Out of the past: Jan. 6

1997

Cape Girardeau County led the region in crashes in 1995 but also in seat-belt usage; Cape Girardeau County ranked 11th in the state in speed-involved crashes and 14th in accidents involving drunk drivers; it ranked 10th in accidents involving drivers under 21 years of age and 11th in accidents involving drivers 55 years of age or older; Cape County had 3,158 accidents in 1995, more than any other Southeast Missouri county.

About 25 people gathered Sunday in the basement of Livingway Foursquare Church on Bloomfield Road Sunday to ask the police, Southwestern Bell, Anchor Construction Co. and God what they could do to lessen the chance that they would become the victim of a burglary; Cape Girardeau Police Lt. John Brown, Ptlm. Jeannie Dailey and Ptlm. Ike Hammonds fielded questions about the investigation into 17 reported burglaries of elderly Cape Girardeau residents since May.

1972

Cape Girardeau City Councilman John J. Kollker intends to resign from the council so he may assume a position with Percy Wilson Mortgage and Finance Corp., a subsidiary of U.S. Steel Corp. at Chicago; Kollker, who is serving his first term on the council, said in a letter to Mayor Howard C. Tooke he will probably resign within the next 30 days.

Three major highway relocation projects in Cape Girardeau and Bollinger counties are being mapped by the Missouri Highway Department; the biggest project involves construction of a seven-mile stretch of Highway 72 from Highway 34 west of Jackson south and east to the Interstate 55-Highway 61 interchange near Wedekind Park between Cape Girardeau and Jackson; about half of the new route would be four lanes; also in the works are relocations of highways 61 and 34 at Marble Hill and Lutesville, Missouri.

1947

With slightly warmer weather prevailing, motor traffic is able to move normally in the vicinity of Cape Girardeau; however, immediately north of here, including the north half of the county, iced rural and county roads are still a menace; in the south end of Cape County, most of the ice coating on trees, shrubs and wires was removed by brief bits of sunshine yesterday afternoon.

Fire at 1:30 p.m. damages two rooms on the third floor of Albert Hall, a women's dormitory at State College; four other rooms and nearby corridors are damaged by water; Mrs. Ernest K. Blue, matron, discovers the blaze in Room 66 as she is going along the corridor to deliver a message; she says flames were pouring from a clothes closet in the room.

1922

Arch Hathway, 22, and Lige Crabtree, 60, are housed in the Scott County jail at Benton, Missouri, following a raid on Hathway's home in Fornfelt Wednesday; a still, 600 gallons of mash and 10 gallons of corn whiskey were confiscated by Sheriff William Kirkendall and Deputy Tom Scott; the distilling apparatus was found in the basement of Hathway's home; he was arrested coming out of the front door of the house with the liquor in his possession; Crabtree, a partner in the enterprise, was arrested in a barbershop; both admitted their guilt.

The County Court has set an open meeting for Monday, at which time all men and women of the county who are interested in providing a better building for the wards of the county are invited to be present and make suggestions; they will be able to discuss plans drawn by architect A.F. Lindsay for a new structure for the County Poor Farm.

-- Sharon K. Sanders