Out of the past: July 5

1999

The Cape Girardeau city engineering department didn’t have to look too far to find a replacement for a supervisor’s position as they promoted one of their engineers; Melanie Gertis takes over the job of Civil Engineer II and is in charge of the city’s design office; she will take over the duties for city engineer Mark Lester when he is out of town.

Temperatures in the 90s and a high heat index might have helped keep the Fourth of July holiday a quiet one for law enforcement officers; and today’s heat index of 105 surely keeps more people in front of fans than usual; only one case of heat exhaustion is reported in Cape Girardeau.

1974

Petitions containing 990 signatures of citizens in support of the application of Police Chief Irvin E. Beard for a waiver of the Civil Service ordinance pertaining to mandatory retirement at age 65 have been received by the Cape Girardeau City Council; Beard reached retirement age in September 1971, but has continued to hold the position through annual extensions granted by the city; in early June, it was announced the city was seeking a replacement for Beard.

Administrators of Saint Francis and Southeast hospitals sign an agreement that all the blood used by the hospitals will come from the Missouri-Illinois Regional Red Cross Blood Program Center in St. Louis; all blood from the center comes from volunteer donors, rather from paid donors; it will be screened carefully by the Red Cross, and a supply will be provided to hospitals as needed.

1949

Due to a lack of patronage, the American Legion has decided to abandon its weekly midget auto races, held at Arena Park, for the remainder of the season; Legion officials were disappointed in yesterday’s attendance, which was 2,100, and which was less than the number expected; the races have been drawing about 1,500 fans each night this season, an attendance which about pays expenses.

A five-man board of supervisors to care for the organization and functioning of the North Main Street Levee Improvement District is elected in the morning at a meeting of property owners; supervisors elected are Linder Deimund, George Hirsch, Clyde Helton, K.A. Head and L.A. Byron; the district embraces that area along the river from Bellevue Street north to Sloan’s Creek.

1924

A 27-year-old Royalton, Illinois, man is being lodged at the Scott County jail in Benton as authorities investigate him as one of the armed bandits who held up the Bank of Vanduser a week ago; S.P. Cutoff, cashier of the bank, has identified him as one of the men who pulled a revolver and ordered him to “put ’em up”.

Albert Huters of Cape Girardeau, a race car driver, was injured yesterday when his automobile made a spectacular plunge through a the fence at the a curve on the racing course at Fairground Park during the last of three auto races staged at the Fourth of July festivities; Huters suffered two broken ribs.

Southeast Missourian librarian Sharon Sanders compiles the information for the daily Out of the Past column. She also writes a blog called “From the Morgue” that showcases interesting historical stories from the newspaper. Check out her blog at semissourian.com/history.