The Shadow
100 Years Ago
May, 1924
Runaway Team Smashes Auto: 14-Year-Old Boy Escapes Injury In Wild Dash Down Street
Two horses hitched to a wagon, owned by Frank Craft, of Indian Draft, in which his 14-year-old son was sitting, became frightened while standing in the street near the Baptist Church about 2:30 o’clock this afternoon, and whirling around dashed wildly down the street until they crashed into an automobile in front of the residence of Dr. W. Anderson, in Riverside Avenue.
The car, owned by Dr. Anderson was badly damaged. The horses in their flight ran the wagon on the sidewalk in front of the residence of Eldon Crowder, tearing away a small section of his fence. When they crashed into the automobile one of them slipped and fell beneath the car, bringing the horses to a sudden stop. After the smash-up, the Craft boy climbed down out of the wagon uninjured.
75 Years Ago
May, 1949
South Covington Residents Ask for Playground Director: Petition Presented to County Board
N.A. Welch, speaking on behalf of the residents of South Covington, filed a petition requesting consideration by the Board of Supervisors, in its morning session, of a plan to underwrite a summertime playground program costing $500.
Mr. Welch, speaking for the 297 South Covington residents who had signed the petition, pointed out that the “children of Covington are in need of a playground director during the slack months of the summer vacation, to keep them out of the pool halls and filling stations.”
Supervisor reaction to the request was favorable, though cautious. Albert Smith, Jr., said that “I am wholeheartedly in favor of such a program, to the extent of providing it in several places throughout the county.”
50 Years Ago
May, 1975
Westvaco Rescue Squad Wins District Contest
The Covington First Aid Squad was host Sunday to a meeting of District One of the Virginia Association of Volunteer Rescue Squads, which has 26 member squads.
The Covington Fire House was headquarters for the luncheon and business session and eight of the squads competed in a first aid contest at the Mid-City Mall in which the Westvaco squad edged Lexington by one point for first place. Both units received trophies. Waynesboro placed third in this contest.
Other units participating in the contest, which was open to the public, were: Staunton-Augusta, Buena Vista, Goshen, Falling Spring, and Troutville.
25 Years Ago
April, 1999
Amy Fisher Gets Shorter Sentence
Amy Fisher, the “Long Island Lolita” who shot her lover’s wife in a jealous rage and inspired several television movies, may soon be paroled after a judge agreed to give her a shorter prison sentence.
Ms. Fisher, now 24, was 16 when she shot Mary Jo Buttafuoco in the head. She had been having relations with Mrs. Buttafuoco’s husband, Joey, who later served six months in jail for his relationship with the minor.
“What happened to you —it wasn’t your husband’s fault… it wasn’t my father’s fault. It was my fault and I’m sorry,” Ms. Fisher said Thursday in a barely audible voice, looking directly at Mrs. Buttafuoco in the courtroom.”
Authorities Probe Possibility of Conspiracy
The governor toured Columbine High School today and emerged saying investigators were all but certain that the two gunmen had help from others. Police said security cameras may provide crucial evidence of a conspiracy.
“There are backpacks with bombs in there everywhere,” Gov. Bill Owens said. “The officers in there are convinced there had to be more people involved. There’s just too much stuff in there.”
Time-lapse security cameras mounted throughout the school do not run continuously and each tape goes back about a week, said Sheriff’s Lt. John Kiekbusch. He said authorities had not yet reviewed the tapes and did not know if the cameras were running during the shooting.
