Out of the Past: June 28

1999

Hooks, sonar and divers probed the bottom of Bella Vista Lake off Highway 177 east of Fruitland for most of Sunday searching or the body of Brad Reddick; it was located shortly before 10 p.m.; Reddick, 23, of Jackson had been swimming with two friends when for unexplained reasons he disappeared under the water.

A quick-moving thunderstorm caused power outages across parts of Southeast Missouri yesterday afternoon; thousands of Cape Girardeau, Jackson and Scott City residents were without electricity for part of the afternoon; Sharon Raines, dispatcher for the Scott City Police Department, says the entire town was without power around 4:30 p.m.

1974

Charges have been filed by the Cape Girardeau Association of Firefighters Local 1084 with the Wage and Labor Division of the Department of Labor that the city hasn’t complied with the new minimum wage law by paying firefighters $1.90 an hour as of May 1; Max Jauch, president of the local, says a complaint was filed two weeks ago and city manager W.G. Lawley was informed, but the city manager replied that the 13 firefighters affected wouldn’t be paid the new minimum wage until all appeals procedures are completed and final decisions are made by federal authorities.

Construction is expected to begin next week on the second addition in two years to the Southeast Region Easter Seal Center, 316 S. Plaza Way in Cape Girardeau, increasing the center’s space by 40%; the addition will include two classrooms, a combination office and board room, secretary’s workroom, reception room and display area and three restrooms; one office in the present building will be remodeled as a classroom and another as a storage room.

1949

In the one-month period ending yesterday — 31 days from the date the first such permit was issued — Cape Girardeau’s city engineer’s office has written building construction permits for residences and other structures in the storm-torn area amounting to $456,041; the total construction permits issued in the period was 138; most were for repair of residences, at a cost ranging from a few hundred dollars up to several thousand; that number doesn’t cover all of the work being done; in some instances, owners, anxious to get started, have gone ahead with rebuilding and will secure the permit later.

Remodeling of the interior of Clemens Jewelry Store, 137 N. Main St., began yesterday, according to V.J. Clemens, owner; a new lighting system, to feature a combination of fluorescent and spot lights, will be installed, and the wooden shelves and show cases will be replaced by all plate glass shelves and doors; the business remains open while the work continues.

1924

Authorities throughout Southeast Missouri are maintaining a steady search for three bandits, who yesterday afternoon held up the Bank of Vanduser, 30 miles south from Cape Girardeau, locked the cashier and a director in the bank vault and escaped in an automobile with $1,850; all the principal highways in the district are being patrolled by law enforcement officers and posses, while authorities in Illinois and St. Louis have been notified to watch for the robbers; the sports model Hupmobile, in which the robbers made their escape, was found abandoned in a ditch near Painton in Stoddard County.

Final details for the sale of the Cape Girardeau Northern Railroad on Wednesday are being made; John A. Hope, attorney for the receiver, arrives here and is going over the court records preliminary to making a final report of the debts of the road; the order of sale, made by Judge John A. Snider in Common Pleas Court, calls for filing of all indebtedness against the road by 10 a.m. on the day of the sale; the C.G.N. has operated in this and adjoining counties for 20 years.

Southeast Missourian librarian Sharon Sanders compiles the information for the daily Out of the Past column. She also writes a blog called “From the Morgue” that showcases interesting historical stories from the newspaper. Check out her blog at www.semissourian.com/history.