Out of the past: Nov. 7

1996

The U.S. Attorney's office in Cape Girardeau and the FBI have launched an investigation into Republican allegations of voter fraud in Mississippi and New Madrid counties in Missouri; voters were allegedly paid in cash or coupons for liquor to show up and cast a Democratic ballot.

In Cape Girardeau County, 28,343 voters went to the polls Tuesday; that represented 69% of voters, which county officials say is a new record; bucking national trends, county voters overwhelmingly backed Bob Dole over Bill Clinton for president, 15,552 to 9,948; an additional 1,861 voters supported Ross Perot.

1971

A varied musical program is presented in the evening at St. Andrew Lutheran Church at a dedication service for the congregation's new 17-rank pipe organ, which was installed by Wicks Organ Co. of Highland, Illinois; participating in the program at the organ are Jeanne Cloud, instructor in the Division of Music at State College, and the Rev. Alvin Lange, pastor of Faith Lutheran Church in Dexter, Illinois; the later was consultant to the firm which installed the organ.

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- The derailment of a Missouri Pacific Railroad freight train near her last night was apparently caused by a broken rail; 23 cars loaded with varied freight left the tracks about 9:45 Saturday night about 12 miles northeast of here near the small community of Avert, Missouri, in Stoddard County; about 400 feet of mainline track was torn up.

1946

The official count of Tuesday's election will be conducted at Jackson tomorrow with W.O. Statler, Democrat, and Edwin Kies, Republican, as the official judges; working with them will be Edwin Sander, deputy county clerk, and Betty Jones, an employee of the clerk's office; at the same time, the absentee ballots will be counted by two Democrats and two Republicans.

Following a lengthy hearing at Common Pleas Courthouse Tuesday, the City Board of Adjustment approved an application for construction of two buildings to be used by a furniture company, south of the Missouri Pacific track and near Missouri Avenue in the west end, after the applicants agreed to amend the application calling for brick structures instead of ones of concrete blocks and metal; the application was filed by A.A. Schlueter, who is to sell the ground, and A.C. Vogelsang, who will construct the two large buildings and conduct the manufacturing plant.

1921

According to an ordinance read at a meeting of the Cape Girardeau City Council, automobiles driving in this city may run at a speed not to exceed 20 miles per hour, and 10 miles per hour at corners; this is five miles more per hour than the current ordinance allows; the new ordinance also covers parking, who may operate automobiles here, punishments for driving while intoxicated, and a variety of other items.

More than 40 men are at work on the street car tracks, getting them in first-class shape for the new streetcars that are expected to arrive early in December; the stretch from the foot of Normal Boulevard to Fairground Park, which has been completed, shows the work is being done right.

-- Sharon K. Sanders