Out of the past: June 27

1996

They came to say goodbye to their congressman; more than 1,200 of them; Democrats, Republicans, business leaders and just plain citizens filed past the flag-draped coffin of Missouri's 8th District U.S. Rep. Bill Emerson during visitation yesterday evening at Old St. Vincent's Church in Cape Girardeau; the steady line of mourners stretched outside of the church throughout the 3 1/2 hours of public visitation; Emerson's family -- wife, Jo Ann, and daughters, Victoria, Katherine, Elizabeth and Abigail, and mother, Marie Hahn of Cape Girardeau -- attended the visitation in shifts.

The people spoke, and the Missouri Heritage Mural Association listened; in response to complaints about colors chosen for the Missouri Wall of Fame mural on the Cape Girardeau floodwall, touches of dark green have been added; the Wall of Fame's pastel color scheme drew criticism from tourists, residents and some downtown merchants.

1971

The Rev. Melvin K. Shrout, pastor of the Church of the Nazarene in Cape Girardeau the past two years, delivers his farewell sermon; Shrout has accepted a position with the denomination's department of church schools in Kansas City, Missouri.

The pastor of First Assembly of God Church in Cape Girardeau the past seven years, the Rev. George W. Westlake Jr., has resigned to accept a similar position at Faith Assembly of God in Fort Smith, Arkansas; today is his final service at the church here.

1946

The nationwide fresh meat shortage, felt locally for weeks, becomes more acute with the announcement by the Pipkin-Boyd-Neal Packing Co., that it will close its plant here for at least a week beginning Saturday, partially because of the dearth of meat and partially to await interpretation of Office of Price Administration regulations affecting packers.

The official War Department tabulation of men killed in action or missing in the war shows Cape Girardeau County lost 80 men; in a 17-county area of Southeast Missouri, 823 men are dead or missing; those figures don't include Navy, Coast Guard or Marine casualties, which haven't yet been broken down by state and county.

1921

COMMERCE, Mo. -- Yeggs fail in their attempt to blow the safe of the Frisco depot here at 2:30 in the morning, the explosion awakening the agent who lives across the street; he rushes out of his house in time to see two men leave the depot platform and disappear in the weeds near the river; nothing is stolen.

Contractor Will Gerhardt is putting the finishing touches on the clubhouse at the Cape Girardeau Country Club; he expects to have it finished by the first of July 1; the plumbing may not be completed by that time, but the building will then be ready for use in a general way; applications are being taken for a caretaker couple, the man to have charge of the grounds and the wife to look after the club; commodious living rooms have been provided on the second floor of the clubhouse for the couple.

-- Sharon K. Sanders