Past Pages

130 Years Ago

Woman's constancy: A woman from Oregon about 30 years of age, dressed in black and possessor of a sweet but melancholy face passed by the Ormsby House. She was on her way to visit the State Prison. She and a convict became betrothed some dozen years ago in Portland. A short time after their betrothal he went to the eastern part of the state for the purpose of bettering his pecuniary condition. He became engaged in a quarrel in which he killed his antagonist and was sentenced to prison for a very long time. The unfortunate woman has never seen her betrothed since the day he left her, nearly twelve years ago... She comes here to endeavor to do something for him.

120 Years Ago

All sorts: The Calaveras county tarantulas take the bakery for size ... one was caught while crawling up a man's back and it measured three inches across the back, large enough to make an ornament for a lady's bonnet.

70 Years Ago

Dual husband: Two wives claimed custody of the body of Louis Huot, who had maintained two separate households for 18 years. Each woman said Huot had told them that his work made it necessary for him to be absent from home several nights a week. "He was a perfect husband and ideal mate," according to the two women. A court fight between them over Huot's $30,000 estate appeared certain.

50 Years Ago

President Kennedy asked Congress for authority to order up to 150,000 members of the ready reserve of the armed forces to active duty because of the tense international situation in Berlin and Cuba.

30 Years Ago

Test tube babies: Two test tube babies were born hundreds of miles apart, but share the same birthday. They are the sixth and seventh "test-tube" babies in the United States.

10 Years Ago

Telethon: The Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon raised funds for the Muscular Dystrophy Association with a record $58.3 million. Lewis, 76, was assisted during the fundraiser by Ed McMahon, Wayne Brady and Norm Crosby... The 37th annual broadcast was shown on about 200 television stations.

• Sue Ballew is the daughter of Bill Dolan, who wrote this column for the Nevada Appeal from 1947 until his death in 2006.