Out of the past: Nov. 25

1997

A New York City man has donated $75,000 to the Southeast Missouri State University Museum; the unrestricted donation is the largest cash gift in the museum's history, said Dr. Jenny Strayer, museum director; the donor, George Schriever, also donated a number of art objects; the cash donation was made in the name of his late wife, Placide; she died in January 1996.

There are now two races on the April ballot for the Cape Girardeau City Council elections; in Ward 3, Jay Purcell, 30, of 315 N. Pacific files for the council; he faces his neighbor, Gerald Stevens, 57, who lives at 329 N. Pacific; there's also a contested race in Ward 1, where incumbent James "J.J." Williamson and Frank Stoffregen are competing for a seat on the council; filing for the April 7 election closes today.

1972

Convicted murderer Douglas Wayne Thompson, 39, who managed an escape from the Missouri penitentiary three days ago, but was recaptured four hours later, will be charged in Cole County Court with prison escape; Thompson, who is serving two life sentences -- one for the 1961 slaying of Cape Girardeau auxiliary policeman Herbert L. Goss and the other for the shooting death of Raymond Glover of Butler County -- was recaptured after he hid in the bed of a dump truck and made his escape.

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Firefighters from Charleston and Sikeston, Missouri, for almost eight hours in the morning battle a blaze which causes structural damage to a bean dryer and destroys over $7,000 worth of soybeans on Buffalo Island near here; the facility, built about eight years ago, is owned by Semo Grain Co., a subsidiary of Scott County Milling Co.

1947

Troy Denton of Memphis, Tennessee, district manager of the Southern Bus Lines, while in Cape Girardeau Monday, told Norman Huhn, terminal manager of the Union Bus Center, 30 S. Spanish St., the company tomorrow will resume operations of two schedules daily out of the local station; drivers and agents of the company went on strike in May over a wage dispute; although no agreement has been reached between the company and union employees, some returned to work, while others were replaced.

Any possibility of a post-season football game for the once-defeated Cape Girardeau Central High Tigers was quashed by the school board last night, when it passed a motion banning extra seasonal engagements; the decision won't prevent individual players from participating in a sectional all-star game.

1922

The Missourian receives a telegram from Daniel Mayer, booking manager, assuring that Ruth St. Denis, Ted Shawn and the Denishawn Dancers will be in Cape Girardeau tomorrow, to perform the next night at the New Broadway Theatre under auspices of The Missourian.

Several cans of live fish to be placed in Cape Girardeau County streams are received at Jackson from the state fish department; a committee composed of F.A. Groves, Al Brinkopf and Al Mueller will place the fish in Byrds Creek, Indian Creek and in the Whitewater stream; more shipments will come later until the streams are well stocked.

-- Sharon K. Sanders