An oil operation in Broseley may have drilled into the city’s pockets. Prospector H.E. Springer was arrested on embezzlement charges but insists today he is innocent — or if he were guilty, that he would at least have stolen more. Poplar Bluff High School sustains heavy in smoke damage after a cracked furnace flue ignites the chorus room. In better news, former DAR editor John Stanard is named 2023 Man of the Year by the Optimists Club.
__Jan. 2, 1924__
• H.E. Springer declares he’s innocent of all charges after his $15,000 bond was posted by friends this morning. Springer, the head of an oil prospecting operation in Broseley, was arrested New Year’s Day after returning from New York.
Springer’s prospecting on behalf of the Missouri Oil Company recently suspended operations, reportedly due to the low crude oil market. This drew criticism from residents of Broseley and the rest of the Smackover district.
Springer insisted he was wrongly accused and knew nothing about the alleged $10,000 embezzlement.
“Just bear this in mind that I am not cheap and if I had been guilty of such an offense it would not be for $10,000, it would be for $100,000. One might as well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb,” he told the Daily American Republic.
He also insisted he had made arrangements in New York with market brokers that would allow drilling to resume shortly.
• Butler County Auto Company reports it sold 331 new cars in 1923 and 19 new tractors, making that year one of the company’s most successful.
Jan. 2, 1949 — No issues available.
__Jan. 2, 1974__
• Excessive heat from a cracked heating duct started a fire in the Poplar Bluff Senior High School gymnasium on Jan. 1, causing thousands of dollars of damage. Al Hobbs, the district’s supervisor of buildings and grounds, said the main furnace flue connected the boiler room and the gym cracked for unknown reasons. The furnace was operating constantly to keep up with near-zero temperatures outside and the heat eventually ignited the pine risers used by vocal groups in the chorus room.
Smoke was discovered by Coach Gene Bess and the Three Rivers College basketball team when they arrived for practice. Firefighters quickly responded and fire damage was limited to the chorus room. Smoke damage caused “considerable” damage to furnishings and uniforms in the east end of the building.
A full damage estimate is underway and Hobbs believes repairs will be covered by the school’s insurance.
• John Stanard, editor of the Daily American Republic, is declared 1973 Man of the Year at the annual Optimists Club banquet Dec. 31. Club leader Dick Welsh said Stanard’s determination and leadership kept the planned Troop E headquarters on Highway 67 from being moved to Sikeston.
• The DAR reports President Nixon has signed a law requiring all states to adopt a 55 mph speed limit to conserve fuel.