Other Times
100 Years Ago – 1917:
Armed with a .38 caliber revolver, a Central Avenue man caused much excitement in the vicinity of Third and Edwards late last night and led Chester police on a spirited chase before he was captured. The man displayed the revolver during an argument in a saloon and then ran from police. He first jumped on Constable Locke, and, after showing his gun, caused the constable to run for help. Reinforced by two bluecoats, the trio of offices took the self-styled desperate man in custody. 75 Years Ago – 1942: Charles Whitehead, of 2109 Chestnut St., Chester, is convinced that he was the victim of a “Mickey Finn” early Saturday morning. The First Ward resident entered police headquarters shortly before 5 a.m. Saturday and related his experience. He stated he entered a tap room in the eastern part of the city about 1 a.m. and ordered a drink of high-grade whiskey. He said he walked to a rear room and, returning to the bar, partook of his drink. “That,” he declared, “is all I remember until I came to my senses a short time ago,” he said, awaking on a sidewalk at Third Street and Morton Avenue with his wallet missing. 50 Years Ago – 1967: Brothers John and James Frogatt took Chester’s bounty rat program seriously. Late last week they began setting out traps near a warehouse at 14th and Crosby streets so they could catch the rats, cut off the their tails and sell them to the city for 10 cents each. They didn’t expect to get rich on the venture, but by Sunday they had eight rat tails and traps out, awaiting the official opening Tuesday of the city’s rat season.
25 Years Ago – 1992: Will President Bush dump Vice President Dan Qualye from the Republican ticket and replace him with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Colin Powell? Will James Baker be able to pump some energy into Bush’s sputtering re-election campaign? Those are some of the questions on the minds of Republicans gathering in Texas for the GOP National Convention, according to Springfield Republican leader Charles Sexton, who was in Houston serving on the convention credentials committee.
10 Years Ago – 2007: The chances of a Major League Soccer team making its home in Chester increased Tuesday with Gov. Ed Rendell saying publicly that the state supports the project. Rendell told reporters a professional sports team “could transform the city of Chester.”