The Evergreen Courant's News Flashback for April 12, 2023

Willard Scott

33 YEARS AGO
APRIL 12, 1990

Evergreen weather reporter Harry Ellis reported .53 inches of rain on April 2 and .19 inches on April 9. He reported a high of 79 degrees on April 5 and lows of 37 degrees on April 6 and April 7.

Mrs. Susie Pittman, a resident of Evergreen Nursing Home, celebrated her 106th birthday on Sun., April 1. Mrs. Pittman received a telegram from President and Mrs. George Bush wishing her a Happy Birthday and Willard Scott of The Today Show on NBC wished her a Happy Birthday during his segment of the show Monday morning.

Annie Pearl Oliver, 57, of Evergreen was killed when her vehicle collided with another car, driven by Edward P. Reeves of Brewton. Ernestine Roach, also of Evergreen, a passenger in Ms. Oliver’s vehicle, was injured and taken to Andalusia Hospital. The accident occurred at 3:45 p.m. Monday on U.S. 84, about four miles west of River Falls, troopers said.

Two men who escaped from the Conecuh County Jail early Wednesday morning of last week were apprehended later that same day on the Old Sparta Road, according to Conecuh County Sheriff Edwin L. Booker. William James Furger of Wisconsin and Terry Johnson, aka Terry Smith, of Virginia City, Ala. were caught late Wednesday afternoon after a citizen called the sheriff’s office and reported seeing two men fitting the description of the escapees walking down the Old Sparta Road.

48 YEARS AGO
APRIL 10, 1975

Weather reporter Earl Windham reported 0.1 inches of rain on April 1 and 0.2 inches of rain on April 2. He reported a high of 76 on April 2 and a low of 35 on March 31.

The newly organized Evergreen Lions Club will meet at noon today at the Evergreen Jaycees’ Hut. The club has 20 members and is still accepting charter members. Evergreen has not had a Lions Club since the 1930s.

Don McInnis is new Trooper: Don L. McInnis was accepted as a recruit by the Alabama State Troopers on March 26. He is now attending recruit school.

Formal dedication of Evergreen’s new “Avenue of Flags” will be held downtown Sunday afternoon at two o’clock. A representative of the State Commander of the American Legion will be the featured speaker. The Evergreen High School Band will play. It is also anticipated that there will be a flyover by U.S. Navy jets.
The “Avenue of Flags” is in the park area on the West Front Street side of the L&N. Funds for the flags were raised by the Pilot Club of Evergreen and many of the flags were donated as memorials.
The City maintains the flags at City Hall and the Evergreen Police Department displays them on holidays and other special occasions.
A special invitation to all veterans of all wars to attend and take part in the dedication is extended by Alma Martin Post 50, the American Legion and by the Pilots.

63 YEARS AGO
APRIL 14, 1960

Annual Fat Calf Show begins at nine Monday: One of the biggest and best of a long line of successful Conecuh County Fat Calf Shows is to be staged here Monday. Events get underway in the annual show at nine o’clock Monday morning at the Conecuh Cooperative Stockyard on North Main Street.
Kenneth Copeland, general chairman of the show, said today that 46 calves will be entered by county 4-H and FFA members. A large crowd is expected to be on hand to witness the show and give encouragement to the youngsters taking part in it.

Armed Escapee Is Nabbed Here Tues.: An escaped prisoner from the Georgia State Prison at Leesburg was captured in front of Olen’s Department Store in downtown Evergreen Tuesday morning at 11 o’clock by Conecuh County Sheriff James (Shorty) Brock, Evergreen Police Chief Johnny Andrews, Deputy Sheriff Mancel Pearce and Highway Patrol Sgt. Tom Melton.
The escapee was identified as Russell Lee Harris, 32, a former resident of Brewton. Harris has been using the alias of Harold L. Robinson. He was driving a 1957 Cadillac hardtop, which he parked and entered Wild Brothers Hardware store, West Front Street, Evergreen. He asked the clerk to sell him a box of shells for a .25-caliber automatic that he had on his person and shells for a .32-caliber pistol, which was found by arresting officers hidden in the stolen automobile. Also found in the Cadillac was a 1959 Georgia license plate with the numerals, 34-A-25.
Harris was serving a sentence in Georgia for murder.

78 YEARS AGO
APRIL 12, 1945

An early morning fire last Thurs., April 5, virtually destroyed the new home and contents of Mr. and Mrs. H.C. Gilmore on Magnolia Street. The fire originated in the kitchen from an oil stove while the cook was preparing breakfast. The flames spread quickly to all parts of the house and the entire building was in flames when the fire department arrived.

A telegram from the War Department received by Mrs. Louise Pierce Crawford April 8 announced the sad news that her husband, Pfc. Neadie Crawford, was killed in action in Germany on March 24. Pfc. Crawford was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Lonnie Crawford.
General Marshall paid this tribute to Pfc. Crawford: ‘Pfc. Crawford served valiantly in a supreme hour of his country’s need. His memory will live in the grateful heart of our nation.’

Top Sgt. James Freeman, son of Mr. and Mrs. C.T. Freeman of Nashville, Tenn., formerly of this county, was killed in action in Germany on March 30, according to a report which reached relatives here this week. Sgt. Freeman was a paratrooper and had only been overseas about one month when he was killed. He had been in the regular army for about 10 years or since he graduated from Evergreen High School. He was a nephew of Clarence Miller, well known local citizen.

93 YEARS AGO
APRIL 10, 1930

16-Year-Old Girl Hangs Self To Rafter: The body of Emma Lizzie Bolden, age 16, was found suspended from a rafter by a short piece of rope at the home of her brother, Will Bolden, Friday, April 4, at noon by her sister-in-law, Mrs. Will Bolden. When found the girl was not dead, but she lived only about 20 minutes and never regained consciousness. Her neck was not broken. The physician stated that death resulted from strangulation.
The Bolden family with whom she made her home, as well as the young woman, had been at work in the field earlier in the day. The girl went to the house at 11 o’clock to prepare dinner for the family. It seems that she tied herself securely around the neck after having tied the rope to the rafter, and it is supposed that she kicked the chair upon which she was standing away in order to hang herself.
Reports coming to this paper say that the girl was to have been married on April 13 to McRay Cotten of Evergreen and it is said that her brother was opposed to the marriage. Some advance opinion that this caused her to commit the unfortunate act.
Funeral services were held at Mt. Zion Sat., April 5, and interment made in the cemetery at that church.
She is survived by her mother, Mrs. Albert Joiner, one sister and two brothers.

Harvesting and marketing of the 1930 strawberry crop is fast getting underway in this county. Express shipments have been going out for over a week but no carlot shipments were made until the latter part of last week at which time several cars were shipped from Castleberry. Evergreen shippers loaded their first cars Monday of this week.