Looking Back

(Editor’s Note: This column looking back at St. Francis County’s history is featured each Friday on this Lifestyles page along with the week’s History Photo. The items included in this column were printed in previous editions of the Times-Herald.)

June 1964

Youth Killed Instantly - Jack Lamar Cole, age 9, of here was pronounced dead on arrival at the local hospital. He was involved in an accident on his bicycle at the corner of North Izard and Tennessee streets. According to witnesses, said Police Chief George Trusty, Cole was riding south on Izard and ran into the left rear drive wheel of a truck, driven by Ralph Eldridge, 44, of Route 1 Palestine, traveling east on Tennessee Street. The boy was then thrown under the vehicle and apparently killed instantly by the truck's dual wheels. Eldridge was charged with negligent homicide and later released from the county jail in $1,000 bond. He would be tried on the charges in the next term of court. The Arkansas State Police said this was the first fatality involving a bicyclemotor vehicle here since July 3, 1863. At that time, Jerry Raper, a 12-year-old of Hughes, was killed in such a collision. Cole was born in Memphis and was the son of Maudie Bernice Leslie and Robert Lee Cole. He and his family had moved here about two months ago making their home at 1133 N. Izard.

Boy Killed - Elaine, Ark. Calvin Lee White, 6, was shot to death at his home near here during a game of cops and robbers. Deputy Sheriff Basil Jones said the victim and Charles Mathes, 19, a cousin, were playing when Mathes shot the younger boy with a 12-gauge shotgun. The Mathes boy said he thought the gun wasn't loaded.

Two More - Douglas L. Hand, 21, of Wynne, who was arrested here and charged with the theft of five Chain hoists at Yale and Towne, where he was an employee, was released on $1,000 bond after he waived preliminary hearing. Hand would go before the August term of Circuit Court to answer charges of burglary and grand larceny. Also, Raymond Bushong, 34, and James Watts, 24, both of Wynne, were arrested in connection with receiving stolen property after allegedly helping Hand dispose of the stolen hoists.

Local Teen On Carson Everyone was encouraged to watch the Johnny Carson Tonight Show because a local teenager was slated to appear on the program. Miss Belinda Hutcherson, daughter of George T. Hutcherson of this city, called her parents to tell them. Belinda was a house guest of her aunt and uncle, Mr. and Mrs. Al Sozio of Burlington, N.J., and their daughter Sharon, and was joining them for a stay at New York City's fabulous WaldorfAstoria. While the New York trip was planned by the Sozios and Belinda for the purpose of seeing the World's Fair, the foursome planned other exciting ventures. In addition to the Carson TV appearance, Mr. Sozio, an Eastern restauranteur, has also planned a dinner party with Paul Anka, teenage singing idol, as special guest.

Golf Club Head Factory - The golf club head manufacturing business here was booming. This could come as a surprise to many county residents who didn't even know that there was a golf club head manufacturing business anywhere near here. However, there was such a business located at Wheatley and owned by the True Temper Corporation. The Wheatley plant had some highly modern equipment developed for the purpose of turning logs bought from farmers all over the area into golf club heads. This plant was one of four in the nation. The reason this area was chosen for the factory was the main ingredient for such production, persimmon trees, are available in sufficient number to supply the need for over 25,000 solid golf club heads per month.

Home Town Boy Goes Pro Don Kessinger, greatest athlete in Forrest City High School history, reached the apex of his career when he signed a major league contract with the Chicago Cubs. Kessinger, in an exclusive interview with the writer, stated that the Cubs offered him the most lucrative contact from all angles and that he thought his chances were better for advancement sooner. Many scouts said that Kessinger had the fastest hands in baseball and most agreed that he would become a great major league player. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Kessinger of this city and has one sister, Mrs. Wilton Oswalt also of here and a brother, Bill Kessinger, of West Memphis. Kessinger participated in four sports at FCHS, and as a Mustang made All State and All American and was an outstanding American Legion player. He was a star athlete at Ole Miss in basketball and baseball where he set many conference records and made All American. His baseball batting average for this season was .432 and that no doubt attracted multiple scouts.

