130 Years Ago
January 11, 1895
A fellow named Gordon was taken through on the east-bound passenger Tuesday night in charge of an officer from Custer, their destination being the Sioux Falls penitentiary, where the aforesaid Gordon will spend a twelvemonth deliberating on the deceptiveness of the wine glass. It seems that about the time this gentleman should have been hanging up his Christmas stocking he conceived the idea of imbibing a little o the juice of the forbidden fruit and painting Custer a brilliant cardinal hue.
125 Years Ago
January 12, 1900
Invitations are out for the Fourth annual ball of the Twenty-Seven Old Batchelors, which is to occur at the opera house next Wednesday evening, January 17th. Some of the gentlemen of the twenty-seven are rather young, we fancy, to claim to be full-fledged batchelors, yet acquaintance of the entire aggregation justifies us in the prophesy that the ball will be an up-to-date and entirely warm affair.
120 Years Ago
January 10, 1905
Fifty-eight young people gathered at the home of Mr. and Mrs. J. A. Mallery last Saturday night to join their daughter, Leon, in celebrating her tenth birthday. Games, refreshments and such brought glee to the childish hearts.
115 Years Ago
January 14, 1910
A little boy, the son of Chris. D. Peterson, a well known resident of the village of Jacksonville, Iowa, had a sudden and violent attack of croup. Much thick and stringy phlegm came up after giving Chamberlain’s Cough Remedy. Mr. Peterson says: “I think he would have choked to death had we not given him this remedy.” For sale by F. E. Holsten.
110 Years Ago
January 8, 1915
B. W. Hackett of Harrison was arrested in Alliance Friday morning on a charge of using the mails for making threats against the town of Harrison and the people of the village. Hackett has been placed in the asylum at Norfolk on different occasions, but seems to be perfectly sane. He can converse intelligently on any subject until his family troubles are brought up or religion is mentioned, then his mind runs rampant and he is as wild as a March hare.
105 Years Ago
January 9, 1920
Lon Drake, who was brought back from Lincoln the first of the week on a charge of having written a bad check for the amount of $6.50, was discharged, upon the evidence in the case being brought before Judge Tash. Drake clearly proved that his intentions in the matter were perfectly honorable, but for the reason of his carelessness the judge assessed half of the costs of the action to him.
100 Years Ago
January 13, 1925
Dr. Molotkoff, observing that the nerves play an important part in cancer growth and using observation in a common way, has developed this plan. He cuts the nerve leading to the cancerous growth, and the cancer, no longer supplied with nervous energy, necessary to its existence, shrivels up and dies. Several patients are alleged to have been cured by the new method.
95 Years Ago
January 14, 1930
Struck by the locomotive of Burlington passenger train, No. 44 in the railroad yards this forenoon, Homer Wisser, 36, was hurled for several feet and painfully cut and bruised.
90 Years Ago
January 11, 1935
One article, a 38-caliber Colt revolver, was taken from the Dale Wade home, 923 Toluca, early Tuesday night by intruders who entered the residence, unlocking the front door. Mrs. Wade, visiting a friend, returned to find the front door standing open.
85 Years Ago
January 12, 1940
Three Alliance boys were among those named as officials of he Junior Ak-Sar-Ben show to be held at the Curtis agricultural school on February 17. Local boys who were named are Lee Messersmith, vice president and manager of the Hereford division; Kenneth Rust, manager o the horse division, and Alvin Smith, manager of the Holstein division. Clair Abbott of Amelia was elected president.
80 Years Ago
January 12, 1945
General Earl Barnes, who visited Alliance friends last week, on his way back to his base in New Guinea, stated that the Alliance Air Base was unquestionable the best field he ever landed on during his 25 years service in the Army.
75 Years Ago
January 13, 1950
Few serious mishaps have occurred in Alliance today because of mild weather that has prevailed for some time. The lack of snow has enabled superstitious persons to find 4-leafed clovers in their lawns and also hunters have been able to secure rabbits’ feet in sufficient quantities to ward off the traditional jink of today – Friday the 13th.
