Remember When?

Daring Daytime Purse Robbers Nabbed in Fayette County

September 5-9, 1975

A night-long investigation of a purse snatching in Smithville late Monday afternoon resulted in the apprehension of four subjects. Fayette County Deputy Sheriff Vastine Koopmann said a Smithville woman had laid her handbag on her car hood while talking with a neighbor, when a young male jumped out of a green car that had cruised by earlier. He grabbed the handbag, jumped back into the car and took off. The bag contained between $500 and $600 in cash and around $900 in bonds. After a pick-up alert was radioed to La Grange and other points, the suspect’s car was halted on Hwy. 95 in Flatonia at 7:45 p.m. by Police Chief Byrd, and a 31-year-old man was taken into custody. Armed with information about the other subjects that had been dropped off in La Grange, Vastine Koopmann, city police officer Darrell Koopmann and Constable Ovie Roensch began a search which led to the apprehension of three additional suspects at 1:30 a.m. They were transported to Bastrop and charged with felony theft. Some of the missing bonds were recovered in the car at Flatonia and $108 of the money was found in La Grange. A search continued for the rest of the monies.

Guenther Flying Service just west of La Grange on Hwy. 71 was the next burglary victim. Culprits who broke into the airport shop-office area made away with a variety of tools and sensitive testing equipment valued at more than $4,300, owner-manager Frank J. Guenther told sheriff’s officers. The loot included a variety of electronic testing equipment used on radios and aircraft, meters, tools of all sorts, wrenches and an aircraft ‘unicom’ radio. A spokesman for the sheriff’s department said the burglars likely backed a truck into the open hangar, broke open a door into the shop-office and loaded their haul. The investigation was ongoing.

The rejuvenated Plum Yankees won the 1975 Community League Championship, 4-3, over Noack’s Bears in 16 innings at Fair Park on Sunday. Steve Janda started on the hill for Plum and went more than 10 innings, giving up three runs on seven hits during his stint. Kenny Hatfield relieved him with runners on first and second, and then retired the side without further damage. Charles Koepke went to the hill in the 12th and, after he walked the first Noack batter, Hatfield returned to the mound and re-tired the side. Koepke went to the hill for the second time in the 13th and finished with credit for the victory. Other Plum Yankee players were: Mickey Muzny, Jeff Lindemann, Mark Muzny, Steve Kovar, Marcus Cook, Larry Hatfield, Danny Muzny, Mike Pechal, Tommy Supak, Harold Lindemann, Ronnie Walls, Ricky Walla, Raymond Prihoda, George Maxwell and Mike Maxwell.

TheFayetteCountyFairAssociation estimated more than 34,000 persons passed through the gates at the big Labor Day weekend event in La Grange. According to Secretary-Treasurer Aubrey D. Voelkel, “Attendance was at least 3,000 to 4,000 more than in 1974.” (The total was an educated guess because no turnstiles recorded the number of people entering the fairgrounds.)

A total of 1,250 students were in class in La Grange Public Schools when the 1975-76 term opened Tuesday morning, Superintendent C.A. Lemmons reported.Thatwas95morethan the first day of school the prior year. The elementary school’s enrollment stood at 518, junior high had 250 students and 482 were at the high school. The sophomore class was the largest with 127 students.

Texans could expect to pay more for automobile insurance because of increasing accidents and rising repair bills, according to F. Darby Hammond, the president of Southwestern Insurance Information Service.

Funeral services were held for: Mrs. Pearl Kelly, 68, of Muldoon; Clinton P. Krause, 57, of Warrenton; Mrs. Alex (Katholeen) Etzell Weyand, 90, formerly of Carmine; and Mrs. Mattie Voelkel, 89, of Shelby.

Two Fayette County students, who were among the graduates of the College of Education at The University of Texas, attained the honor roll. They were Mary Lou Mayer of La Grange, Summa Cum Laude, and Laurie M. Matejowsky of Ledbetter, Cum Laude.

A 50-inch rattlesnake with eight rattles and a button was killed about four blocks from the courthouse square in La Grange. Joe Sedlar dispatched the invader with a golf club in the yard of Mrs. Lucy Muske on Docekal St.

Five Fayette County residents were selected to serve as jury commissioners for the next term of the 155th District Court. They were: O.W. Albers and Elmond Baumbach, both of La Grange; Earl Needham of Flatonia, Fred Knippel Jr. of Fayetteville, and Roscoe Curtis of Schulenburg.

Bellville’s Big Red Brahma team, disregarding singles, denoting high ratings ahead, thundered down the track here Friday night to post a 21-12 victory after a 45-minute run. The La Grange Leopard train, meanwhile, was the victim of several derailments, which aided and abetted the Bellville flyer, and so it went before packed stands at the opening football game of the season at Leopard Field.

For more great stories, visit Elaine online at www. elainethomaswriter.com/blog/ or call her at (979) 263-5031.