Out of the past: Oct. 19

1995

Disobeying immoral laws -- if you can pay the price -- is Americans' duty, Dr. Walter Williams tells audiences at Southeast Missouri State University; Williams, an economist and syndicated columnist, tells two audiences -- a classroom and public lecture at Academic Hall -- that if he had his way, government would have an extremely limited role in society; Williams serves as chairman of the economics department at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, and writes a weekly column published in 125 newspapers; he also has authored several books.

Marcia Wallace, the quick-witted secretary from the TV sitcom "The Bob Newhart Show," was the guest speaker last night at the Drury Lodge in conjunction with Breast Cancer Awareness Month; the event was sponsored by Southeast Hospital, Saint Francis Medical Center, the American Cancer Society and the Missouri Department of Health.

1970

Nearly 400 persons toured the Cape Girardeau County Jail during a weekend open house, allowing the public to view the condition of the 60-year-old structure; the open house will be repeated again next weekend; on the Nov. 3 general election ballot will be a proposal to levy a special 10-cents-per-$100 assessed valuation tax to finance construction of a new, larger jail.

Arson was the apparent cause of three of four weekend fires in Southeast Missouri -- three damaging the high school at Poplar Bluff and the other destroying two stores in downtown Kennett; classes are suspended at Poplar Bluff High, which sustained approximately $50,000 in damages in fires Saturday; gasoline or kerosene was used to start three separate fires in the school building; at Kennett, nearly $500,000 in damage was done when fire gutted the Ben Franklin Store and the Mitchell Rexal Drug Store on Sunday night.

1945

Nearly 900 Boy Scouts, Cubs and leaders from 40 troops and packs are expected to arrive in Cape Girardeau early this afternoon for the annual fall roundup of the Southeast Missouri Area Council; they will assemble at Courthouse Park for registration and supper, and then parade to Houck Field House this evening as guests of Cape Girardeau Central High School at the annual football game between the Tigers and the Anna-Jonesboro, Illinois, community high school team.

A committee, made up of Lyman A. Matthews, Dr. O.L. Seabaugh, F.J. Armstrong and Fred A. Keller, has been named to cooperate with the County Court and the Cape Girardeau City Council to negotiate the purchase of 35 additional acres of ground from the Nothdurft estate along the north side of Gordonville Road to be used as additional fairground facilities at the new city park.

1920

Work on the brick wainscoting for the interior of the general waiting room in the new Frisco railway state here is started by the Schraders; with the completion of this interior work, all the brick on the depot and the extensive station grounds will have been finished.

Ruby King, Obie King or Obie Thompson -- she goes by all three names -- is found guilty by a jury in police court of operating a "bawdy house" at 12 S. Spanish St., and was fined $50 and costs; a deposition from a housekeeper alleged three women stayed at the house between June 15 and July 19 and entertained men in their rooms, "sometimes as many as eight or 12 men visiting the house in 24 hours time."

-- Sharon K. Sanders