Echoes of the Past is a collection of historical articles curated from The Virginian Review and other publications archived since 1914. You may be exposed to content that you find offensive or objectionable. For historical purposes and accuracy, articles are reprinted in their original, unedited form, and do not reflect the opinions and beliefs of the publisher.
September 19, 1923
99 Years Ago
Booze Shipped By Parcel Post
CLIFTON FORGE, Va., Sept. 19- A parcel post package, somewhat damaged, was received at the Clifton Forge post office yesterday. Recognizing a familiar odor of the past, the clerk in charge investigated and found it contained three bottles of whisky, two of which had been broken in transit, thus revealing its contents. The party to whom it was addressed was sent for and denied all knowledge of the shipment, stating that he had never heard of the New York firm, which was put down as the shipper, and that he had no connection whatever with the package. The matter was reported to the chief post office inspector and it will doubtless turn out that the New York firm was a fictitious one.
September 19, 1937
85 Years Ago
Largest Senior Class At Covington High School
At Covington High School this year is the largest senior class that the school has ever had. There are 130 seniors enrolled and of these, 30 are eligible for graduation in February. For the first time in the history of the school, full graduation exercises will be held at mid-term for this group of 30 seniors. Last year, only two students finished at the half-way mark of their final year and were informally graduated.
September 19, 1962
60 Years Ago Kidnap Scare Proves Hoax
Bonnie Persinger, 13-year-old blond Jeter School student, is safely home again from Cumberland where she claimed she was taken by five armed kidnappers Tuesday afternoon. She was found alone, unharmed and partially clothed in a telephone booth in Cumberland at almost 10 p.m. Tuesday. She had been under surveillance of police officers, who said no sign of kidnappers, for almost two hours while she talked to a teenage friend in Covington on the phone.
September 19, 1987
35 Years Ago
Child Safety Program Begins In Area
If a child is away from home and somehow encounters trouble, the McGruff House program can provide the child with a safe place to go until parents or police can be contacted. The program, initiated by the Alleghany County Sheriff’s Department and Sheriff Leon P. Smith, will be one of only two such programs in existence in Virginia, according to Deputy Barry Rose, one of the program’s directors.
September 19, 2012
10 Years Ago
Plecker Details Hackney Case
Bath County Sheriff Robert Plecker reads a statement during a Tuesday press conference at the Bath County Courthouse. Plecker detailed the closure of a double murder case that occurred in March 2009 at the Homestead. Hackney was wanted for the March 21, 2009 murders of two of his Homestead co-workers. He was charged with capital murder and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony following the deaths of Dwight Kerr and Ronnie Stinnett in the kitchen area of the resort.
