Out of the past: Oct. 11

1998

B.W. Harrison smiled as he was introduced to a small gathering yesterday at the front courtyard of the old St. Vincent's College grounds; he admitted he was a bit overwhelmed by the scope of what he started; Harrison donated about $800,000 to Southeast Missouri State University to buy the college property; in return, he asked the university to preserve the historic structures; his contribution got the ball rolling for what has become a proposal for a River Campus for Southeast.

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- An explosion yesterday morning rocked nearby houses and set fire to a Marble Hill home; the house, owned by David Fox, was destroyed, but two sheds on the property were saved; no one was seriously injured by the blast, although Fox received minor cuts while escaping the house; Fox, his sister, Mabel White, his niece, Stacy Sitze, and her fiance, Eric Carlson, were inside the house just before the explosion, which authorities believe was caused by a leaking gas line connected to a heater.

1973

A special election will be called in Scott City within the next several weeks to replace three city aldermen who resigned their posts this week; Jerry Payne, Ward 3, resigned because he's moving to New Hampshire; reasons for the resignations of Ben Wheeler, Ward 1, and Willard Dohogne, Ward 2, weren't announced.

Former Missouri Gov. Warren E. Hearnes of Charleston, who went to bat for his friend Spiro T. Agnew just two weeks ago, was among the very few who knew in advance that Agnew would step down from the second highest office in the land; Hearnes said yesterday, shortly after the former vice president's surprise resignation was announced, that Agnew had telephoned him that morning to say he was resigning.

1948

J. Abner Beck, Mississippi County school superintendent, has been advised that the Delmo Housing Corp., of St. Louis is willing to rent the community building of the project near Wyatt, Missouri, for use as a school on a temporary basis; the offer was an outgrowth of an attempt by Black mothers from the Delmo project to enroll their children in the white school at Wyatt; they contend the present school facilities for their children in a church building in Wyatt are inadequate.

Pink Niswonger, former police sergeant, takes over as merchants' police officer along Broadway in the evening; he succeeds Morris Huckstep, who died last week.

1923

The general contract for the new public school house at Oak Ridge has been awarded to Linus Penzel of Jackson for $18,900; the heating plant will be furnished and installed by V.G. Taylor, also of Jackson, for $3,100; the brick structure will have seven classrooms and an assembly hall that will double as a gymnasium; the school will be located just west of the present school building.

Judge C.B. Faris in Federal Court grants a temporary injunction against the Old Appleton Brewery at Appleton, Missouri, restraining company officials from removing any liquor on the premises and from manufacturing intoxicating beverages; a permit allowing the brewery to make near-beer has been withdrawn by the national Prohibition agent.

-- Sharon K. Sanders