Out of the past: Jan. 24

1997

The first mission of the new Cape Girardeau County Planning and Zoning Commission is clear: Avoid the mistakes of the past; commission members agree that before they delve deeply into developing a master plan for future county growth, their first step should be to identify the issues that led to voter rejection of a proposed master plan in 1992; that rejection led to the dissolution of the previous planning board.

A steady stream of people kept Missouri Department of Transportation representatives busy at a meeting last night to determine interest in a new road between Scott City and Cape Girardeau; groups as large as 30 gathered at times during the three-hour session at Scott City High School; participants pointed out their ideas for alternative routes between the two towns.

1972

The theft of several items from the Cape County Historical Society Museum in Common Pleas Courthouse is being investigated by Cape Girardeau police and the county sheriff's department; items taken by burglars -- who apparently scaled a partitioned interior wall on the second floor of the courthouse -- include a cape originally owned by Andrew Giboney, British Army dress uniform articles belonging to the late Capt. George E. Alt, the Col. Lindsay Murdock Civil War sword, a bell from an Indian elephant saddle donated in memory of Adelaide Russell and two fancy beaded purses around 100 years old.

Glenn Oldham, president of the Jackson Jaycees, was given the Distinguished Service Award by that organization at Saturday night's banquet; guest speaker at the dinner was State Rep. James E. Spain, D-Bloomfield.

1947

The Cape Girardeau Board of Health and City Council will ask, through a delegation to appear before the County Court on Monday, that the county participate with the city in hiring a full-time milk inspector to work in the whole county.

Water service to the towns of Illmo and Fornfelt is resumed on a limited basis after a 17-hour shutdown ordered to conserve the supply to be used in case of emergency; however, full service may be resumed by nightfalls, if repairs to the pumping equipment in Fornfelt, where the trouble first started, are made.

1922

COMMERCE, Mo. -- Residents here are abuzz with gold fever; for the third time, treasure hunters are digging holes -- some as deep as eight feet -- in property here formerly owned by a Dr. Docker; the physician is said to have buried a pot of gold on his land at the outbreak of the Civil War; he confided the location to only one woman; soon after Docker's death, she was beaten severely by a number of men, but she refused to say where the gold was; she died a few days later, taking her secret with her; leading the most recent search for the treasure are Marshall Moore and A.E. Pinkerton.

The Cape Girardeau City Council and mayor meet with D.P.W. Covington of the Rockefeller Foundation and Dr. J.W. Mountain of the U.S. Public Health Service to hear them explain the community health center movement and to devise some plan by which the city can help citizens and the county organize the center.

-- Sharon K. Sanders