This weekend in history saw post office capers, a record-breaking junior Olympics and more. In 1924, a former Poplar Bluff post office employee was arrested in Iowa after impersonating a postal inspector for months. The 1974 Ozark Association Junior Olympics drew competitors from across Eastern Missouri, who broke dozens of records in multiple age brackets. In other news, a farmer from 1949 keeps digging up history in his garden.
Saturday
100 years ago
June 15, 1924 — No issues available.
75 years ago
June 15, 1949
• Almost a month after a tornado ripped Cape Girardeau apart, debris removal continues and rebuilding is underway.
Most Cape residents are repairing or rebuilding their homes, and living “as best they can” within damaged houses, basements and rented rooms. Others are selling their destroyed properties as lots and moving.
The May 21 tornado carved a 3.5-mile path through Cape’s residential community, flattening buildings and killing over 20 people.
“All in all, the residents of the storm stricken district are showing faith and fortitude and it now appears that in a matter of months the physical scars of the twister will have been removed,” said the Daily American Republic. “The scars created by the destruction of human life never will be erased during this generation.”
50 years ago
June 15, 1974
• A lightning bolt blacked out Poplar Bluff this morning. Southwestern Power Administration’s main substation on Barron Road was struck around 3:05 a.m., causing a citywide outage, damaging transformers an downing some lines. Crews restored service in about an hour and 20 minutes.
Sunday
100 years ago
June 16, 1924
• A former Poplar Bluff post office employee was arrested in Iowa for impersonating a post office inspector in at least one state.
The case of Hays VanGorder spanned the Midwest and began on Jan. 16, when the Poplar Bluff Post Office was robbed of stamps, envelopes, letters, cash and keys valued at over $120. The keys were found on VanGorder upon his arrest in Iowa — they were designed to open any post box, and Poplar Bluff Postmaster E.E. Whitworth confirmed their numbers matched the stolen ones.
This wasn’t VanGorder’s first attempt at mail crime. He previously served time for selling money orders taken from Poplar Bluff’s mail and stealing a package valued at $4,000. He was released before the Jan. 16 robbery. For his return to postal mayhem, he had been impersonating a post office inspector in Arkansas for months, then made his way to Iowa.
The Daily Republican noted VanGorder was previously tried in Iowa for the murder of his wealthy father-in-law, but the case was dropped.
Whitworth and local postal inspectors will attend VanGorder’s next grand jury hearing to ensure he’s indicted before the statute of limitations expires.
75 years ago
June 16, 1949
• A Dudley family is celebrating, and an entire community with them, as two children recover from successful cleft palate surgeries.
Edra and Emma Fay Jarrell, ages 13 and 11, were born with severe cleft palates. This created speech impediments and made them deeply insecure — one hospital advisor noted it was hard to understand them and they avoided socializing. Mrs. N.W. Jennings, Stoddard County chairwoman for the Missouri Society for Crippled Children, learned of their situation two years ago. She and the MSCC raised funds allowing the Jarrell sisters to undergo almost a year of reconstructive operations in Bethesda and speech therapy from a St. Louis specialist.
Edra is completely recovered and Emma Fay has one operation to go. Their confidence has greatly improved, and both enjoy playing with their peers.
Edra and Emma Fay are two of six children in the family, and their parents are Mr. and Mrs. Monroe Jarrell.
50 years ago
June 16, 1974 — No issues available.
Monday
100 years ago
June 17, 1924
• The Poplar Bluff City Council handed down two decisions on the police department during a short meeting last night: First, to designate a standard uniform for all policemen to wear; and second, to raise officers’ pay by 20 cents a day so they can buy those uniforms. The raise gives Poplar Bluff’s three policemen a daily salary at $3.50.
75 years ago
June 17, 1949
• A Fairdealing farmer has dug up over 1,000 Native American artifacts from his garden in the last 25 years.
Ben Slayton’s farmstead sits near the confluence of the King Bee Spring and the Little Black River, reportedly one of the earliest sites colonized by white settlers. Slayton discovered the first arrowhead while plowing and has found many more since then along with ax heads, knives and grain milling stones. Almost all are made from flint or igneous rocks not found in the region.
All of the artifacts came from a garden plot near his house. Of the arrowheads, around 315 are intact. Slayton keeps the collection in his home and has no intention of selling it, but has brought it to the attention of archaeologists. The experts insist a cave with more artifacts is nearby, however, no one in the area knows of one.
50 years ago
June 17, 1974
• Around 1,500 boys and girls ages 6-17 competed in the two-day Ozark Association Junior Olympics, and left Poplar Bluff with 70 new records. Among these were a Pee Wee Boys long jump of 6’3.25”, a Senior Boys division 2-mile run of 9:52.8, a Bantam Girls baseball throw of 131’4.5” and a Senior Girls 4:33.2 mile relay. The baseball throw record went to Poplar Bluff junior high student Rena Brown, who was among 10 competitors presented with the Holly Huntington Junior Olympics award.