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Friday, April 19, 2013

100 YEARS AGO April 19, 1913

FORT SMITH - William Phelan was held to the United States Grand Jury yesterday by Commissioner Sam Woods on a charge of defacing mail matter in a letter box. Phelan was arrested by a policeman, after he had poured a bucket of stale beer in a letter box containing a large quantity of mail matter. Phelan testified in his preliminary hearing that he had been crazy since he was 12 years of age. He stated that his insanity became acute when he reached a town where saloons exist.

50 YEARS AGO April 19, 1963

SPRINGDALE - W.T. Pitt’s Civil War patrol has been pulled off the job of guarding his maple tree, but Pitts said the Rebels were “subject to call to battle stations.” Eight northwest Arkansas Civil War buffs stood with muzzle-loading rifles around the tree on Pitts’ used car lot yesterday to keep a construction company from chopping it down to widen a highway. Pitts’ attorney said yesterday Pitts had asked that an injunction against the highway department be made permanent and that the soldiers had been removed pending a hearing in Washington Chancery Court.

25 YEARS AGO April 19, 1988

A group of black organizations Monday announced a six-month boycott against the Arkansas Democrat, saying the newspaper has “apparently declared war against the Urban League of Arkansas.” Attorney Austin Porter Jr., reading from a news release, said “the Democrat’s persistence in finding evidence of illegal activity on the part of Urban League officials in their operation of the Head Start program not only represents an attack against the credibility of the Urban League, but represents an attack against the credibility of the black community.” Democrat Managing Editor John Robert Starr said neither the newspaper nor he would be intimidated by the boycott.

10 YEARS AGO April 19, 2003

VILONIA - In the middle of Vilonia’s grassy countryside lay hay bales and rusting pickups and now a million-dollar helicopter. Air Evac Lifeteam has built its fifth Arkansas helicopter base to get residents of rural Faulkner County and the surrounding area to the state’s most sophisticated medical facilities as quickly as possible. Air Evac has tried to establish its five Arkansas bases to serve the state’s rural communities. Nearly 12 years ago Air Evac established its first base in Springdale and now has other bases in Jonesboro, Yellville and Paris.

Arkansas, Pages 10 on 04/19/2013