130 Years Ago
October 20, 1893
A Plattsmouth sportsman arriving in this city last Monday morning evidently wished to sustain or establish a reputation as a crack hunter. Monday night he came in without a feather, went to C. A. Newberry’s store, purchased just $5.25 worth of wild game and ordered the same shipped to Plattsmouth. After he returns home and tells them a few “bar” stories they will no doubt regard him as a great sport. And he is.
125 Years Ago
October 21, 1898
W. M. Geihart, of Lincoln, is the new pharmacist at Field Pharmacy. He arrived last Saturday, and is a pleasant gentleman.
120 Years Ago
October 20, 1903
The roof of the roundhouse caught fire again yesterday. This is the second time within about as many weeks. It was extinguished in both instances before any particular damage had been done.
115 Years Ago
October 20, 1908
Residents of this section were much shocked and grieved to learn of the death of Al. Woods. Mr. Woods was employed as a switchman and was on the night force. During the course of the night it was necessary to do some switching at the stock yards. The tracks are very close to the platform, there being only eight or ten inches between the platform and the cars. He had spotted a car and stepped in at the end of the platform to break the coupling, giving the go-a-head signal. In some manner the signal was misconstrued and he was caught between the platform and the cars and terribly crushed.
110 Years Ago
October 17, 1913
Prince Albert the First of Monaco, with his Aide de camps Bouree and Dr. Louvet, passed through Alliance Tuesday noon on General Passenger Agent Wakely’s private car, enroute from an extended hunting trip in the Rocky mountains to Chicago.
105 Years Ago
October 15, 1918
Lewis, the ten-year-old son of Victor Covalt, was the victim of a pathetic accident Sunday afternoon. In company with his father the lad went hunting on a lake near their home. The father shot a duck and the boy ran to pick it up as the gun was accidentally discharged and the full force of the charge struck him in the right leg. He was taken to the hospital, where the leg was amputated. The father was almost crazed with mental anguish as a result of the accident and a strict watch had to be kept over him.
100 Years Ago
October 19, 1923
A brief argument over the pulling power of horses resulted in the death of three Box Butte county residents this morning. Fred Ward, 28, tenant farmer on the W. H. Kiester farm, twenty miles north of Alliance, was shot and killed at 6:30 this morning by Shelby Lemaster, 45, road worker. Lemaster killed himself an hour later. A few minutes before noon, work reached Alliance that Mr. Kiester had succumbed to an attack of apoplexy brought on by the shock of the tragedy.
95 Years Ago
October 19, 1928
Donald, four and one-half year old son of Mr. and Mrs. Morris Jones, was the victim of a hunting accident that occurred about six miles southeast of the city at 5 p. m. Tuesday when what was believed to be an empty shotgun accidentally discharged fatally wounding the small boy in the left breast and just over the heart. Death resulted almost instantly.
90 Years Ago
October 17, 1933
The case against Fred “Tubby” White which resulted from an alleged attack made by him upon the person of Tom Campbell, city councilman, were reported as “dismissed” this morning. Both men are railroaders. The altercation was declared to have arisen early one morning about a week ago in a downtown cafe when White assertedly resented any inferences that he might be “forced” to wear a red bandanna in the fad promoted here as a bally-hoo feature for the Fall Festival.
85 Years Ago
October 18, 1938
Dr. H. A. Copsey, one of Alliance’s pioneer physicians and surgeons, is being made a fellow of the American College of Surgeons in New York City this week. Membership in this select group is one of the greatest distinctions that can be achieved by a doctor. Two other Alliance surgeons, Dr. C. E. Slagle and Dr. Joseph Kuncl, have been made fellows of the College.
80 Years Ago
October 19, 1943
Mrs. Francis Toline, 21, was arrested by Sheriff Dan Hoppes yesterday, acting on a complaint filed by County Attorney Leo M. Bayer, in which the woman is charged with bigamy. She was taken before Judge Frank M. Broome, who placed her bond at $200 for appearance at the next term of District court.
75 Years Ago
October 19, 1948
A burglar forced open the fire escape door of the Veterans of Foreign Wars club at 115 ½ West Third street Monday afternoon and stole $65 in cash, the police reported today. Norman Watson, VFW commander, disclosed that the money had been donated by club members to be sent at Christmas to patients in the veterans hospital at Hot Springs, S. D.
70 Years Ago
October 20, 1953
Four Box Butte County men will leave tonight for induction into the Army at Denver on Wednesday. The men are Wayne E. Schumacher and John K. Cornette, both of Alliance; Thomas Hovorka, Marsland and John Rasmussen, Hemingford. Cornette and Hovorka are leaving as voluntary inductees. Also leaving tonight is Wilbert Higuchi, a transfer from Honolulu, Hawaii.
65 Years Ago
October 17, 1958
Miss Celinda Mounts was crowned 1958 Alliance High School Homecoming Queen this afternoon at a pep rally at the school. She was crowned by Denny Christenesn president of the “A” Club. Queen attendants are Miss Jane Woodham, Miss Karin Frost, Miss Margaret Clark, and Miss Merri Moscrip.
