Out of the past: Sept. 13

1997

The SEMO District Fair wraps up its 1997 edition; temperate weather and new attractions may have sparked attendance this year, such as the Good Life Gospel Sing; it is estimated 83,367 visitors attended the fair through last evening; today's figures should push total attendance over last year's nearly 100,000; concluding this year's fair in front of the grandstand tonight will be a concert by David Kersch and David Lee Murphy.

Liesl Schoenberger shows up late to the Old Tyme Fiddler's Contest at the SEMO Contest, but in the competition itself, her timing is perfect; the 13-year-old Cape Girardeau girl wins first place in the junior division, taking home the $50 prize; she first entered the fiddle contest five years ago at age 9, and promptly won first place in here division; Schoenberger has won top honors every year since.

1972

The 1972 SEMO District Fair yesterday got off to a running start, with a large attendance exceeding last year's opening day; on today's fair agenda are judging of various livestock and home economics products, as well as the Blue Grass Shows; in the evening, Dawn, featuring Tony Orlando, takes the stage in front of the grandstand.

Authorities say they suspect fire that heavily damaged Wieser Motor Co., 1725 N. Kingshighway, last night started in a stack of motorcycle tires in the parts department, but are unsure of the cause; unofficial estimates of damage resulting from the three-alarm fire have been put upward of $200,000, although Jerry Wieser, who with his father, John L. Wieser, operate the sporting goods business, declines to speculate on the amount of damage, explaining it would be premature at this point.

1947

The final page is turned on the 1947 edition of the SEMO District Fair; as the fair goes into its last day, a big crowd is on hand in the afternoon to see the biggest horse racing program of the week, with six events carded compared to four and five on the previous three days; closing out the exposition will be the final society horse show and the feature stage show.

Chief Orville Sayles of the district Navy recruiting station says World War II Victory and American Defense medals have been recently issued to nine more Navy veterans of Southeast Missouri; they are: Victory medals, Wilbur F. Hente, Alfred A. Jones, Vern E. Owens, John A. McGuire, Gerald M. Schaefer, all of Cape Girardeau, and Wilburn S. Bain of Fornfelt; Victory and Defense medals, James R. Blumer of Cape Girardeau, Noel C. Hyde of Illmo and Paul J. Trotter of Sikeston.

1922

Cape Girardeau loses two of its most prominent men; Henry Clay Phelps, 80, a veteran of the Civil War and resident of Cape Girardeau 45 years, dies at his home on North Main Street; and Dr. John D. Porterfield, 79, a retired physician and former mayor of Cape Girardeau, passed away yesterday evening at his home on South Sprigg Street.

A coroner's jury investigating the recent wreck of Frisco train 805, southbound, on the decayed and sap-rotten timbers of the trestle at Starland, Missouri, and the heavy washout of the creek bank; the accident took the lives of three persons; several farmers who reside near the track and passengers who were on the ill-fated train testified they saw rotten timbers lying on the creek bank, which Frisco officials denied.

-- Sharon K. Sanders