Forum Flashbacks: Jan. 11-17
MARYVILLE DAILY FORUM, JAN. 12, 1999
25 YEARS AGO: St. Gregory’s sixth graders, from left Nickolas Zweifel, Craig Stiens and Matt Jasinski, tumble down the hill during the fifth and sixth grade sledding party Monday at St. Gregory Barbarigo Church.
50 years ago
Maryville Daily Forum, Jan. 11, 1974
With the exception of a few snow-crazy individuals, Maryville residents have had just about enough of the wintry weather which seems to be unending.
One group of city residents are especially uncomfortable because they have virtually none of the protection enjoyed by other city dwellers. They live at the city dog pound in open cages with an inadequate number of dog houses.
The Daily Forum has a success story concerning the dogs’ plight. Since it began running its “Dog of the Week” feature Oct. 10, a total of 39 dogs have found homes, protected from the conditions at the city’s dog pound.
The most recent batch of “Dog of the Week” pictures, which run weekly in the Forum, were taken Wednesday. Several inches of snow was piled up inside the dog cages and outside in the run-around where the pictures are taken.
As the dogs were taken from their cages into the run-around, they refused to put all four paws on the ground at once. This attempt to keep their paws out of four or five inches of snow in the run-around was understandable. The temperature was -4 degrees.
With the temperature below zero, of course there was no water in the cages for the dogs to drink — just ice and snow which they licked to quench their thirsts. Most of the food which is put in the cages daily was covered with snow which had blown into the cages and frozen solid.
There are six cages at the city pound, behind the old water plant, but only five of them have dog houses. Three beagle-sized dogs huddled together inside one of the houses which provided far from enough room for them.
Twelve dogs were at the pound Wednesday — five with collars which indicated that their owners have lost track of them or did not want them anymore.
A member of the Humane Society pointed out an attractive mutt who had obviously just given birth to puppies. “She had five puppies out here last week,” she said. “One by one they all froze to death.” …
Even when a puppy is lucky enough to find a home, the results are not always good. One family reported that a half-St. Bernard-halfLabrador puppy they adopted died three days later. “The vet said he died from something he caught at the pound.” …
A Humane Society spokesman said the Society and city hall are working on ideas for improved facilities for the city’s stray dogs.
100 years ago
Maryville Tribune, Jan. 14, 1924
ABDUCTION OF YOUNG WOMAN IS A MYSTERY
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Miss Muriel Burnett, 28 year old St. Joseph girl, kidnapped from the streets of St. Joseph Friday night, hidden somewhere all day Saturday, and forced from the kidnappers’ car just north of Maryville Saturday night, when they found they had abducted the wrong woman, returned to St. Joseph this morning and St. Joseph police and Maryville authorities are running down all clues which may solve the mystery of the kidnapping.
The girl was found about 9:30 o’clock Saturday night by Karl Zimmerman, who was driving along Prather Avenue toward his home north of town. He saw her staggering along the road and after he had passed her turned his car and came back to find the young woman lying unconscious by the side of the road.
Zimmerman got John Halasey and they brought her to Maryville, where she was taken first to the home of Mayor W. O. Garrett and later to the Physicians Building where she was attended by Dr. F. C. Wallis. Two hours more of exposure would have meant death, Dr. Wallis said. …
On last Friday evening, Miss Burnett says, she returned to her home at 1007½ Francis Street, after attending a show. She had removed her wraps and jewelry when she remembered she wanted to purchase some eggs at a little store across the street. She put on a sweater and went down to the street.
As she came to an open place between two buildings a man stepped out, shoved a revolver in her face and warned her not to cry out. She was forced into the back seat of a large closed car, rugs thrown over her head and then a drugged handkerchief placed over her nose and mouth.
From the time the handkerchief was placed over her face, Miss Burnett remembers but little until she was pushed from another car on Prather Avenue with the admonition to “walk fast or you’ll freeze to death.”
She does not know where she was all day Saturday, except that the car from which she got out of here was not the same as the one she was taken away in. …
Miss Burnett told Mayor Garrett that she remembers the car passing a building in which there were many lights — probably the dormitory at the State Teachers College and soon after that one of the men in the front seat of the car took the blanket off her head and threw the beam of a flashlight on her face.
When the light struck her face he exclaimed “we’ve got the wrong girl. We ought to have the little black-haired, bob-haired one.” After that there was a bit of a discussion as to what they should do with her, ending with the command to get out and walk fast.
During the time she was in the car Miss Burnett remembers hearing the men speculate as to whether or not someone would meet them at the Iowa line, and from that believes that she was being taken somewhere in Iowa.
There was one man in the rear seat with her and another with the driver in the front seat. She knows none of the men.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The 50-year and 100-year flashbacks are courtesy of the Missouri Digital Newspaper Project from the State Historical Society of Missouri, accessible at shsmo.newspapers.com.
