Forum Flashbacks: Oct. 31-Nov. 6
MARYVILLE DAILY FORUM, NOV. 1, 1974
50 YEARS AGO: Halloween pranksters put up a “For Sale or Trade” sign overnight on the lawn of the Nodaway County Courthouse. Evidently no acceptable offers have yet been made.
50 years ago
Maryville Daily Forum, Nov. 1, 1974
It was vandalism as usual Halloween night, most of it innocent, but some of it malicious and dangerous.
The vandalism ran the gamut from somebody posting a “For Sale or Trade” sign on the courthouse lawn, to egging, blocking streets, arson and draining water towers.
In Maryville, egging seemed to be the most common pastime, but some of the fun went out of it when several eggers were caught by city police. The young vandals were ordered to go home.
Twice, an old outhouse was set on fire near Northwest State University, but each time efforts were thwarted by public safety officers. After the second time, the effort was apparently given up.
More serious Halloween night damage took place west of Maryville, where two vacant houses were set on fire, one Thursday night and one this morning.
Complete reports on the fires were not yet available this morning, but both reportedly were on M-46, several miles west of Maryville. One house was completely destroyed, the other severely damaged.
Elsewhere, water supplies in Ravenwood and Graham were cut off when vandals drained the water towers. A couple of small fires were set in Ravenwood.
In Barnard, a goat was placed on top of a restaurant, a repeated prank from last year, and some streets were blocked. …
In Pickering, the schoolhouse was egged but no windows were reported broken. There was some other damage, however, as one resident’s yard was reported torn up by an auto, and a street light was broken.
Quite a bit of vandalism also was reported in Parnell, where a big fire was set at one end of town, and several stop signs were pulled up. Streets there were reported heavily littered.
In Clearmont, streets were blocked off by a variety of items, but most of the worry there came when an 80-yearold woman walked away from a nursing home. The woman, without wraps, was found a couple of hours later where she had fallen in a yard.
100 years ago
Maryville Daily Democrat-Forum, Nov. 3, 1924
BE SURE TO VOTE!
Physical inability to leave one’s bed should be the only excuse for not voting in the election tomorrow, for it is only by a vote of the people at the election that a representative government will be had.
Vote early in the morning so as to help out the judges and clerks of election. But vote, rain or shine.
It is your duty as well as your privilege, and if you do not exercise your power to vote, you are denying your part in being an American citizen.
ELECTION RETURNS WILL BE RECEIVED
_______________
Both Maryville newspapers will cooperate in receiving election returns at the Circuit Court room tomorrow night. Arrangements have been made at every voting precinct in the county to have the vote phoned in immediately after it is counted.
Arrangements have been made with the Western Union Telegraph Co. to furnish Associated Press dispatches of state and national returns. These will start coming in from the East about 7 o’clock tomorrow night and the telegraphic service will be continued until after 1 o’clock Wednesday morning.
Everyone is invited to come to the Circuit Court room tomorrow night to hear the returns from the county, state and nation. No smoking will be permitted and the women are especially invited to be present and hear the returns.
Someone will be on hand to read off the returns in the Circuit Court room as they are received.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The 50- and 100-year flashbacks are courtesy of the Missouri Digital Newspaper Project from the State Historical Society of Missouri, accessible at shsmo.newspapers.com.
