Other days
100 YEARS AGO July 27, 1919
CONWAY — James A. Williams escaped from the county jail Saturday by removing several bricks from the wall of the “runaround.” The escape was discovered by a small daughter of Deputy Sheriff Jake Summers. Bloodhounds were taken to the scene, but because of the large crowd that had gathered, they were unable to pick up the trail. Williams was seen running from the jail by several persons. It is believed he went to a point near the tunnel, about two miles northwest of Conway, and caught a freight train. When Deputy Sheriff Summers went to the jail after hearing of Williams’ escape, he saw Jack Merrit attempting to crawl through the hole. The officer locked him up in a cell. Six other prisoners are believed to have kept a watch for Williams while he was digging the hole.
50 YEARS AGO July 27, 1969
■ Cloudbursts in West Arkansas Saturday caused an undetermined amount of damage to property at Waldron, and drowned cattle in Scott and Logan Counties. Five boys swimming in Fourche River about 12 miles south of Waldron were caught in a flash flood, officers said. Two of them swam to the bank, but three boys were stranded in the swollen creek clinging to a tree. A Little Rock Air Force Base helicopter was dispatched at 6:03 p.m. to rescue the youths. It took the helicopter about an hour and 15 minutes to get to the site. However, an Air Force spokesman said Scott County Sheriff’s deputies climbed into a boat and rescued the boys before the ’copter arrived. The spokesman said the men went into the stream when the boys “panicked” and they didn’t think the boys could hold onto the tree until the helicopter arrived.
25 YEARS AGO July 27, 1994
■ A former Pulaski County sheriff’s office lieutenant was fined $500 on Tuesday and sentenced to a year’s probation after pleading guilty to falsifying records to buy discounted handguns. Pete Ronald Tamburo, a licensed gun dealer, stamped Sheriff Carroll Gravett’s signature on purchase letters that allowed him to buy guns at a 25 percent discount available only to law enforcement officers. … Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Larry Jegley told Circuit Judge Chris Piazza that Tamburo didn’t have authorization to use the rubber stamps. He said the records were falsified between Jan. 26, 1991, and Aug. 13, 1993.
10 YEARS AGO July 27, 2009
MOUNTAIN HOME — Wal-Mart wants to make another beer run in Baxter County. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has applied for a state permit to sell beer and wine at its Mountain Home Supercenter, seven years after dropping a similar effort when some local churches and an elected official objected. The Bentonville-based retailer wants a permit to sell beer and “small-farm” wines, which are made by wineries that produce no more than 250,000 gallons of wine annually. Wal-Mart renewed the effort because of customer requests, company spokesman Kelly Cheeseman said. “At this particular store we recognize there’s customer demand for us to sell a selection of beer and wine,” Cheeseman said. Thirty-four of Wal-Mart’s 88 Arkansas stores sell alcohol. Its Little Rock Sam’s Club, one of six in the state, also has alcohol sales, she said.