Out of the past: Feb. 23

2000

BENTON – Rick Walter wants Scott County to be a safer place to live, especially for families; Walter has announced plans to file for Scott County sheriff; Walter, 39, would face longtime Sheriff Bill Ferrell in the November election and acknowledges it will be “a struggle.”

In an attempt to curb the running of red lights in Cape Girardeau, city police are studying the possibility of buying a video surveillance system to track drivers who disobey traffic laws and intentionally run red lights; City Councilman Richard “Butch” Eggimann isn’t sold on the idea; he thinks the police department and city staff should reevaluate how the current system is working before looking into an expensive purchase.

1975

Twenty-six area Scouts receive Scouting’s highest award at the Southeast Missouri Boy Scout Council’s 15th annual Eagle Scout Court of Honor at Academic Hall auditorium in the afternoon; Earl Jarvis, a Sikeston businessman who has long been associated with Scouting activities in the area, is the main speaker; nearly 100 past Eagle Scouts also receive special recognition at a homecoming luncheon prior to the ceremony.

Members of First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), 829 N. West End Blvd., hold a service in the morning to dedicate their newly redecorated sanctuary; during the church school hour preceding the worship service, two guests – the Rev. Ernest J. Newborn of Jefferson City and the Rev. Charles B. Barr of Fredericton – discuss plans for the district’s annual outreach visitation program.

1950

Law enforcement officers continue to follow closely-guarded leads as the search goes on for the two armed men and their getaway driver who terrorized employees and customers at the Bank of Gordonville Tuesday and fled the scene with $3,513; the bandits didn’t try to disguise their casing of the bank, as they were seen at Gordonville Saturday and again Monday near the facility; the trio even engaged in target practice Monday afternoon at a roadside park near Delta.

Removal of trees and branches, and clearing of streets after the ice storm early this month cost the City of Cape Girardeau more than $3,000 in cash, loss of 15 days working time from regular jobs and an uncalculated amount of wear on equipment; in addition to its regular force of 12 men, four trucks and a high lift, the city hired three extra trucks and eight men; more than 1,000 loads of brush were hauled.

1925

Oscar A. Knehans formally takes his seat as judge of the Cape Girardeau Court of Common Pleas, succeeding John A. Snider, who had held the bench for nine consecutive years; opening court promptly at 9 a.m., the new jurist disposes of a number of probate matters and practically cleans up the docket in the afternoon session; he is well prepared for Tuesday’s opening of the regular civil docket.

BENTON – Assisted by accomplices on the outside, six prisoners make a daring escape from the Scott County jail here in the evening, while 12 other prisoners refuse to leave; cutting away bars over a second-story window with a saw authorities say was passed to them earlier in the day, the prisoners slide down an improvised rope made of blankets shortly after nightfall and make their escape.

Southeast Missourian librarian Sharon Sanders compiles the information for the daily Out of the Past column. She also writes a weekend column called “From the Morgue” that showcases interesting historical stories from the newspaper.