100 YEARS AGO — 1917

The annual Ernest debate will take place in the Centre College chapel next Friday evening. The subject will be, “Resolved, that the President of the United States should be elected for a single term of six years and not be eligible for re-election.”

Every merchant in Danville who has customers on the Perryville, Danville or Lebanon roads, and those people who live on these roads, should contribute something to the gentleman from Mitchellsburg who ran a snow plow over the road from Perryville to Danville and from Danville to Mitchellsburg yesterday. Prior to that, these roads were impassable for machines, and almost impassable for a horse and buggy. To make these roads passable, it required the service of four men and eight horses an entire day.

The Cogar Grain & Coal Company recently sold about 9,000 bushels of wheat at $2 a bushel to four local millers and to a Chattanooga business. Clell Coleman also sold a large quantity of wheat at the same price. He has used a great quantity at his mill at Burgin and sold several thousand bushels to Chattanooga.

Henry Burdette, a man from Danville who was sent to the penitentiary under the habitual criminal act, proved a hero in fighting the recent fire in the prison. In recognition of his valuable work, Gov. Stanley has issued a pardon for Burdette.

Ben Smith, driver of the hose wagon at the fire department, received serious injuries when one of the horses mashed him against a stall. Uncle’ Ben’s chest was smashed in and the injuries have been causing him great pain. He is a careful and efficient man and will be greatly missed by the department while he recovers.

Charles Coats, of Danville, who has attracted much attention and at one time had the sympathy of the good people on account of having lost both hands in an accident, was arrested and charged with bartering whiskey. He was tried and given a stiff fine of $60 and 20 days in the work house.

75 YEARS AGO — 1942

Wm. Stilliman & Sons, local dealers in furs, hides, etc., and buyers of scrap metals, waste paper, etc. was established in 1873. The company is rendering valuable aid at this time in buying waste paper and other materials needed by the government in its defense programs.

Ralph Costello, 34, who said he had been in jail 43 times on vagrancy charges in several states was convicted in Danville on a breach of the peace charge and fined $5 and costs. Costello said his home was in Cincinnati was accused of walking up to the car of Mrs. Jack Goggin of Danville and saying, “Move over lady. I want to take a ride.” The judge told Costello he was to get out of town and stay out. Costello admitted that he was “a hobo and bum” and said he had been in jails from California to Alabama.

The Educational War Relief Program, sponsored by the local Farm Bureau at Hustonville, will get under way on Jan. 21 in the Hustonville high school building. This program has been set up to establish a local meeting place where everyone in the community can come and select some type of work they would like to do to aid this county during the present emergency. The war conditions have made it necessary that every individual in America do his part to aid our fight for freedom. On Wednesday night, all the ladies in the community are asked to meet in the study hall and start their knitting program. All farmers and other interested men are asked to meet in the agriculture room where they will start their eduction program on the production of crops and livestock, and make arrangements for their Farm Shop Class for repairing machinery. For those men who are not farmers, a different type of program will be arranged.

50 YEARS AGO — 1967

The plastic-faced dolls, manufactured in Poland, and which were featured in news stories, including in The Advocate-Messenger, and found to have been offered for sale in some Danville downtown stores, have now been taken off the market, according to Lt. Paul Hammons of the local Fire Prevention Bureau of the Danville City Fire Department. Lt. Hammons conducted his own investigation, and said that the flame resulting when the doll’s face is exposed to it, appears to have pressure and seems to act as a blow torch. Any persons here who have dolls of this type, and who want to have them examined, are requested to take them to the the Fire Inspector at the Danville Fire Department.

At a presentation during the Kiwanis Club meeting, Don Harkins, Danville city prosecutor, said what we pay our policemen is below the prevailing scale for common labor in the city. He said 18 policemen, including the chief and assistant chief, with patrolmen making an average of $1.37 an hour, constitutes the Danville Police Department for this third-class city of 12,500 people.

25 YEARS AGO — 1992

The old city-county landfill at Alum Springs is causing new financial headaches for local officials. Danville City Commission and Boyle County Fiscal Court stopped using the landfill more than five years ago because of the enormous expense of operating it. They decided to take the less costly approach of hauling garbage to Tri-K Landfill in Lincoln County. But the process for closing the landfill has gotten much more complicated and costly. One of the biggest problems discovered is that garbage was put into areas not permitted by Waste Management. It was put over natural springs. Corrective action is needed before the actual closing can begin.

Students taking classes from Lindsey Wilson College in its Danville program are expected to learn that the Columbia college is dropping its off campus programs in Danville. In addition to local classes, Lindsey Wilson provides college course work to more than 250 inmates in Kentucky prisons, including Northpoint Training Center, which is also expected to be dropped. Lindsey Wilson, which recently expanded to a four-year college, has offered its off-campus programs here for about seven years. About 200 people have attended Lindsey Wilson classes which are held at Boyle County High School.

The man accused of killing Stanford police officer Gary Kidwell will go on trial Tuesday in Jessamine County, but testimony in the case is not expected to begin for a few days. Commonwealth’s Attorney Thomas Lockridge said the prosecution will be seeking the death penalty. The case was moved from Lincoln County to Jessamine Circuit Court under a change of venue. Thomas Wade Watkins is charged with capital murder, armed robbery, and three counts of kidnapping. He is accused of shooting Kidwell to death during a traffic top the night of Jan. 20, 1991. Authorities allege that while fleeing police, Watkins commandeered a vehicle and kidnapped its three occupants. The hostages were later released unharmed and the man was apprehended by police near the Tennessee border.