70 Years Ago
January 12, 1955
A program described as “spectacular, entertaining and one of the best the Chamber ever has had” – that’s on the schedule for next Monday evening at the Chamber of Commerce annual banquet. The highlight will be a talk entitled, “What’s Wrong With People,” by Judge Philip B. Giliam of Denver.
65 Years Ago
January 12, 1960
The Burlington Railroad would benefit by a net savings of $274,728 per year if the State Railway Commission permits the replacement of passenger trains No. 41 and 44 by truck service between Lincoln and Alliance.
60 Years Ago
January 13, 1965
A sweeping new salary program for teachers, which will raise individual salaries an average of $622 in the next two years and Alliance taxes an estimated 1.8 mills per year, was approved by the Board of Education Tuesday evening.
55 Years Ago
January 12, 1970
The first baby of 1970 to be born at St. Joseph’s Hospital is Edward James Sharp, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert M. Sharp of Lot 83, Tower Plaza of Alliance.
50 Years Ago
January 13, 1975
Fire destroyed the Merle Stone residence at 515 Cheyenne Saturday night. The back portion of the residence was gutted by the blaze, and the remainder of the house was badly damaged. Firemen were hampered in their efforts by sub-zero temperatures and windy conditions.
45 Years Ago
January 15, 1980
The board of trustees of Box Butte General Hospital met Monday evening and it was announced that the ultrasound equipment is in the hospital and is being demonstrated today.
40 Years Ago
January 11, 1985
Box Butte General Hospital Rates Could Be Reduced If All Patients’ Bill were Paid Off: The accounts receivable of Box Butte General Hospital as of June 1, 1984 totaled $720,330, according to Mark Shellabarger, BBGH administrator. Accounts receivable means the dollar amount owed the hospital.
35 Years Ago
January 10, 1990
Three members of a CBS film crew spend time at Carhenge, taking shots from several different angles. The crew has been in Alliance filming and interviewing residents for a Carhenge segment on the Saturday Night With Connie Chung show, to be shown sometime in February.
30 Years Ago
January 14, 1995
The good news is that the Box Butte District Court handled the exact same number of cases in 1994 as it did in 1993. The good/bad news is that criminal cases were up 61 percent from the previous year, and the bad news is that overall cases have risen 84 percent in a decade. The increase in criminal cases is bad because it confirms the decline in American societal behavior, even in the traditionally bucolic High Plains; the increase is good because it indicates that criminals are being pursued and brought to justice.
25 Years Ago
January 11, 2000
An Alliance man who pleaded innocent to manslaughter in Box Butte County Court in the in the death of his 5-month-old son has changed his plea to no contest in District Court. In return for the plea entered Monday, the county attorney’s office agreed to drop a misdemeanor charge of child abuse and recommended a minimum sentence for Marlo White Calf, 32.
20 Years Ago
January 10, 2005
January marks the second national observance of Stalking Awareness Month, Family Rescue Services announced in a press release. Stalking is a crime that affects nearly 1.4 million Americans each year.
15 Years Ago
January 9, 2010
Yesterday morning at 9:54 a.m. the Alliance Police Department responded to a call from a concerned citizen who described a man outside of a window on the fifth floor of The Tower Apartments. At 9:59 a.m., only a few minutes after police arrival, the man, John E. Lewis, a 74-year-old male Alliance resident, fell from the south side of the building.
10 Years Ago
January 13, 2015
A Jan. 7 appearance in Box Butte County Court has been scheduled, in a case against 34-year-old Jonathan D. Pebley of Alliance. Pebley is charged with a Class IV felony of tampering with a witness.
5 Years Ago
January 15, 2020
The Box Butte County Public Defender is facing up to 50 years in prison after a controlled delivery organized by law enforcement revealed he purchased cocaine. John Worthman, 52, of Gering, was taken into custody on the evening of Jan. 7 in Scottsbluff.
*Compiled from The Alliance Times-Herald Archives by Christine Melcher