__Sept. 5, 1923__
• A woman named only as Mrs. Raymond Harris of Kennett is taken to an insane asylum in Farmington by deputies after talking about “religious matters” for hours at the train station. Mrs. Harris’ mental illness reportedly began after she “had gotten up from a sick-bed too soon after the birth of her baby girl and had gone to a revival meeting where there was great enthusiasm. Along with this she contracted a deep cold and lost her mind completely.”
• Butler County Sheriff J. R. Hogg offers a $25 reward for information on thieves who stole the wheels and headlight bulbs from a capsized car. They struck while the car’s driver was being treated for injuries sustained in the crash.
• Despite reporting last week that crews cleared the hardest rock, the Broseley oil drill is still running up against hostile geology. Drill owner H. E. Springer remains optimistic because a Louisiana geologist deduced the rocks were “the best indications” for oil. A new drill bit is ordered to speed the process.
__Sept. 5, 1948__
No edition available.
__Sept. 5, 1973__
• The City Council of Poplar Bluff delivers harsh words to utility companies and pavers — one side for refusing to move utility lines and delaying major street paving, and the other for missing the deadline on a project by months.
Southwestern Bell and Missouri Natural Gas are two of the utility companies to earn the city’s ire. A local consulting engineer ruled the firms tardiness in moving lines had caused “several unecessary paving delays.”
The problem had been going on for two years, according to Mayor Bernard Wheetley. The council moves to file a formal complaint.
They also move to notify Butler County Asphalt Co., which is months behind contract on a handful of paving projects, that their $50 per day contract penalty clause will be enforced if work isn’t expedited.