Excerpted stories in Crawford County newspaper archives
100 years ago
February 13, 1926
R. E. Carlton, as administrator of the estate of his late wife, Mrs. Amanda J. Carlton, brought suit today in the district court through his attorney, W. J. True, asking $10,000 damages from the Schlapper Furniture Company for the death of Mrs. Carlton last Oct. 11. The petition charges. Ray Taft. driver of a Schlapper Furniture Company truck which struck Mrs. Carlton, with gross negligence and carelessness. The delivery truck driven by Taft, the petition states, was speeding at the rate of 40 miles an hour when it struck Mrs. Carlton as she was walking with her husband last Oct. 10, at the corner of Eighth and Locust streets.
A patriotic program will be given in the court room of the city hall Monday morning at 9 o'clock for applicants for American citizenship, who are expected to apply for citizenship papers to C. A. Ramsey, naturalization officer, here on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of next week. The program will be sponsored by the Women's Patriotic Society, the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic and the American Legion Auxiliary.
Strains of an "orchestra," the like of which seldom is heard, emanated from the cells and corridors of the city jail today. Five prisoners banded together for a "concert." One used two spoons to "rattle the bones." Another pounded on a tub as the bass drum. A third, for a snare drum effect, pounded two spoons first on a gallon bucket, then on a quart can, a tin cup and the concrete floor. Another used a stick to pound against the bed and a piece of tin off the ceiling, for a tympan effect.
50 years ago
February 13, 1976
Portions of Rouse will soon be blocked to traffic when construction on the long awaited upgrading project begins Friday or the first part of next week. Robert Shoen, spokesman for Harry Keith and Sons Construction Co. of Coffeyville, said that the section of Rouse from 20th to 22nd will be closed first for construction of a large concrete storm sewer box near 21st and Rouse and grading work. Construction of storm sewers along Rouse from 11th to 18th will also be started within the next five or six days.
The Well, a Christian-affiliated coffee house, has opened for business at 701 N. Broadway. Non-profit and non-denominational, The Well offers refreshments, music, and a chance for people to relax and chat, according to manager Roger Rank. Rank, who also works as a truck driver in Arma, said the coffeehouse idea was initiated last February by a group of interested Christians in the community. The project gathered momentum late last autumn, and the Broadway location was secured on Dec. 9.
Friday the 13th has nothing to do with Valentine Day, but it so happens that this year one follows the other and some people are about as superstitious about love as others are about black cats and walking under ladders. Well, today is Friday and it also happens to be the 13th day of the month - and tomorrow is Valentine Day. So be careful and get up on the right side of the bed today, don't spill any salt at the breakfast table - and for Heaven's sake don't let a black cat cross your path when you step outside for The Morning Sun or are on your way to work.
25 years ago
February 13, 2001
The USD 250 Board of Education did not decide what to do with the Eugene Field Elementary School building, but appears to be leaning toward selling it or giving it away. The board directed Superintendent Gary Price to present options at its next meeting on ways to divest the district's ownership of the 75-year-old building. Three Pittsburg residents addressed the board about possible uses for the building, ranging from demolition to storage for the Crawford County Genealogical Society. Gordon House, 1006 E. Seventh St., called the building a "white elephant." something that is "generally of no value to its owner, but has value to others."
TOPEKA - A Senate committee set aside a House-passed bill to extend the life of the Kansas Lottery and endorsed a stripped-down version Monday, but was likely to revisit the matter Tuesday. The Federal and State Affairs Committee's version keeps the lottery in operation until July 2007, five years past the July 2002 abolition date set by Kansas law. The committee's version would also subject the lottery to security audits every three years. Last week, the House approved a bill to keep the lottery in business until July 2008, restrict some of its operations and devote $4 million in lottery revenue to a new program to reduce airfares to and from Kansas.
A conflict over the Family Resource Center's conditional use permit application will come before the Pittsburg City Commission at its meeting tonight. The commission will deal with a lengthy agenda at its meeting, which will begin at a 7 p.m. in City Hall, 201 W. Fourth St. The meeting will be open to the public. The Center asked for the conditional use to operate a day care center at Grace United Methodist Church, 1903 N. Elm St. Two residents spoke in opposition at the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting on Jan. 22.
