A century ago in Poplar Bluff, six men are brought to court to answer for providing false names to police. On this date 50 years ago, a Columbia woman is involved in a hoax inspired by Patty Hearst’s kidnapping.
__Feb. 20, 1924__
• Another chapter of the Feb. 9 gambling raid unfolds in court today.
Six of the 24 men arrested during a sting at the Crown Hotel in Poplar Bluff gave false names to police, and were taken back into custody when the deception was found out. Two of them, Jess Priest and Newt Frisby, were fined $37.10 each for signing assumed names to their bonds, but the rest were only fined $2.75 each in court costs because they signed their actual names to the paperwork, despite lying to police. These were W.F. Kibler, Jess Adams, T.J. Grayson and Albert Potts. Adams received no bond paperwork, but paid the required amount anyway. Kibler’s name was found to have been erased and a false name put in its place.
• Twenty-one regional high schools, including Poplar Bluff, Cape Girardeau and Jackson, are selected for a boys basketball tournament in Cape on March 7. A girls basketball tournament will be held the same day in Fornfelt (near Scott City).
Feb. 20, 1949 — No issues available.
__Feb. 20, 1974__
• A Missouri woman and her husband have been arrested in California for a hoax related to heiress Patty Hearst’s kidnapping.
Shirley Ann Marx, 21, of Columbia and her husband Nile Dwayne Marx, 43, originally of Indiana, impersonated Hearst’s kidnappers and called her parents’ home, ordering them to leave $100,000 at a bus stop. They were arrested when they arrived at the drop point.
The arrest took place Feb. 16, but publicity was withheld until police determined they had no connection with the kidnapping. The couple reportedly arrived in California last week with no money and came up with the scheme after learning about the kidnapping.
“It had no class,” a police investigator told the press.
• Construction on a $2.5 million clay processing plant in Stoddard County is announced today. Work will begin June 1. When operational, the plant is expected to employ 100 people and supply commercial absorbent products like cat litter.
• In Poplar Bluff, construction is underway on a new power generator to supply electricity during the city’s peak periods. A photo shows workmen digging at the construction site, located on Second Street.