Out of the past: Jan. 23

2000

New McKendree United Methodist Church begins a new program with a free evening concert in the church; the program is “An Evening of Musical Praise”, and includes performances by the church choir and soloists, ranging from contemporary to gospel selections.

The Cape Girardeau area received its first snowfall of the season — unusually late this winter — yesterday, when 1 to 2 inches fell; the snow started falling after midnight, blanketing trees, yards, cars and rooftops; but crews quickly cleaned the roads.

1975

​In a formal statement adopted by unanimous vote last night, the Cape Girardeau City Council said it believes “that the decision of the County Court should be to proceed as quickly as possible with further construction of the jail complex on the County Farm site to avoid further delay and corresponding cost increases”; no mention is made of placing the issue on the April election ballot, as has been urged by some opponents of the County Farm site.

Paul Montgomery, Inc., of Poplar Buff has been awarded the contract for a replacement bridge over Sloan Creek on Bend Road, it being the low bidder at $150,706.50; the company has agreed to a completion time of 100 days after receiving notice to proceed.

1950

​A shroud of dense fog creeps over Cape Girardeau early in the morning, adding to the misty atmosphere of Sunday night and holding visibility to less than a block; there are, however, no serious motor vehicle accidents reported.

There is still no official word as to when residents of the Birds Point-New Madrid Floodway will return to their homes in the rich basin from which they departed a week ago; when it will be safe to return, no one will hazard a guess; the Ohio River at Cairo, Illinois, is at 54.2 feet, a fall of slightly more than a foot from the crest of 55.3 feet last Thursday; despite this fall, the pressure on the dikes remains great, and the longer the water remains high the greater the danger of a breach.

1925

​An increase of 1 cent per gallon in the retail price of gasoline is announced by Standard Oil Co. and Kelso Oil Co. in Cape Girardeau, making the fuel’s price 18.6 cents per gallon, the highest price here since last September; by the increase, motorists are paying 3 cents more per gallon for gasoline than they did three weeks ago, but this includes the 2-cent tax for the state road-building program.

CHARLESTON — An assistant to the state’s attorney general will assist in the investigation of the mob lynching here six weeks ago of Roosevelt Grigsby; while the assistant attorney general won’t appear before the special grand jury, which will be convened shortly after the circuit court meets here Feb. 9, he will assist the county prosecutor in developing the lines of investigation.

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.