Old newspaper excerpts from The Monroe Journal newspaper of Monroe County, Alabama

Monroeville attorney A.C. Lee

63 YEARS AGO
JAN. 28, 1960

Monday Is Last Day To Pay Poll Taxes: Monday, Feb. 1, is the deadline for payment of poll taxes in Monroe County, residents were reminded Wednesday. Poll tax funds are designed for the support of schools in the county where collected. Payment serves the double purpose of helping education and enabling each citizen to exercise the privilege of suffrage.

LEADS EHS BAND: Maxine Wiggins, member of the Sr. I Class, Excel High School, Excel, is head majorette who will lead the Excel band in the Mardi Gras parades in Mobile during February.

Native Of Frisco City Is Elected To Serve As Abba Temple Potentate: Rod Hanks, a native of Frisco City, was elected Potentate of Abba Temple, Mobile, Wednesday night, Jan. 20, at the annual meeting in the Temple at 1056 Government St.
Potentate Hanks is 46 years of age and married to the former Margaret Stewart of Mobile. He has made his home in Mobile since 1931.

Miss Margaret Elizabeth Stallworth of Beatrice will be one of a duo of outstanding third-year music students at Alabama College, Montevallo, to be presented in a joint vocal-piano concert at the institution Sunday afternoon.
Miss Susan Bedgood of Montgomery will be featured with Miss Stallworth on the program which will begin at 4 p.m. in Calkins Hall Auditorium. Both students are juniors.
Miss Stallworth will present piano compositions by Brahms, Debussy, Chopin and Beethoven.

73 YEARS AGO
JAN. 26, 1950

Monroeville Soldier Serving in Japan: Pvt. Charles R. Hendrix, Monroeville soldier now serving with the 21^st Infantry Regiment, a unit of the 24^th “Victory” Division on Kyushu, Japan, is presently enjoying a 14-day leave at a rest hotel in the Shrine City of Beppu.
Private Hendrix, son of Mr. and Mrs. William M. Hendrix of Monroeville, Route 1, enlisted in the service in January 1948, and received his basic training at Fort Ord, California.

MCHS Beats Georgiana, 28-22, For Ninth Straight: The Monroe County High School Tigers extended their winning streak to nine straight games Tuesday night as they trimmed the strong Georgiana quint here, 28-20.
Forward “Pink” Jackson paced the Monroeville scorers in the Georgiana tilt, as he dropped 10 points through the hoops.
(Other top MCHS players that season included Bobo Andress, Tommy Durden, Woodrow Fowler, Kenneth Hundley, George Klepac, Karl Mims Lazenby, Bobby Moore and John Arthur Morgan.)

Mr. and Mrs. A.C. Lee and Miss Maggie Dees visited Montgomery Monday.

Excel Cemetery Group To Select Caretaker: A full time caretaker will be selected in the near future for the cemeteries of Excel. Plans for hiring such a person were made recently when representatives from the four churches in that community met at the Excel Church of Christ. Allen Hall was named president of the group in charge of making the necessary arrangements. Murmon Blanton was named vice president and Mrs. Will Brantley was selected as secretary-treasurer.

98 YEARS AGO
JAN. 23, 1925

A.C. Lee, Esq., was a visitor to the state capital the first of the week on professional business.

Numerous improvements have been recently made which add greatly the comfort and convenience of the Baptist church. The placing of a concrete floor in the basement and the installation of a furnace renders that department available for more systematic Sunday school work. Workmen are now engaged in reconstructing the stairway giving access to the auditorium.

The J. Foster Finklea saw mill recently erected in the southern part of town began active operation early this week. Dry kilns and planing mill are being rushed to completion in anticipation of active demand for building material.

Mr. Eugene Riley of Drewry has purchased a home in Monroeville which he is occupying with his family. Monroeville extends a cordial welcome to all such good citizens.

Mr. G.W. Davis of Columbia, Tenn. is here for a few days with his son, Mr. Britt Davis, who has been engaged for several weeks in promoting sales of city property.

Mr. J.M. Kearley of Scotland, who some weeks ago purchased the Emmons estate property in the eastern part of town, is repairing buildings and otherwise improving the property preparatory to taking up permanent residence in Monroeville.

123 YEARS AGO
JAN. 25, 1900

The mystery of the assassination of Judge W.B. McClure on the night of Jan. 12 has been solved by the coroner’s jury. Marshall Boyd, a young farmer who was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy, the belief being that he was hired to fire the shot by some one else, is charged by the jury with the crime. The evidence against Boyd is circumstantial.

Mr. J. Hope Moore of Perdue Hill, proprietor of the Claiborne Lower Warehouse, was in town Wednesday and gave this office a pleasant call.

Capt. W.S. Wiggins has had the building formerly located on the corner of Mt. Pleasant and Claiborne streets moved up alongside of his store building.

The friends and supporters of Senator John T. Morgan in Monroeville will meet in the courthouse at 3:30 on Monday evening to form a Morgan club. Everybody invited.

Dr. Yarbrough is erecting his telephone line to Monroe Station. He hopes to have it in operation in a few days.

Feb. 16 has been appointed as the date for the initiation of a passenger schedule on the new Southern Alabama railroad, on which date an excursion will be run from Selma to Pensacola and return. Both cities will celebrate the opening of the road to traffic. Freight is already being delivered at intermediate points, but the railroad is not yet in condition to render a passenger schedule practicable.

Mr. Jeff D. Helton of Kempville announces in this issue as a candidate for Commissioner for the Second District. Mr. Helton is well and favorably known to many of the readers of The Journal, and should he be honored with the nomination, he will doubtless make a faithful and acceptable officer.

145 YEARS AGO
JAN. 29, 1878

THE BIG SHOW! Come and see It! The greatest show now traveling in the interior counties will exhibit at Monroeville, Feb. 9, and at Claiborne, Feb. 11. Let everybody come and bring the children to see the most wonderful, delightful and superb sights ever witnessed.

Narrow Escape – Mr. J.T. Emmons, who has the great misfortune of being one-armed, but an excellent driver nevertheless, was thrown from his buggy about two miles from town last Sunday morning, and came near being injured seriously, if not fatally. While going in a rapid gate, the horse shied, running the buggy upon an embankment and threw Mr. E. out. His injuries are severe though not dangerous. Mr. Emmons had two of his sisters in the buggy with him at the time, both of whom jumped out and escaped with slight bruises.

From The Mobile News we learn that the Lula D. met with a very serious mishap on her last down trip. She ran into a bluff in a dense fog below Portland, causing her to careen over to one side to such an extent that she was in imminent danger of sinking. But Capt. Finnegan, who is always ready for emergencies, by having the cotton rapidly thrown overboard, succeeded in righting the boat.

Money Order Office – Through our able representative in Congress, Hon. J.T. Jones, it is learned that the Monroeville post office will be made a money order office about July 1.