The Evergreen Courant's News Flashback for Oct. 5, 2021

13 YEARS AGO
OCT. 1, 2009

Evergreen weather observer Harry Ellis reported .04 inches of rain on Sept. 21, .25 inches of rain on Sept. 22 and .30 inches of rain on Sept. 26. He reported a high of 90 degrees on Sept. 25 and a low of 66 degrees on Sept. 27.

Supreme court dismisses city’s election appeal: The Alabama State Supreme Court has dismissed the City of Evergreen’s appeal to a portion of the decision in the ongoing lawsuit over Evergreen’s Oct. 7 mayoral run-off election.
According to court officials on Tuesday, the State Supreme Court sent the Conecuh County Circuit Clerk’s Office a notice on Monday that the city’s appeal had been dismissed.
Monday’s decision does not affect the other, more prominent, appeal of the overall decision in the case, that is, that Pete Wolff III defeated incumbent mayor, Larry Fluker, in the Oct. 7 run-off.

Forty-four local firefighters recently completed a four-hour propane fire training class taught by the Alabama State Fire College. Firefighters taking part in the class included firefighters from Evergreen, Lyeffion, Owassa-Brownville, Nymph, Flat Rock and the Conecuh County Rescue Squad. Organizers gave a special thanks to South Alabama Gas Co. for helping with the class and to Conecuh EMS for having an ambulance and personnel on site. The class was held Aug. 18-19 at the Evergreen Fire Station.

37 YEARS AGO
OCT. 4, 1984

Evergreen weather observer Earl Windham reported no rain between Sept. 23 and Sep. 29. He reported a high of 93 on Sept. 27 and a low of 54 on Sept. 29.

Evergreen’s new city council took their oaths of office Monday afternoon with Judge of Probate Frank Salter doing the honors. The new council is composed of John “Fat” Claiborne, Jones B. Sasser, T.L. Sims, Larry Fluker, Mayor Pro Tem Aubrey D. Padgett (senior member, in third term now) and Mayor Pat Poole.

Judge of Probate Frank T. Salter administers the oath of office to Castleberry’s new governing body: Mayor Lawrence Ryals and city council members J.V. “Bill” Seals, Phelan Findley Sr., Mitt Sullivan, Larry Bethune and Bill Moncrease.

Steve Mitchell looks on as Commission Chairman David L. Burt Jr. signs a proclamation designating Oct. 1-7 as Environmental Health Week.

Rescue Squad has Air Show Oct. 6: The Conecuh County Rescue Squad will hold its third annual Air Show on Sat., Oct. 6, at Evergreen’s Middleton Field, municipal airport.
Fun for the family is promised with such events as the following: plane rides, parachute act, remote control aircraft, ultralite aircraft, military aircraft (including a Cobra attack helicopter), World War II vintage aircraft, live country music by Willie Crutchfield and the Top Forty, and much much more.
Also there will be a demonstration of the newly purchased air bags by the Rescue Squad and the Navy.

71 YEARS AGO
OCT. 5, 1950

Verdell Evans Cunningham, age 46, resident of 11 Bibb Graves Ave., Montgomery, ended his own life here at an early hour Saturday morning, shortly after stepping from an early morning train. Shortly after arriving here he walked into Wild Bros. Hardware and purchased a long butcher knife, then walked to the men’s room at the City Café and slashed his throat. He died instantly.
His identity was not known here until late Monday. Members of an L&N section crew found a man’s hat on the railroad south of Evergreen with the name ‘V.E. Cunningham, 11 Bibb Graves Ave.’ also a phone number. Investigating officers made inquiry at Montgomery which resulted in the man’s identity.

Cpl. Manford Frederick Langley, U.S. Marines, son of Mrs. Frank Langley of Castleberry, has been wounded in action in the Korean War. Cpl. Langley was wounded while serving with the 1st Marines on Sept. 18.
Cpl. Langley attended Conecuh County High School before enlisting in the Marine Corps in July 1948. He received his boot training at Paris Island, S.C. Since joining the Marines he has served with the 8th Marines aboard the U.S.S. Coral Sea in the Mediterranean Area, with the 2nd Marine Division at Camp Lejune, N.C. and with the 6th Marines overseas.

79 YEARS AGO
OCT. 1, 1942

Conecuh Gallows Irons Will Continue Death Mission: Several hundred pounds of iron fixtures, parts of the old gallows at the county jail, were released Tuesday by county officials to the local salvage committee to be placed in the scrap metal now being collected, and which will be used in the manufacture of war materials. So, it will continue its mission of death, but in a somewhat different role. Perhaps as a part of a tank, or airplane or maybe a shell or a gun.
The old gallows has been in disuse for nigh on to 20 years. The last occasion it was used was on Jan. 22, 1926 when Murray Rankins, convicted of assaulting a white woman, was hung. A.M. Barfield was sheriff at that time, and it was he who sprang the trap which sent Rankins to his death. Not many years after that, hanging as a means of putting criminals to death was outlawed and electrocution instead was provided by law. Condemned persons are now electrocuted at Kilby State Prison.

Arrives Safely Overseas: Lt. Laula Middleton has arrived safely overseas according to a cablegram which his family received Saturday. The message was sent Fri., Sept. 25. His family believes that he is in England or Ireland but there is no definite information to this effect.

There are approximately 600 Conecuh County boys now in the various branches of military service of this country…

87 YEARS AGO
OCT. 4, 1934

Conecuh Man Killed In Accident Sunday: Randolph “Doc” Sawyer, young Conecuh County man, was instantly killed on the highway north of Frisco City in an automobile accident Sunday afternoon, according to reports reaching here.
J.D. Nalls, driver of the car, had both of his legs broken and is now in a Monroeville hospital.
Sawyer, who is survived by a wife and two children, made his home with his father, B.T. Sawyer, who lives about midway between Castleberry and Lenox.

Lenox School has enrolled 103 pupils – 25 in first grade, 33 in second and third, 45 in fourth, fifth and sixth.

Rube Millsap Sr. Dies Of Heart Attack Sept. 27: A heart ailment from which he had suffered for several years was attributed as the cause of the death of Mr. Rube Millsap Sr., which occurred Thurs., Sept. 27, at 9 a.m. at the Memorial Hospital, Brewton.
Mr. Millsap was a native of Bullock County, Ala., having been born there in 1859, making him 75 years of age at the time of his death. At various times, he had lived at Montgomery, Luverne, Greenville and other places. For over 50 years, he had made his home in this county, where he engaged in farming. In his chosen field, he achieved remarkable success and was known far and wide as one of the best farmers in this section of the state.
The body was brought here Thursday afternoon and was carried to the home of his son, Rube Millsap Jr., where it remained until the funeral hour Friday afternoon at three o’clock. Interment was made in Evergreen cemetery.