Out of the past: May 5

1998

Members of the local legal community gather at the Cape Girardeau City Hall for a judicial forum, defending plea bargaining as an important, though often misunderstood, component in the judicial process; in the first panel discussion of its kind in the area, two circuit court judges, the prosecuting attorney, the chief public defender, the circuit clerk and a representative from the police department join in a forum to discuss the problems and challenges of the judicial system.

The House Motor Vehicle Committee passes an aviation bill that could provide added funding for the state's general aviation airports; under the bill, the state would fund most if not all of the expense of operating the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport control tower; the city currently spends about $125,000 a year to operate the tower; the city has been footing the bill since the federal government quit funding it in 1995.

1973

A new business, Wille's Bakery, is operating at 401 S. West End Blvd., a location at the Bloomfield intersection formerly housing a retail food market; Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Wille, who recently sold what was once the old Wagner Bakery in Jackson, have equipped the location with new production facilities and are featuring bread, cakes, doughnuts, cream horns, pies, brownies and a varied line of Danish pastries.

Howard Aslinger, newly elected vice president of the Cape Girardeau Jaycees, received that organization's highest award, the Key Man Award, at its inauguration banquet and ball last night at the Top of the Hill; Tim Schwent was chosen Spoke of the Year, and Steve Kirchhoff was given the Spark Plug Award.

1948

Bringing the trial to an abrupt end, the government in Federal Court dismisses the vote fraud indictment against three prominent Sikeston, Missouri, citizens, absolving them of charges that they conspired to buy votes in the 1946 general election in Sikeston; freed by the action are Charles L. Blanton Jr., publisher of the Sikeston Standard newspaper; Grover C. Baker, Scott County collector and landowner, and N.E. Fuchs, automobile dealer and son of the late mayor of Sikeston.

The house built during the school year by boys of Cape Girardeau Central High School is placed on the sales block by the Board of Education; those interested in purchasing the five-room house may pick up bid forms from the office of the superintendent at the high school.

1923

Cape Girardeau firemen at police headquarters early last night frustrated an attempt made by a man being held on a statutory charge to break jail; 25 bricks in the south wall of the "bull pen" in the city jail had been removed by the prisoner with the aid of a spoon handle, leaving only a single layer of bricks to be removed before he would have gained his freedom; firemen Billy Foley and James Boyer, on duty at the time, heard the noise of cement and plaster being removed from the wall and discovered the escape attempt; police say another 20 minutes time and he would have made his escape.

Lt. Col. Kenrick D. Burrough of Cape Girardeau tenders his resignation to Adj. Gen. W.A. Raupp as commander of the 140th Infantry, Missouri National Guard, to become effective as soon as his successor is named; growing importance of the regiment in Southeast Missouri, making it necessary for the commander to devote a greater part of his time to it, is given by Burrough as the reason for his resignation.

-- Sharon K. Sanders