sprigg St., early in the evening, allegedly as he was about to burglarize the business; alerted by the owners, Mr. and Mrs. Luther Bollinger, that someone was picking on the skylight, patrolmen Benson Hendrickson and Lawrence Ross quickly answer the call; after looking the building over, the officers enter and discover the burglar, with his legs thrust through the skylight, his feet supporting his body on top of a steel clothes frame.

1922

H. Getz, formerly a merchant at Kennett, Missouri, and Sam Sherman of Cape Girardeau yesterday bought the Sherman Clothing Co. stock of goods at bankruptcy sale for $9,400; Louis Hecht, Main Street merchant, bought the building at $21,486.74 and the fixtures at $2,000.

The steamer Capella, recently purchased by the Missouri Pacific Railroad for use in transferring passengers and express between Bird's Point, Missouri, and Cairo, Illinois, arrived from St. Louis on Monday and is now at the Missouri Pacific wharf in Cairo; the boat will be wired for electric lights and other alterations made, including changing the name to the J.J. Gillispie; the boat will replace the Henry Marquand, which will be sold or scrapped.

-- Sharon K. Sanders