75 years ago

October 12, 1942

A razor-wielding “slasher” who spoiled several hundred dollars worth of clothing at J.C. Penney and Sears in the past few days is being sought by Aberdeen Police, Chief A.M. “Pat” Gallagher disclosed today.

Three times since last Wednesday, the “slasher” visited both stores, slicing up men’s suits and work clothes and women’s dresses and coats, and walked out before the vandalism was discovered and without arousing suspicion in the minds of scores of clerks.

Gallagher speculated the “slasher” is a woman with a grudge against the stores.

October 13, 1942

Great quantities of high grade iron are available in every town and city in the United States and there is no reason why this source shouldn’t be tapped and the metal replaced with plywood.

That’s what J.E. Calder, former mayor of Montesano and founder of The Vidette, said today in declaring that he referred to manhole covers. The big discs of iron are probably the easiest form of scrap metal to gather. And it should be just as simple a matter to produce plywood manhole covers or waterproof plywood to replace said, he argues.

“Isn’t this plywood just as good for manhole covers? It’s strong enough and it shouldn’t be very hard to fashion. And we would be solving a need for war metal,” Calder said

50 years ago

October 12, 1967

“We think we have the prettiest store in town,” said Central Drug-owner Walt Foelkner thoughtfully as he stood near his four-month old store building at Wishkah and G streets.

Foelkner’s business inhabits about 3,500 square feet of the new building. The other space is occupied by the Aberdeen liquor store and the Mixer Market.

There is a traditional air about Central Drug, as modern as it is structurally. Foelkner still has, for example, the old Toledo “no-springs” scale used by Aberdeen weight watchers in the old store. It’s standing near the drug counter in all its brass splendor.

The tiny counter below the scale reads “801,578” — which is how many people have weighed themselves on the scale since Foelkner bought it 41 years ago.

October 13, 1967

A police car driven by J.E. (Tony) McLendon, Westport town marshal, was fired upon with a blast from a shotgun about 3:30 o’clock this morning as it was passing the Westport Town Hall. McLendon was not hurt but a front tire of the car was torn off by the blast, and later 60 pellet holes were counted in the automobile.

“I think it was a scare move,” McLendon said. “Some folks apparently don’t like police officers here.” He pointed out that the Sea Mist Motel, owned by Deputy Crisp, was set afire on Oct. 2. Roman’s In and Out, a mile south of Twin Harbors State Park and owned by Deputy Marshal Everett Roman, has been the objective of vandals, having been smeared with paint and eggs, its mailbox filled with eggs and most recently all its windows broken by rocks.

25 years ago

October 12, 1992

“I think all three of them are a bunch of knotheads,” said Ron Stallcop about the presidential debate between Ross Perot, Gov. Bill Clinton and President Bush.

“All they want to do is raise taxes and spend more money and that doesn’t help the little guy,” Stallcop, a 34-year-old self-employed contractor, said Monday morning while drinking coffee at the East Side Duffy’s.

Mike Braaten, 46, an Aberdeen painter, said he thought Clinton “looked pretty good. I think he’s real scholarly — a lot more scholarly than Bush. … I think (Clinton) came across better in his answers. He had a lot more charisma, too.”

October 13, 1992

Two Aberdeen Police officers were being hailed as heroes this morning after braving flames and acrid smoke to rescue a 50-year-old Central Park man.

Officers Monte Glaser, 39 and David Johnson, 29, made three trips into the house at 4008 Lake Aberdeen Road, before they found Larry Lee Christoffer unconscious in a living room chair about 2:30 a.m.

“They unquestionably saved this person’s life,” said Police Chief Bill Ellis.

Compiled from the archives of The Daily World by Karen Barkstrom