Remember When?

Nov. 27-30, 1973

Sheriff’s deputies believe burglars, who ransacked two homes in the Ledbetter area, were looking for guns. Entry at the Carl L. Wendler home, where a color TV was taken, had been gained by breaking a door in half on the west side of the house. A .38 calibre pistol was missing from the George K. Hays weekend place, where entry had been gained by smashing a lock on the east door.

On Saturday night, heavy damage resulted from a fire that swept through about onethird of the Pat-Mac Produce Company warehouse building on E. Colorado St. The alarm was turned in at 6:45 p.m., and when firefighters arrived minutes later, flames were spewing out of ventilators on the top of the structure’s metal roof. Knowing that a quantity of fertilizer was stored in the building, firefighters at first were skeptical about entering for fear of another Texas City disaster. However, the fertilizer was stored in a large open area and did not pose a problem. The fire apparently originated in refrigerated rooms in the far eastern corner that dated back to the time when Pat-Mac was in the turkey dressing business. The fire then spread into the area where Glenn Koether of La Grange Egg & Produce Company stored about three trailer truckloads of fertilizer, much of it ammonium sulfate. Although about half of the fertilizer was water-damaged, most of it was salvaged on Sunday, when it was distributed to pastures before the wet stuff solidified. The Rosenberg Insurance Agency offices, located farther to the west in the same building, were not damaged.

La Grange’s Leopard cagers took both ends of a double bill from the Weimar Wildcats in basketball openers for the 1973-74 season. The varsity charges of Coach Bob Johnson won, 56-49, after trailing by four points at the outset. The Leps were in front by three, 10-7, at the quarter break and by seven, 26-29, at the half. The Wildcats mounted their best offense in the third beat when they trailed by only four points, 35-31, but La Grange lengthened the point spread in the final eight minutes to win convincingly. Although the lads made some mistakes, Johnson said he was highly pleased with the Leopards’ overall performance and particularly with the defense. La Grange defenders completely dominated the boards, 6’6”. Greg Smith led the rebounders with 17, followed by Robert Pool with 12 and Johnny Johnson with 8. Johnson also was top pointmaker with 18 for the night, closely followed by Pool with 17. Neal Miller chimed in with 10, Steve Kovar with 7 and Smith and Mike Toennis with 2 apiece. La Grange’s junior varsity copped the lid-lifer by a close 41-39 score.

Funeral services were held for: Lee Behrens, 36, a native of La Grange, and Mrs. Lydia K. Wolff, 88, of Waldeck.

A subject indicted in Fayette County on two counts of auto theft was in jail in Louisiana in lieu of bond and was also wanted in California.

Two people were reported to have suffered minor injuries in a traffic accident on Hwy. 77 just south of La Grange early Sunday night. When a car struck a cow, the animal was thrown into the opposite lane and into the path of a second vehicle. A third car then reportedly struck the second vehicle.

A 12-man jury in the 155th District Court in Fayette County awarded no damages to a Huntsville optometrist’s $17,000 lawsuit against G.B. Mueller of La Grange, doing business as Mueller FTD Florist. The plaintiff sought $15,000 in damages for prior medical expenses and $2,000 in anticipated future expenditures for injuries allegedly sustained when he fell in the Mueller greenhouse on Oct. 2, 1971. The jury found that a dangerous condition was not maintained in the greenhouse, and the defendant or his employees were not negligent in failing to keep the greenhouse floor free of signs.

A1969 Plymouth’s unwelcome visit to the La Grange City Cemetery about 1 a.m. on Sunday morning resulted in heavy damage. City Police Chief L.R. Ulbrich said the Baytown driver was traveling east on Hwy. 71 when he apparently dozed at the wheel. The car went off the highway at the Lester St. intersection, knocked down one of the new steel tubular street light standards and a stop sign. It then crashed through the cemetery’s wrought iron fence and came to rest wheels up. The driver complained of bruises but did not seek medical attention. The car, classified as demolished, was loaded onto a trailer and hauled to Baytown the next day.

Mr. and Mrs. Gus Loessin of Eagle Lake and her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Albert Oehlers of Houston, celebrated their silver and golden wedding anniversaries. Gus Loessin and Miss Verna Oehlers were united in marriage at the Philadelphia Lutheran Church at Swiss Alp on Nov. 14, 1948. Albert Oedlers and Miss Helen Foerster were united in marriage at the home of her parents on Nov. 14, 1923.

Mr. and Mrs. Frank Poncik of Ellinger celebrated their golden wedding anniversary on Sunday, Oct. 28, with a Mass of Thanksgiving at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Ellinger. Following the Mass, a barbecue beef and chicken dinner was served at the couple’s home. Frank Poncik and Bertha Ruether were married on Oct. 30, 1923, by the Rev. John Vanicek in St. John’s Catholic Church. The couple had resided in Ellinger since their wedding.

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