60 Years Ago
October 19, 1963
Miss Elizabeth Feighny was crowned St. Agnes Homecoming Queen Friday night at halftime ceremonies held at Bulldog Stadium. Attendants are Miss Connuie Cass and Miss LuAnn Kloch.
The underclass royalty included Pat Keeley, Miss Barbara Berry, Richard Zochol, Miss Jo Elder, Tim Turman and Christine Sloan.
55 Years Ago
October 17, 1968
Police are continuing to investigate an incident which according to reports, happened at 305 East 3rd Street at about 4 p.m. Wednesday. A caller reported to the police that a man had apparently been injured, and had been picked up by the driver of a car that appeared to have struck him, and hauled him away. From the description given, police finally located the car and its driver, Marvin D. Smith, 20, of Crawford. Smith told him that a companion of his, Jack Morrison, 34, also of Crawford, had fallen from the car and that he, Smith, had driven around the block and returned and picked him up.
50 Years Ago
October 18, 1973
Pat Bermel is the city’s new parking meter reader. According to Police Chief Verlin Hutton, she will read parking meters three days a week and work as a dispatcher for the 911 system on weekends. The new meter maid attended Alliance High School and has a two year old daughter, Nichole.
45 Years Ago
October 16, 1978
Hungry carriers of newspapers in Alliance show healthy appetites at the annual Newspaper Carriers Day breakfast sponsored by Alliance BPO Elks Lodge 961 Saturday morning. The lucky carriers, who drew first-place gifts, wrist watches, are Tony Fritzler of The World-Herald and Deanna Dannon of the Times- Herald.
40 Years Ago
October 19, 1983
The streets of Alliance were filled with vampires, clowns, football players and a variety of scary and colorfully costume-clad characters Tuesday evening during the Moonlight Madness Kiddie Parade. The costumed paraders arrived at the old Fire Hall in a driving rain in time to be treated to hot dogs and Pepsi supplied by Panahndle Packing, Harris Sales and Pepsi of Alliance. The Alliance Optimist Club served the overflow crowd of trick-or-treaters as Times-Hearld, KPNY and KCOW representatives judged the youngsters for best costumes.
35 Years Ago
October 18, 1988
Ryan Englehaupt, St. Agnes Academy eighth grader, shows and tells Jackie Oliveros, SAA kindergartner, about the fossils being studied in eighth grade. This is part of the “Big Brother-Little Brother, Big Sister-Little Sister Program” at SAA. Older students pairs with younger students to do things like go to Mass together and learn.
30 Years Ago
October 18, 1993
Three organizations worked two days this weekend to spruce up the downtown. Volunteers from the Alliance Jaycees, Alliance Clean Community System (ACCS) and Box Butte Development Corporation scraped and painted the facades of 204 and 206 Box Butte Avenue as a community improvement project. The buildings belong to Macindoe Plumbing & Heating of Pueblo, Colo., and Paul Kusek of Alliance respectively. The Paint was provided through a grant by ACCS.
25 Years Ago
October 17, 1998
Rick Metz, Rapid City, S. D., plays the bag pipes during the prelude to the 1998 Nebraska State Volunteer Firefighters’ Association Auxiliary (NSVFA) Convention Memorial Services at the Alliance Theater, Names of NSVFA members who died during 1998 were read during the service, including Alliance firefighter Herman Lee Overstreet, Alliance is hosting the NSVFA convention this weekend which will conclude with a business meeting Sunday morning. Alliance last hosted the convention in 1963.
20 Years Ago
October 18, 2003
Alliance High School’s marching band earned a Division-l recognition among the Class A and AA schools bracket of the Old West Weekend 2003 field competition at Scottsbluff a week ago. The AHS band also received a Superior rating for their performance in the parade earlier in the day. Also, Alliance Middle School band earned a Superior rating in their parade performance and gave an exhibition field performance later.
15 Years Ago
October 18, 2008
Zach Harvey, a 1994 Alliance High School graduate, stands outside the White House recently while being honored by President George Bush as one of Volunteers for Prosperity. Harvey is the lead prosthetist at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
10 Years Ago
October 18, 2013
Soroptimist International of Alliance President Diana Martinez presented to Dana and Bruce Porter airline tickets for their trip to the Lazer Spine Institute in Philadelphia, Pa. An anonymous donor and Soroptimist International of Alliance paid for round trip tickets from Denver to Philadelphia. Dana is a domestic violence survivor. Her neck and back have a lot of metal in them and she gets headaches daily. The institute will perform a surgery to help her with this situation. Bruce is Dana’s second husband and a wonderful supporter of hers. In Philadelphia he will learn how to be a caregiver until she is healed.
5 Years Ago
October 17, 2018
The Alliance High School class of 1988 presents a $5000 donation money for the track foundation during the Homecoming football game Friday. The money was raised with local businesses, which donated money allowing the class to rent a dunk tank during Heritage Days. “Giving back to our community is what our local businesses do every day and we would like to recognize them tonight during our homecoming game,” the class said.