Law enforcement victories and setbacks were a running theme in this date’s headlines. The years 1924 and 1949 both saw arrests and prosecutions, including a counterfeiting ring in Shannon County. However, police and firefighters in 1974 struggled with the old City Hall facility’s disrepair and disorganization. Discussions of new headquarters are underway.
__Sept. 19, 1924__
• Casting fake money landed three brothers in genuine trouble. Jasper, W.M. “Doll” and Clifford Nash were arrested in August after a federal investigation traced counterfeit dollar and fifty-cent coins to Eminence. Their trial began today in Shannon County. Affidavits from several local men stated the brothers bragged about their operation and offered to bring them on board. One man claimed Doll Nash showed him plaster molds and a coffee can full of faux coins in his home. He even cast several coins on the spot, saying “there was no use working when he could make dollars as fast as one could count them.”
Agents found a crucible and blowtorch in Jasper Nash’s home.
Not everyone was fooled. Business owner Thelma Naney testified Jasper Nash attempted to pass her a counterfeit silver dollar at her restaurant in Winona, but paid up when she confronted him.
__Sept. 19, 1949__
• Carter County Sheriff Charles Johnson got a break in a case last night after a suspect hit his car.
Willard Tettrow, 27, of Van Buren reportedly backed into Johnson’s patrol car with his 1933 Chevy and fled on foot. Johnson and a deputy found Tettrow awhile later, gaming under a bridge with an illegal gambling ring Johnson was seeking. Tettrow and the other gamblers were arrested.
__Sept. 19, 1974__
• Poplar Bluff City Hall was constructed in 1901-1902. Seventy-two years later, firefighters, police and other city workers complain the building is inadequate, depressing and unsafe, and plans are in motion for a new facility.
The old city hall houses the police and fire departments. Acting Police Chief Bill Pierce requested the basement — the jail — be closed as soon as possible due to poor conditions and the difficulties of supervising prisoners.
“...We just can’t watch it all the time,” he said. “We try to check on it several times during the night but anything could go on down there.”
The rest of the facility is also “a big morale problem” for officers, Pierce said, blaming it for the department’s high turnover.
Meanwhile, Fire Chief J.E. “Junior” Farris complained the fire department lacks air conditioning and is hazardous to firefighters. The vehicle bay “is exactly the same as when they put horses in here,” he said.
Plans for a new city hall are progressing, though there’s no consensus on location. City Manager Dave Pence estimated a facility housing all city departments would cost $1 million. A fifth of that has already been set aside in Poplar Bluff’s budget and more revenue is expected.
“The new city hall need not be a pipe dream,” Pence said.