Out of the past: Oct. 27

1994

Cape Girardeau County Clerk Rodney Miller is fuming over allegations of "ballot branding" raised by his Republican challenger; Miller, who as county clerk has overseen the voting and registration process in the county since 1979, says Laura Beggs raised the issue because she has nothing positive to run on.

The late Richard G. Wilson's name will become more familiar to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, soldiers next year; a new, consolidated troop medical clinic will be named in honor the Army medic from Cape Girardeau, who was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously in 1951.

1969

A contract has been let to Penzel Construction Co. of Jackson for construction of a brick and masonry building at the northeast corner of Main and Independence streets for Marie Kennedy of St. Louis; it will replace a building destroyed by fire which had housed the Oglander's clothing store

A former member of the Cape Girardeau Board of Education, Dr. Hugh V. Ashley Jr., is appointed to fill a vacancy on the board created by the recent resignation of Carl G. Meyer.

1944

Harvest of the apple crop in this district is about finished, say some local growers; some fine apples were produced, but on average the fruit was smaller than usual; orchardists place the blame on the dry weather this fall; a crop of about 11,000 or 12,000 bushes was picked in this immediate district.

With a crop of vining milkweed now ripe on the river lowland farms, numerous Cape Girardeau County boys and girls are busy picking the big pods so the floss can be used in life preservers for those in the armed forces; 500 bags have been placed with school teachers and pupils, and one school, Sheppard at Neelys Landing, already has harvested 110 bushels of the floss; the government pays 20 cents per bag for the picking, with the sacks furnished through the county farm agent.

1919

A wholesale grocer here receives a load of sugar, and now he is in hot water; he has more than 500 customers clamoring for the 400 sacks, and he has no idea when he will get more sugar; the sugar famine in Cape Girardeau promises to grow worse; indications are the supply may be entirely exhausted within the week.

The Overstolz building, situated between First National Bank and Osterloh's Book Store on Main Street, caught fire at 2:30 a.m. yesterday and was damaged to a considerable extent; only the Overstolz building, which housed a lunch room and a new book store belonging to John Settle, was damaged.

-- Sharon K. Sanders