This weekend’s headlines continue two tales from throughout the week. An escaped inmate and would-be political assassin remains on the run in 1924. In 1949, a coroner’s inquest concludes the convoluted case of a man who was shot and then run over. Thankfully there are happier highlights, including some canine hijinx.
Saturday
100 years ago
June 8, 1924 — No issues available.
75 years ago
June 8, 1949
• A Dunklin County coroner’s inquest ruled a recent shooting was self-defense.
The case of the late James Bartley, of Peach Tree, was unique — the man drove to Hornersville and forced his way into the home of his wife, step-daughter and son-in-law, threatening to kill them. His wife shot him twice with a shotgun after verbally warning him to leave. Bartley staggered into the road and was struck by a passing motorist, who was blinded by the headlights of Bartley’s parked running car.
The shooting and collision happened June 6. An inquest was called to determine which killed Bartley, and today the prosecuting attorney announced no charges would be filed.
The former Mrs. Bartley, no first name given, testified she’d endured 14 years of abuse from her husband. He finally drove her out of their home, and she took refuge with her daughter and son-in-law in Hornersville. She also told the inquest jury “she had decided she would kill her husband the next time he bothered her,” according to the Daily American Republic.
50 years ago
June 8, 1974
• Three Rivers Community College is about to begin a program “whose success of failure may determine the quality of future ambulance service” for six counties: the Emergency Medical Technician
- Ambulance training program.
The 81-hour course is funded by a one-year grant from the Missouri Regional Medical Program. TRCC hopes the course will provide local communities with more EMTs trained in ambulances ahead of the new Missouri Ambulance Law, which aims to phase out station wagon and “hearse-type” vehicles for transporting patients.
Sunday
100 years ago
June 9, 1924
• St. Louis detectives have failed to capture Hammie Shane, a convicted murderer who escaped a sanatorium and tried to assassinate a state senator last week.
Authorities received word that Shane was hiding in his hometown of Hayti and four detectives arrived armed with machine guns, bullet-proof vests and tear gas to bring him in dead or alive. Shane was “fortified in a hole under a barn,” according to local authorities, but made a getaway before the posse arrived.
The St. Louis authorities have turned the case over to Pemiscot County Sheriff’s Department, who have been instructed to capture him as soon as possible.
Previous articles stated Shane was arrested for shooting a family member, but the Daily Republican today said the 26-year-old has shot four people, killing two. His alleged victims include Sen. Mike Kinney, who survived being shot four times on June 3.
75 years ago
June 9, 1949
• A Dunklin County man is dead and two more are injured in the wake of an explosives accident last night. The three men — James Caruthers, Marlin Owen and James Trowbridge, all in their twenties — sealed half a stick of dynamite in a metal bucket, intending to kill fish in a drainage ditch near Rives. The dynamite exploded prematurely after the fuse was lit and riddled the men with shrapnel. Trowbridge lost an arm in the explosion, and authorities believe he may have been holding the remaining dynamite when the explosion occurred. He died while being transferred to a hospital in Memphis. Caruthers and Owen remain hospitalized in Kennett.
50 years ago
June 9, 1974 — No issues available.
Monday
100 years ago
June 10, 1924
• The Poplar Bluff Ice and Fuel Company begins an annual summertime service today. Applications for free ice are printed in this edition of the Poplar Bluff Interstate American “for the afflicted and unfortunate of the city” to combat hot weather.
75 years ago
June 10, 1949
• Two Poplar Bluff puppies made an unexpected friend earlier this week: a fox kit. Owner Floyd Whitener found the fox nestled in bed with his two young pointers earlier this week when he brought them breakfast. He managed to get a leash on the fox and brought all three canines downtown for a photo op with the newspaper. The DAR reported the puppies liked their new playmate and the kit seemed to enjoy the trip; he was later successfully released.
50 years ago
June 10, 1974
• Butler County’s teens contribute $4,080,000 to the local economy, according to a survey published in the DAR. This new consumer group primarily buys “clothing, records, cars, cosmetics, costume jewelry, snacks and soft drinks, tape recorders, sportswear, entertainment and the like.”
Nationwide, teen-agers received $24.7 billion a year through allowances and jobs. Girls were found to earn more and than boys, averaging a couple extra dollars per week across different age brackets, and consistently spent more by purchasing beauty products and clothing. Boys’ top expenses were cars, dating and entertainment.