Out of the past: Feb. 6

1996

Bill Duschell shivered in his truck as he watched his home burn to the ground yesterday morning just off County Road 635 on Welch Pass; a few minutes before making it to the truck, the 23-year-old Dushell awoke to find his home filled with smoke and flames; he was the only tenant of the duplex who was at home at the time; he, his girlfriend and a roommate lost everything in the blaze; tenants in the other half of the duplex, newlyweds Kevin and Becky Thompson, lost most of their belongings as well.

The City of Cape Girardeau will seek a grant to buy 16 acres of the old St. Vincent's College property and turn it into a park; the move would aid the Colonial Cape Girardeau Foundation in its effort to turn the former Catholic seminary into a cultural center.

1971

NEW MADRID, Mo. -- Federal authorities are investigating union activities at St. Jude Industrial Park southeast of here, construction site of the huge Noranda Aluminum Inc. complex; two investigators from the U.S. Department of Labor in St. Louis are looking into suspected violations of labor laws at the construction site, including the sale of lottery tickets and, in at least one instance, collection of money in excess of union fees.

One of Cape Girardeau's older residences, a two-story brick house at 818 Themis St., is being razed by Henry Ochs, who purchased it from Harry Springmeyer, to make room for a three-story apartment facility of six units; the old dwelling was originally owned by the Williams family and later by the C.J. Reisenbichler family.

1946

Getting off to an enthusiastic start, the revived Illmo Chamber of Commerce held a dinner meeting last night at Masonic Hall, laying out tentative plans for some street improvements and discussing other projects, such as town landscaping, providing a public playground and arranging for whiteway lights.

Five school boys are cited in the evening for allegedly letting the air out of the tires of 32 automobiles parked on Cape Girardeau streets; in addition some damage is done and a few items, such as valve covers, tank caps and radiator caps, are reported missing.

1921

"An Afternoon with Mendelssohn" might have been the title for yesterday's meeting of the Friends of Music at the studio of Nora Naeter, Lorimier and Bellevue; about 45 persons gathered to hear good music and to talk about good music.

Wilhelmina Traupe, a Cape Girardeau resident for nearly 70 years, dies peacefully at her home, corner Sprigg and Independence streets, in the evening; she was 90 years, 3 months and 28 days old, the widow of William Traupe, who died 27 years ago.

-- Sharon K. Sanders