Ready to rescue
25 years ago — 1993
Jerry Lee Lewis’s belongings — from pianos to autographed posters — are scheduled to be sold at auction June 2 in Memphis. The possessions were seized May 6 by the Internal Revenue Service from the singer’s home in Nesbit, Miss. Proceeds from the auction will go toward paying the more than $1.6 million Lewis owes in back taxes, penalties and interest. Three pianos, including a George Steck baby grand, top the list of more than 350 items listed by the Jackson, Miss., office of the IRS, which is handling the auction. The IRS will set minimum bids for each item.
50 years ago — 1968
A civil rights advisory group said yesterday a serious problem exists with respect to law enforcement agencies in Memphis if only a few of the police brutality complaints are substantiated. “Our tentative conclusion is that a situation exists in the city of Memphis which requires full investigation by appropriate federal, state and local authorities,” said Henry O. Forgy Jr., acting chairman of the Tennessee State Advisory Committee to the United States Commission on Civil Rights. The committee, which ended two days of closed hearings yesterday on brutality complaints, said it will recommend that a transcript of the hearings and testimony be forwarded to the Justice Department with a request for an investigation.
75 years ago — 1943
The City Commission yesterday moved to protect victory gardeners with the passage on the first reading of two ordinances — one providing penalties for stealing from the gardens, the other authorizing permits to use city-owned land for gardens.
100 years ago — 1918
PARIS — This city is now guarded by innumerable “sausage” balloons, sent up each evening to a considerable height. Wires dangle from the balloons to snare German aeroplanes and often great nets are stretched between balloons for the same purpose. Attached to each balloon is a device like a large doll house in which an observer sits.
125 years ago — 1893
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court has ruled that the Chinese Exclusion Act is constitutional. The act bars immigration of Chinese and provides for the deportation of those already living here unless they comply with severe registration procedures. Diplomatic and naval officials fear the law will lead to severance of commercial and diplomatic relations with the Chinese empire.