THE ARCHIVES

100 years ago

Dundee Corporation is being greatly hampered in its scheme of electricity extension by the retention in the army of Major Harry Richardson, Royal Engineers, the general manager and engineer in the Electrical Department. In the reconstruction schemes which are being carried out by private firms, the demand for electricity as the motive power is pretty extensive, but the Electrical Station is loaded up to its maximum and as a consequence no new customers can be accepted. The city is thus practically at a standstill.

50 years ago

James Earl Ray was sentenced to 99 years’ imprisonment in Memphis, Tennessee, after pleading guilty to the murder of civil rights leader Dr Martin Luther King. The jury did not even leave the box before agreeing to the Court-recommended sentence. Both the prosecution and defence said there was no evidence of any conspiracy in the death of the Nobel Peace Prize winning leader as he stood on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. But Ray, in vague remarks in court, appeared to deepen the mystery.

25 years ago

Government investigators near Aberfeldy have found a large cache of poisons, including enough Phosdrin to kill around 100 people. The chemicals were in an unsecured box in a forestry plantation. Together they represent the substances most frequently used to kill protected birds of prey in Scotland. The Phosdrin has claimed human victims. A spokesman for the agency who carried out chemical analysis, said: “It’s frightening to think what could have happened if a child had come across this box before the officers did.”

One year ago

A Perth auction house boss watched his family business go up in flames in a suspicious fire which destroyed hundreds of valuable objects. Firefighters battled for more than five hours to bring the overnight blaze at Iain M Smith Auctioneers’ premises at Scone aerodrome under control. Police said they were treating the incident as suspicious and they have launched a joint investigation with the fire service. Mr Smith said he was “devastated” by the disaster but vowed to rebuild the business.