Other days

— 100 YEARS AGO Dec. 26, 1912 HOT SPRINGS - When John O’Hern, a visitor, had accumulated an abundance of Christmas cheer in the form of a vast assortment of drinks, and he realized he was intoxicated, he came to the conclusion that Central avenue, the city’s principal thoroughfare, was no place for him. The first convincing intimation that John had that he was not his normal self was when he collided with a waiter from a restaurant, carrying a tray loaded down with a dinner. John was profuse in his apologies. “I am drunk and the street is no place for me,” he said. “Is there a policeman about? I want him to lock me up, I deserve to be punished.” Turning to the crowd that had been attracted by his call for a policeman, the man askedto be shown to the city jail. When placed behind the bars, John could contain himself no longer and entertained the other prisoners with Christmas songs and stories.

50 YEARS AGO Dec. 26, 1962 Arkansas received a grim present Christmas Eve night when traffic fatalities hit a new annual high of 504 deaths. As of today there have been 509traffic deaths on Arkansas highways since Jan. 1, compared with the previous record of 503 for all of 1941 and 448 at the same time last year, according to Capt. Bill Miller of the Arkansas State Police.

25 YEARS AGO Dec. 26, 1987 WEST MEMPHIS - For the second time in as many weeks, tornado-crippled West Memphis was tormented by Mother nature as torrential Christmas Eve rainfall resulted in Christmas Day flooding. The flooding occurred the day after Gov. Bill Clinton handed out the first disaster relief aid checks to tornado victims. “Everything the tornado didn’t get, the water did,” said Charles Dabbs, a West Memphis Police Department patrolman.

10 YEARS AGO Dec. 26, 2002

A national bird count has grown in significance because of the outbreak of West Nile virus that has plagued Arkansas and the rest of the nation. Officials with National Audubon Society are hoping that volunteer birdwatchers will help them gauge the impact West Nile has had on several bird species during the annual Christmas Bird Count.

Arkansas, Pages 10 on 12/26/2012

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