Vanishing Wilderness - The following story was being sent out nationally by the Memphis United Press Editor, noted Bill Vaughn is a former TimesHerald editor. West Memphis On the banks of the Mississippi where the thriving gambling town of Hopefield once existed and where the great French philosopher, historian and poet, Conte de Volney wrote his famous book, "The Ruins," a wilderness untouched by civilization for almost a hundred years now rises. A promontory of the Arkansas bank, the towering trees, cotton fields and bramble patches form a vivid contrast to the tall office buildings of metropolitan Memphis about a mile downstream. So much so that Arkansas officials were deep in a project to create a state park on the land. Once a sprawling river town that was burned by federal troops during the Civil War, only a few rough pyramids of stone survived the yearly dunking by the flooding river and remained as evidence of the town's existence. Hopefield was founded 171 years ago when Benjamin Foy, a Dutchman, was sent to the Chickasaw Bluffs about 1793 by Gayoso, Spanish governor of Louisana, as a agent to the Chickasaw Indians. The Spaniards built Fort San Franando De Las Barrancas in 1795 on the bluffs where Memphis now stands. When Americans began applying pressure on the Spaniards in 1797, Foy and the soldiers moved across the river and built Fort Esperanza which means Hopefield when translated. Although he moved across the river, Foy continued to collect tribute from riverboats. When the Spaniards left, he remained and accumulated livestock, kept a store and owned a small barge. Under the American regime that followed the Louisiana purchase, Foy became a magistrate and was visited by the most distinguished tourists from foreign countries. One of those was Conte de Volney who wrote "The Ruins" on Foy's writing desk. The town flourished as a river port with a river rail transfer landing. Trains then were loaded on barges and ferried to Hopefield before being placed back on the tracks in the days when there was no bridge. The ferries carried another type of cargopassengers who flocked to the Arkansas gambling city. River steamboats also pulled up at landings regularly to allow passengers to disembark at the roaring town. It died during the civil war – every building was burned. Since that time, the spot virtually had been allowed to revert to a riverbank jungle. Wildlife scurried up and down the banks within full view of the smoke and noise that rose from the Memphis waterfront. The move to create a park was started in nearby West Memphis, principally by Crittenden County Judge Milton Beck of Marion. The Arkansans hoped to lease at least an 80acre tract of land in the state and procure funds from the area redevelopment act to develop the park. The proposed park would be a wilderness type with camping and picnic facilities, hiking and bridle trails. But each year the river would rise for a few months to reclaim the ruins of Hopefield, Arkansas.

Top Mann - Realtor Ray Kerr racked up the highest grade in his class in a special course in real estate transactions conducted by the University of Tennessee Extension Branch in Memphis. Over 30 real estate men from throughout this area were enrolled in the course.

First Woman Officer - Mrs. Elisa Bitz was installed as historian for the American Legion King Beazley Post No. 4 in Forrest City. She was the first woman officer in the history of the post. Mrs. Bitz served in the Women's Army Corp as director of a military hospital during World War II.

Scared Thief With Finger - Dr. Carl Northcutt yelled "Bang!" and the fleeing fugitive fell. The "shootout" started when Northcutt surprised a burglar at the Stuttgart Clinic. The man jumped through a window stood on a desk and looked out. The fellow was lying dazed on the ground eight feet below. He ignored Northcutt's warning not to move, got up and started away. "Bang! Bang! Bang!" Northcutt shouted extending his finger like a pistol barrel. The man fell, then scrambled up and disappeared in the darkness, leaving Northcutt wondering about the effectiveness of his forefinger. The burglar took nothing from the clinic and left a pair of glasses, a comb and a small crowbar.

Holamon Winner - Ken Holamon, son of Mr. and Mrs. Troy K. Holamon, was state winner in the25th annual Veterans of Foreign Wars' Ladies Auxiliary sponsored the National High School Writing Contest. Holamon's essay, "The Foreign Student in America...An Opportunity for Friendship," was one of over 30 submitted in Arkansas by ninth,10th,11th and 12th graders.

Donates Profit - Bob McCuistion, administrator of the local hospital, said that a local business donated its entire profit to the Forrest Hall Nursing Home. The business, a local lemonade stand, is operated by Jim Lieblong, 12-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Lieblong; Carol Proctor, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Lindsey Proctor and Paula Roberts, 9, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Roberts. The donation consisted of the sum of 78 cents.

Caldwell Dairy Freeze - The Dairy Freeze opened for summer under the management of Mrs. Cecil Berry. Joyce Marie Berry would be helping the owner.

Horse Show Winners - Fine gaited and walking horses from as far away as Great Falls, Montana, completed in 13 exciting events at the Sixth Annual Charity Horse Show English Show at the Wiley T. Jones Fairgrounds. Local winners included:Class One, Junior Horsemanship, age 15 and under – First, Janet Groves riding Main Line Joe; second, Claudia O'Dell, riding Dapper Dan; third, Debra Cohen, riding Brigadier; fourth, Susie Hoffman, riding Candy and fifth, Loretta Gibson, riding Miss Priss. Class Four, Ladies Walking Horses (18 and over) - Third, Martha Gandy (Mrs. L.J. Jr.), riding Dixie Queen from Webb Sweet Stables. Class Ten, Amateur Walking Horse - First Walter Sweet riding Ace's Fascination from the Webb Sweet Stables. Class Eleven, Pleasure Class - Fourth, Claudia O'Dell riding Dapper Dan.

Benson Dies - Mrs. Lucille Benson, age 84, died here. She had been in failing health and had been critically ill for the past week. Mrs. Benson was born here on Dec. 19,1979, and was the daughter of Eliza Izard and Dr. R.G. Dye. She made her home here with her daughter, Mrs. W.J. Clanton at 924 Smith Street. Mrs. Benson's grandfather, Mark W. Izard, was the first white settler in what is now Forrest City. Her parental grandfather was one of the first Baptist preachers in the area.

Killed By Car - Jesse James Jr., a 16-year-old, of Hughes, was struck and killed by a car as he walked along Arkansas 36 four miles north of Hughes. James’s death brought to five the number of Arkansas fatalities recorded in the county from 6 p.m. Friday to midnight Sunday. Three died in traffic accidents, one drowned and one died in a plane crash.