Compiled by Corryne Drake

Special to the Star-Tribune

Natrona County Tribune, 1909

Double jeopardy - "All Kinds of Hard Luck.

"A very peculiar accident happened to Harry Wolf, living on Box Elder. … The wind was blowing quite hard, and there was a window open upstairs, which he went up to close. Just as he was lowering the window, a strong gust of wind struck the house, taking off the roof and taking Mr. Wolf with it. He was carried for a distance of about seventy-five feet and was thrown against a wire fence with part of the roof across his abdomen. He was not hurtmuch externally, but grave doubts are entertained as to his recovery from the effects of internal injuries. This was a most peculiar accident, but is only half of it.

"About two weeks ago, a bolt of lightning struck the house. The bolt came through the roof and hit Mrs. Wolf, striking her about the breast. It took a downward course, dividing at the hips, one streak going down each limb, burning her dress. It tore the sole from one of her shoes, and then went through the floor of the house, where it killed a cat. Mrs. Wolf did not feel any evil effects, except that she is some what sore in the limbs."

Blood feud - "Shot Through the Lungs. …

"A. M. Chaney, formerly of Casper, was shot through the lungs while on the round-up near Billings, and it is thought that he cannot live. … The cause of the shooting was an old feud, and he shot his man twice after he was shot.

"Chaney went to Montana only a couple of weeks ago and was working with a round-up outfit. He had an operation performed for appendicitis in Casper last spring and the wound was not yet healed. He is well known and well liked in the Bates Hole country where he worked all winter, and his many friends hope he will recover."

Casper Tribune-Herald, 1934

Still prohibited - "HOME BREW TAKEN IN POLICE RAID

"Paraphernalia for the manufacture of 'home brew' and 210 cases of the beverage product were found at the residence of Elmer G. Long at 906 North Kimball street in a raid made by city and federal officers . … Long was arrested and lodged in the city jail, pending the decision of authorities whether he would face a city or federal charge. Equipment seized included crocks, bottles, caps, sugar and a capping machine."

Short in the tooth - "CHILD HAS TOOTH AT FOUR DAYS OLD

"Mr. and Mrs. A. R. Dillon, 926 South Washington street, are receiving the compliments of their friends on the birth of a six-pound daughter, Marchita Mae, July 7. Although only four days old, Marchita Mae already has cut a tooth."

Casper Tribune-Herald, 1959

Whacked out - "Mower Routs Jail Breakers At Ten Sleep

"The sharp, clattering blades of a mowing machine in a north-central Wyoming alfalfa field proved … to be the undoing of three men who had successfully eluded capture for more than a week after their escape from the Natrona County jail in Casper.

"The trio … were hiding in the field about 14 miles south of Ten Sleep, when Cecil McGarvin … began to mow the alfalfa. … (T)hey became worried as the mowing machine came closer and closer to their hiding place. They finally had to reveal themselves … to avoid being cut. …

"(T)hey will now face jailbreak charges in addition to the original charges upon which they were being held in jail. …

"(O)fficers attempted to find the jail keys which the fugitives [threw] out of the stolen car. … The expense of changing all the locks in the county jail makes recovery of the jail keys even more important."

Reckless - "Driverless Auto Goes For a Spin

"There was no 'Invisible Man' behind the wheel of the station wagon … at the residence of Mrs. Lois L. Abas at 3024 East Second. … But the 'wagon' backed out of the garage, cramped back on East Second, and rolled down the street with no driver or passengers.

"Mrs. Abas ran out of the house and … watched helplessly as the station wagon rolled a half block down the street, jumped a curb to the sidewalk, weaved back to the street, hit the left side of a pickup truck, continued for 1 1/2 blocks, … then came to rest on a sidewalk near the intersection of Sun Drive. …

"The wagon left its right rear door hooked on the bumper of the truck. …

"Police said Mrs. Abas had failed to set the emergency brake. The driveway is steep."

Casper Star-Tribune, 1984

Rejected - A "perennial congressional candidate" from Torrington, running for U.S. Senate, "lost his appeal … to the Wyoming Supreme Court over what he claimed was a breached contract for sexual favors."

Lower courts dismissed the man's action, "saying the contract was illegal, being the equivalent of prostitution, and was unenforceable."

"A unanimuous opinion … affirmed the previous rulings," calling the action "a frivolous appeal that is an 'insult to the judicial system and the citizens of this state.'"

"The essence of the agreement … was that [the man] would transfer a 1970 Pontiac automobile to a woman. … In return, she would pay him $100 and 'bestow upon him 100 sexual favors.'"

The woman "hadn't paid the $100 and 'had only partially otherwise performed,' but she already had the car."

Too much celebrating - "Busy day for Barrett at park

"A 'rowdy' day at Edness Kimball Wilkins State Park ended … when Natrona County Sheriff John Barrett arrested a man who allegedly urinated near a crowd of people, then continued to expose himself.

"'It was a mess,' the sheriff said. …

"(The) arrest … sparked a stern warning from Barrett. 'There will be no more urinating in public. There will be no more fighting. There will be no more obscene language. … People will behave themselves.'

"Problems in the park began after people 'had been drinking most of the afternoon.'"

"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, except where noted.