Tuesday, January 31, 2017

The Evergreen Courant's News Flashback for Jan. 31, 2017

Jefferson Davis
19 YEARS AGO
FEB. 5, 1998

Evergreen weather observer Harry Ellis reported .17 inches of rain on Jan. 26 and .05 inches on Jan. 27. He reported a high of 64 degrees on Feb. 1 and lows of 31 on Jan. 26 and Jan. 31.

Jury selection for Dorsey trial set to begin Feb. 16: The capital murder trial of Ethan Dorsey is scheduled to start in less than two weeks, and the pre-trial wrangling continued Tuesday as a change of venue motion was heard in Judge Sam Welch’s courtroom.
Dorsey is accused of killing Richard Cary, Scott Williams and Timothy Bryan Crane, then 13, in November 1996 at Cary’s Grocery in the Brooklyn community.
Dorsey’s attorney, Robert King, told Welch he did not believe his client could get a fair trial in Conecuh County due to a large amount of media attention surrounding the case.
Welch told the court he would take the matter under advisement and would make a ruling after potential jurors were questioned about prior knowledge of the case.

Fire station to cost $130,000: The Evergreen City Council has agreed to hire an architect to design a new fire station, after finding out it will cost between $130,000 to $160,000.
City Administrator Clayton Davis told the council rough estimates he had received were $160,000 at the high end and $130,000 at the low end. This amount would build a four-bay fire department on the Semcor property.
The council approved unanimously to hire the architect to design the station.

44 YEARS AGO
FEB. 1, 1973

Man is held on murder charge: A 20-year-old man is being held in the pistol slaying of another man late Friday night.
Willie Calvin Lee, 20, died of a shot in the heart from a .32 caliber automatic pistol. The shooting happened about 11:30 Friday night at the Charlie Floyd residence on Westside.
Deputy Sheriff Horace Weaver and Evergreen policemen James Powell, Larry Morrison and Milton Hooks went to the scene. A short time later they arrested Jessie James Golden, 20, at his mother’s residence on Rural Street.

Eric Pugh Joins U.S. Navy: Eric Gordon Pugh enlisted in the United States Navy at Montgomery on Jan. 22. Eric is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Oliver Pugh of 116 Taliaferro St., Evergreen.
Pugh has been in the Navy’s CACHE Program since October 1972. He qualified for and went on active duty in the Navy’s Nuclear Power Program.
Pugh will receive his basic training or “Boot Camp” at the Naval Training Command, Orlando, Fla.

Eugene Darby is the new president of the Conecuh County Cattlemen’s Association. He succeeded Jim Oliver at the annual meeting last week. Bill Brown, first vice president of the Alabama Cattlemen’s Association, took part in the program.

These Conecuh County teenagers staged a walk-a-thon Saturday for the March of Dimes. They raised considerable funds for the March of Dimes as they walked from Conecuh County High School in Castleberry to Ft. Dave Lewis National Guard Armory in Evergreen.

69 YEARS AGO
FEB. 5, 1948

Brooklyn Man Killed In Accident Tuesday: Two men were killed and one injured in a head-on collision between a car and log truck nine miles north of Brewton Tuesday. The dead are W.A. Griggers, 60, of Brooklyn, who was driving the car and truck driver Anderson Smith, 41, of East Brewton. Reuben E. Blackwell of Brewton was riding in the cab of the truck but was thrown clear and escaped with injuries.

Local Bus Station Is Made Regular Rest Stop: Announcement was made Tuesday that effective Wed., Feb. 4, the local bus station would become a regular rest stop for all buses passing through Evergreen. Passengers will be permitted to unload and buy sandwiches, drinks, etc. Some of the buses will stop long enough for full meals.
Since Jaxon’s was destroyed by fire a little over a week ago, buses have had no regular rest stop. It is hoped that the rest stop here will become a permanent arrangement. The local bus station is operated by Mr. A.M. Lee.

Mrs. E.B. James left Tuesday for Marbury, where she will attend the funeral of her son-in-law, Thomas M. McConnell Sr., who was accidentally killed by a train Monday.

Dr. W.A. Taliaferro, a native son of Conecuh County, delivered a very inspirational and entertaining talk to the local Rotarians at their regular luncheon meeting Wednesday of this week.

94 YEARS AGO
FEB. 7, 1923

Robber Captured: Sheriff Barfield several days ago arrested and now has in jail Albert Waters, who it is alleged has confessed to the robbery of Riggs Brothers store at Castleberry on the night of Jan. 13. It is said that Waters had a quantity of the goods taken from the store on his person at the time of his arrest. Waters implicated another party in the robbery, and he was arrested and placed in jail, but the following day established a positive alibi and was liberated.

The Orpheus Club of Evergreen will present Alex Skovgaard, Danish violinist, and wife in a concert on Feb. 13 at the courthouse. As he is an artist of high standard in the musical word a large attendance is expected from the surrounding towns and vicinity of Evergreen. Tickets will be on sale soon for $1 and 50 cents. – Miss Augusta Farnham, Chairman of Ways & Means Committee.

Mrs. H.K. Wright of the millinery department of I. Long & Sons store left several days ago for New York to make selections for the spring and summer line of millinery for that store, also ready to wear. This popular store expects to have the swellest lines in these departments they have ever carried.

Nick Stallworth left last week for Montgomery to accept a responsible position with the Durr Drug. Co.

The body of Ola Dunn, who died on Friday at her home at Foley, was brought here Saturday and conveyed to Mt. Zion for interment.

119 YEARS AGO
FEB. 4, 1898

John A. Gafford, the murderer of Bartow Lloyd, will be tried on next Friday for his life in the circuit court at Greenville.

County Superintendent Hardy was here Saturday making glad the hearts of school teachers by paying them for the last quarter of the past year.

Brake & Wilson’s Comedians will appear in splendid repertoire at Savage’s Opera House two nights, Feb. 9th and 10th. They have a fine reputation and never fail to please wherever they have been. They carry their own special scenery. Tickets at J.W. Clarke’s.

Dr. J.A. McCreary had the misfortune to get seven bales of cotton burned on Wednesday. He had them stored under a shelter in his back yard and about 12 o’clock they were discovered to be on fire. Sufficient help immediately came to extinguish the fire, but there will be a clear loss of perhaps 50 pounds to the bale. How the fire originated is a mystery that cannot be explained. The doctor thinks it was caused by some little children playing with fire.

Commissioners court will convene second Monday in February.

Greening Lodge No. 53, AF&AM, meets third Friday night of each month. Visiting members welcomed.


The Jefferson Davis Literary Society met Friday evening and was called to order promptly at 2:30 o’clock p.m. by the president, C.J. Crawford.

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