Daniel Sandoval

Whether it is God or the devil who holds sway in the details, there is often agreement upon the principle but disagreement in the particulars of a plan. Attention to troublesome detail was in the news for the first week of January, with an arrest in 1907, landscaping in 1932, a mayor in 1957 and with credits in 1982.

100 years ago

Hoosegow - People in Natrona County were startled by the abrupt retirement and subsequent arrest of their sheriff in January 1907. County statute complicated the arrest of Frank Webb because only the county coroner was empowered to arrest the sheriff, according to the Jan. 9, 1907, Natrona County Tribune.

County Prosecutor E. Richard Shipp had the papers drawn up and had no way to legally serve them because a coroner was not available to arrest Sheriff Webb. Once Sheriff Webb turned in his star, he was charged with voluntarily allowing an inmate to escape custody.

H.F. "Jack" Williams was out on bond and awaiting trial for a shooting incident the previous summer. Williams became fixated on his employer, widow and rancher Mrs. John Adam, and when she declined his marriage proposal, Williams snapped and went on a shooting rampage, wounding Mrs. Adam and ranch hand Homer Green.

Bondsmen brought Williams to Sheriff Webb to incarcerate Williams in December, and it was this period of county custody that was at issue in the charges against Webb. For someone supposed to be in jail, Williams was seen around Casper, traveling freely and liquidating his personal property.

To few people's surprise, Jack Williams fled custody and disappeared - it was thought he had about $2,500 to fund his escape from justice. Sheriff Webb gave immediate chase but was unable to capture Williams.

Air power - Unusually strong wind damaged some of Casper's infrastructure in the first week of January 1907. A 90-foot "hose tower" was pushed by wind until it collapsed upon Casper Town Hall. The tower collapse occurred around 9:30 on a Thursday night, and no injuries were reported.

Damage to the Town Hall was extensive. The roof was caved in and large swathes of brick were broken out of a support wall. It was feared that the impact of the falling tower may have busted the entire building free from its foundation. The top of the hose tower fell on "Dad" Renfro's kitchen and flattened it.

Other damage from the windstorm included the deconstruction of several houses under construction in Casper's Park Addition and the redistribution of a great quantity of lumber from Casper Lumber Co.

75 years ago

Legacy in parks - Weeks of anticipation were set to culminate with a tour of imagining a great park in Casper in the first half of January 1932. Harold Curtiss, landscape architect from the University of Wyoming, prepared plans tor the George Washington Memorial Park, and a public invitation to walk the site with the architect appeared in the Jan. 8, 1932, Casper Tribune-Herald.

The 27-acre tract of land presented challenges as well as opportunities, according to Curtiss, with Casper Mountain as a grand vista to the south but also with some tricky contours of ground in the rapid drop in elevation on the west side of the proposed site.

Curtiss imagined a landscape that took advantage of the ridge line so that park goers would have a commanding view of Casper's downtown area from much of the central promenade. There was a sense of urgency about the project because none of the plans were officially approved, and Washington's bicentennial was fast approaching Feb. 22,1932.

Undue trust - Authorities in Casper were growing concerned with the serial poisoning of dogs in January 1932. About half a dozen pets were killed by a person or people dubbed the "auto poisoner" in a systematic campaign of distributing poisoned meat.

50 years ago

Rhetorical rancor - Casper Mayor Tom Nicholas opened the Jan. 7, 1957, regular session of the City Council with the sort of yawn-inducing discourse people expect to hear at a council meeting, but at some point the comments pushed the limits of decorum.

Streets and traffic flow comprised the bulk of the tedious but necessary discussion, as reported by the Nov. 8, 1957, Casper Morning Star. When Councilman Dave Scott, however, dared suggest that Fred Goodstein and Milt Coffman be reappointed to their commission seats, the mayor lost some of his reserved demeanor.

Nicholas declared, "The mayor will not reappoint people who ignore the wishes of the people." Combining the objects of his criticism as "the man downstairs," Nicholas said the downstairs man was responsible for unfair criticism to downright lies directed at the Public Utilities Department.

Mayor Nicholas also added that there was an upcoming conference to fill the commissioner vacancies and that this conference was not open to the public.

When to quit - Even after being sentenced to jail for contempt of the Wyoming Supreme Court, a defendant used his opportunity to address the court to heap more criticism on the judicial system in the first week of January 1957.

Shortly after J. Norman Stone's admission to the bar was rejected, Stone began a fight against the legal system that resulted in the six-month term in Laramie County jail. Stone's attorney said they would appeal the conviction to the U.S. Supreme Court.

25 years ago

Just in case - Even though the Legislature had yet to approve funding for the Homestead Tax Credit, Natrona County Assessor Tom Sutherland said in the Jan. 8, 1982, Casper Star-Tribune that he would accept applications for the tax credit from the elderly and disabled.

"A Look Back in Time" is made possible with the help of Kevin S. Anderson, archivist for the Special Collections Library at Casper College, which is open to the public.