This weekend in history includes a conductor’s near-miss when his train met a bullet in 1924, and an investigation into a renowned chef’s murder in 1974. Seventy-five years ago, last-minute preparations continued for the Butler County Centennial.
No issues available — Aug. 17, 1924; Aug. 18, 1974.
Saturday
75 years ago
Aug. 17, 1949
• Butler County is abuzz with last-minute centennial preparations. Among them is the Butler County Centennial Caravan, out on Aug. 20 in Poplar Bluff, accompanied by men and women in pioneer clothes, live music, floats and more.
50 years ago
Aug 17, 1974
• Poplar Bluff is cracking down on dilapidated properties. A city board (likely the Building Standards Board) is stepping up building code enforcement in hopes of providing for property upkeep and preventing “slum-like areas” from developing.
So far, the owners of 151 vacant structures have been notified to repair or remove problem buildings. Twenty are currently cooperating and received free permits for improvements or demolitions. If owners don’t respond within 60 days, the city will demolish the structure at the owner’s expense and put a lien on the property. City Manager David Pence hoped to avoid this as much as possible.
“The costs (of legal action) could be astronomical,” he noted.
Sunday
100 years ago
Aug. 18, 1924
• A local conductor dodged a bullet yesterday. It smashed through a cab window as his engine approached Poplar Bluff.
Veteran conductor “Pop” Herbert entered city limits around 5 p.m. As he opened a window, a bullet smashed through and showered Herbert in broken glass. He was otherwise uninjured.
The Poplar Bluff Interstate American reported three possible culprits: a deliberate gunman, “a scatter-brain who was shooting at the moving train just because he had no better sense,” or squirrel hunters firing in the woods. Since Herbert had no enemies, he believed it was one of the latter two.
75 years ago
Aug. 18, 1949
The Poplar Bluff Chamber of Commerce is fighting to keep a shoe manufacturer invested.
The International Shoe Company operated two factories in Poplar Bluff: one on Cedar Street employing 250-300 people, and another on Merva Street employing around 350. The Merva plant was built after Poplar Bluff citizens raised $100,000 for its construction, plus renovations to the existing Cedar factory.
Sales dipped a few months ago, and ISC announced the Cedar shoe factory was downsizing to manufacture welts — leather strips sewn between the upper and outer soles of shoes — and would lay off all but 75 people.
Chamber of Commerce Chairman John Wolpers wrote an open letter to ISC President B.A. Gray reminding him of Poplar Bluff’s skilled workforce and significant financial support.
“People of this community had great hopes of making Poplar Bluff an outstanding International Shoe town,” Wolpers said. “Following so closely on the heels of this effort, your recent decision has bewildered those who made this sacrifice.”
Local superintendent J.H.C. Anderson said about half of the Cedar plant’s machinery was already moved to other factories, but instructions suddenly arrived from ISC’s St. Louis headquarters to halt the remaining shipments. It’s unknown if this is due to the Chamber’s protest.
Monday
100 years ago
Aug. 19, 1924
• A Van Buren man has sued for $30,000 over a dangerous hotel staircase.
John F. Norman broke his leg, hand and back in a Dunklin County hotel last year after stepping off the edge of a second-story stair and falling 16 feet. It was the middle of the night and the porter left the lights out in the hallway, Norman alleged, and the stair lacked a banister. His injuries kept him from returning to work as a barber.
75 years ago
Aug. 19, 1949
• Shirley Landers was crowned Dexter Queen at last night’s pageant and variety show. Landers and 14 other competitors took part in this early celebration of the Butler County Centennial.
She was sponsored by Trammell Insurance.
Dexter will contribute a float to the centennial parade in Poplar Bluff later.
50 years ago
Aug. 19, 1974
• Two half-brothers from Poplar Bluff were arrested for the murder of a St. Louis chef.
On July 28, 55-year-old Frank Berger was founded dead in his apartment with 51 stab wounds, a fractured skull and broken ribs. The murder weapon was a 10-inch carving fork. He was a chef at the Busch Stadium Club.
On Aug. 17, Missouri State Highway Patrolman Charles Sisk found Berger’s car abandoned south of Poplar Bluff on Cravens School Road. Authorities from St. Louis joined the Poplar Bluff Police Department, and the PBPD tracked down two men seen driving the car and parking it outside a residence. Both were known to officers: James Earl Hall, 21, was arrested at a relative’s house in town and Luther Murrell, 19, was apprehended in St. Louis a few hours later.
MSHP investigators determined Hall’s fingerprints matched some found on the car. Hall claimed he had no knowledge of the murder and was picked up by a stranger who asked him to drive to Poplar Bluff. Hall also admitted he and his companion tried to bury the car since it was “hot,” but abandoned it instead.
Authorities suspected the other man was his half-brother Murrell, who recently finished a prison sentence for 15 burglaries in Poplar Bluff. Both men were living in St. Louis at the time of the murder and returned to Southeast Missouri after July 28.
Berger was an International Culinary Olympics gold medalist. In addition to his work at the Busch Stadium Club, he was known for hosting fine dinners in his home. He was apparently preparing for one when he was killed — St. Louis police found two steaks in the oven, wine, side dishes and a table set for two at the crime scene.