Compiled by CORRYNE DRAKE

Special to the Star-Tribune

Natrona County Tribune, 1909

Stick around awhile - "TRIED TO HANG HIMSELF

"Young Thief Wants to Explore That Undiscovered Country.

"Albert Campbell, the young thief who has been in the county jail several weeks, … attempted to hang himself. … When he was about to … jump off into the precipice which would take him into that 'undiscovered country, from whose bourne no traveler returns,' the other prisoners interferred and told him he had better tarry a little longer on this mundane sphere. … Campbell thought the matter over and concluded that he would stay on earth just a little longer."

Campbell later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to "a maximum term of two years and a minimum term of 18 months in the penitentiary."

Bet on trouble - "Walking to Pathfinder.

"A wager of $250 on each side was made between Alfred Willy and Lew Price on Monday that Mr. Price could not walk to Pathfinder in forty-eight hours, and Tuesday morning at three minutes after 7 o'clock Mr. Price started for Pathfinder and the $500 that will be his if he reaches there in time. The distance is claimed to be from forty to fifty miles, but the hodometer on M. N. Castle's automobile registered 43 9.10 miles. Mr. Price weighs over 300 pounds and he is not used to long trips afoot, but it is thought he will reach his destination in the time specified without much trouble."

Casper Tribune-Herald, 1934

Messing with the big boys - Under the headline "Patrol Captain Accused" emerged a story of sage chicken poaching involving Capt. George G. "Red" Smith, "head of the Wyoming State Highway Patrol and Dr. F. A. Wilson and Dr. S. S. Zukerman, both of Cheyenne."

"Smith is charged with possession of birds killed illegally on the game reserve east of Glenrock. … Both Wilson and Zukerman are accused of illegal shooting on the reserve. …

"Camden Sheffner, district game warden of Casper, apprehended the state officer and the others, who were riding in a state car … driven by Smith when the warden appeared on the scene. Sheffner said they continued shooting after he met up with them and failed to meet him down the road as agreed. …

"There were reports that the charges might include hunting without licenses, shooting from a car and killing more than the legal limit in addition to that of invading a reserve. …

"The arrests … resulted in considerable gossip in Casper. … (T)here was no confirmation of the report that one of those apprehended threatened to 'get' Sheffner's job."

Casper Tribune-Herald, 1959

Solid gone, Daddy-O! - "Casper Group Gets Recording Date in Houston

"Casper may have Wyoming's first recording artists in Larry and Garry Humphrey, and their band the 'Wild Childs.' The boys have worked together as a group for about two months, and have landed a recording contract with a new record label in Houston, Tex., the Minor Recording Co. …

"Larry and Garry are twins. … They sing and play excellent guitars, and are backed by local boys. On the bass is Leon Jones, 918 South Jackson, who is by trade a steel construction worker here in the Casper area. Leon is 35 years old. Holding down the piano spot is a boy from Cheyenne, Tom Hanson, 21, working at one of the Casper Commissaries. And one of the states best drummers is little Jimmy Gosnell, 16, who is a junior at Natrona County High School. …

"The boys will leave Casper the night of the 23nd by car for the Lone Star State, and maybe their break of a lifetime."

Traffic jam - "Trailer Truck Plugs McKinley Underpass

"A trapped truck was reported in the McKinley St. Underpass. … The trailer truck entered the north end of the underpass when it became wedged. Another truck was attempting to pull it out of the tight spot at press time."

Casper Star-Tribune, 1984

Bad for business - "Bankruptcies soar in Wyoming

"Officials cite medical costs as main reason

"Bankruptcies in Wyoming this year are up nearly 60 percent over the past two years. …

"(M)edical bills are the largest single reason. …

"(W)ith the downturn in the state's economy many people have lost their jobs, and with those jobs their medical insurance coverage. …

"Wyoming had the third highest increase in the country. …

"(T)he types of bankruptcy cases … have changed markedly in the last few years, most notably in the increase in the number of small business bankruptcies."

Saved their skins- "First ever test-tube skin saves lives of 2 Casper brothers

"The first major use of skin grown in test tubes has saved the lives of two young Casper brothers whose own skin was almost completely burned off. …

"Sheets of smooth, pink skin were grown from postage-stamp size scraps of skin salvaged from Jamie and Glen Selby's scorched bodies." Doctors at the Shriners Burn Institute in Boston "hope it will be as durable as natural skin and last a lifetime."

"Jamie, 5, and Glen, 7, … had daubed themselves with paint. When they tried to remove the paint with paint thinner, the chemical caught fire, burning them over 97 percent of their bodies." A third boy, Ricky Parras, 6, died of his burns.

"The new process allows doctors to grow enough skin in three weeks to cover a patient's entire body."

"A Look Back in Time" is made possible with the help of Western History Archivist Kevin S. Anderson at the Casper College Western History Center, which is open to the public. Quotation marks surround stories as they appeared in the Casper newspapers 100, 75, 50 and 25 years ago, with their original grammar, punctuation and spelling, unless otherwise noted.