Out of the past: Oct. 31

1999

First Presbyterian Church in Cape Girardeau observes Reformation Day with the swirl of bagpipes, as the church celebrates its Scottish heritage; the morning worship service follows that of the Church of Scotland; Dennis Holt provides the prelude, postlude and accompanies one of the hymns on bagpipes during the service; a Scottish meal is served in the fellowship hall after the service.

The Rev. Byron Yount, 74, has retired from work more times than he can count, but there’s always something that draws him back to the pulpit; Yount will start a new job Nov. 1 as interim pastor of First General Baptist Church in Cape Girardeau; he had pastored Arbor General Baptist Church.

1974

A former Cape Girardeau postmaster, Ted R. Regenhardt, 73, who had also served as Cape Girardeau County collector and was active in fund raising and civic organizations, dies at Southeast Hospital, where he was previously a member of the board of trustees; he had been in failing health the past few years; he retired as postmaster April 2, 1970, after holding the office nearly 13 years.

Sen. Thomas F. Eagleton discloses correspondence with Gov. Christopher S. Bond of Missouri and Gov. Daniel Walker of Illinois in his continued effort to make the Mississippi River traffic bridge at Chester, Illinois, free to the traveling public; he notes that the governors are to meet in early December to consider problems affecting their states and urged that they discuss the Chester bridge at that time.

1949

Heavy October rains are causing Southeast Missouri cotton farmers headaches; the picking season had hardly started in Southeast Missouri when the heavy rains struck; hundreds of Mexican field hands have been brought here to help pluck the lush crop, augmenting pickers from the area labor pool; but laborers have been forced to wait, as the rains keep them out of the muddy fields; transient labor, dependent on spot earnings, have begun drifting south to drier fields and better opportunities.

A check for $948 from the Cape Girardeau Jaycees and the fire department, receipts of the recent firemen’s ball, boosts Cape Girardeau County far over its $3,000 quota for equipping the physical therapy out-patient center at Saint Francis Hospital.

1924

John P. Meyers, until recently secretary of the Liberty National Life Insurance Co., and one of the best-known men of Cape Girardeau, has taken the agency for the Burton Building & Loan Association of Springfield and has been made a district agent; he will not only represent Burton in Cape Girardeau, but throughout Southeast Missouri as well.

Mayor James A. Barks and Commissioner of Safety Roy Brissenden announce they have ordered that Broadway, between Spanish and Lorimier streets, will be closed to traffic, other than street cars, next Tuesday night; the street will be barricaded, and police officers will be stationed to direct traffic; this action is being taken to prevent the danger of an accident in front of The Missourian’s office, where several thousand people are expected to gather to hear the election returns; the newspaper is sparing no expense in providing the best service obtainable; a modern stereopticon machine will flash the bulletins as they come over the wires; the screen for the machine will be in the vacant space east of the Harris garage.

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.