Sculptor creates small wonders in 1925

Poplar Bluff was abuzz in 1925 over a mind-boggling, miniature sculpture in a bottle. The tiny religious scene was created by a devout rail worker.

In other news: Bootheel residents sloshed through floods, and robbery suspects were arrested less than an hour after the crime.

100 years ago

Jan. 16, 1925

• A fascinating artwork is displayed in Poplar Bluff: Christ’s crucifixion in a bottle.

“The bottle, an ordinary quart whiskey bottle, contains a number of wood carved articles, representing Christ nailed to the cross, with angels, stars, a Bible and many other wooden articles carved and placed in their proper position,” said The Daily Republican.

The artist is A.M. Lemay, a Missouri Pacific employee in Arkansas and religiously meticulous woodcarver. Over 100 tiny pieces were maneuvered through the neck of the bottle and glued together inside. The finished piece is so solid that “shaking the bottle does no damage.”

The bottle was a commission for J.W. Files of Poplar Bluff and is displayed at a downtown photo studio.

75 years ago

Jan. 16, 1950

• The Bootheel remains on edge as floodwaters creep higher today. The St. Francis River is reportedly a foot above where it was when the Dunklin County levee broke in 1945. The Mississippi River has already triggered evacuations in New Madrid County. Farmers and sharecroppers rushed to move livestock and belongings out of the 139,000-acre flood control basin.

50 years ago

Jan. 16, 1975

• Two Dexter brothers were caught only 45 minutes after allegedly robbing a gas station and kidnapping two people.

Russel Martin, 36, and his brother Allen, 25, reportedly entered the Fina Service Station near Dexter at 1 a.m. They were armed with a shotgun and had T-shirts pulled partially over their faces. Station attendant Denzil Morgan and his wife reported the brothers took over $200, then locked them in the trunk of Morgan’s car, drove it to a gravel pit, and abandoned it there. Morgan broke out of the trunk and the couple escaped on foot.

A customer arrived at the station shortly after the robbery. He called police after seeing the attendant was gone and change was strewn across the floor.

Morgan said he recognized one of the robbers and directed police to the Martins. The brothers were arrested near their home only 45 minutes after the crime. They had $220 in cash.