Other days

100 YEARS AGO Oct. 26, 1913

“Buck” Patterson yesterday succeeded in entering the Arkansas penitentiary, after a week’s fruitless effort. The Johnson county farmer was admitted to the penitentiary shortly after 5 o’clock, after he had returned from Russellville, where he had gone to procure his commitment papers. Upon arriving there, however, he learned the document had been forwarded to the penitentiary authorities and immediately set about upon his return. With Patterson’s return there closes an incident virtually unparalleled in the criminal history of Arkansas, and surpassed in but few others.

50 YEARS AGO Oct. 26, 1963

MAGNOLIA - The High school gymnasium at Taylor was destroyed by fire of undetermined origin yesterday. The blaze, which started in the ceiling of the building, was discovered about 9:30 a.m. and firemen battled the fire until 2 p.m. Fire departments from Magnolia, Springhill and Cullen, La., aided in the fire fighting. James Nix, Taylor High School principal, said that the gymnasium was partially insured.

25 YEARS AGO Oct. 26, 1988

Expansion of the Ronald McDonald House of Arkansas, 1009 S. Wolfe St., was started in a ground-breaking ceremony Tuesday. “This is desperately needed,” said Joe Davis, president of the board of the Ronald McDonald House. “We’re currently at 99 percent capacity.” Ronald McDonald and nine representatives of the project’s sponsors and members of the Ronald McDonald House Board of Directors used gold shovels to break the rocky ground in front of a crowd of about 45 people. 10 YEARS AGO Oct. 26, 2003

FAYETTEVILLE - Petitions circulated in support of a public vote on Fayetteville’s smoking ban lacked sufficient signatures to call for a referendum, according to an analysis by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Free Choice Fayetteville needed 2,932 valid signatures to put a referendum on the ballot, but the newspaper could verify only 2,418 as registered voters in the city. Members of Free Choice Fayetteville submitted nearly 3,800 signatures to the Fayetteville city clerk’s office on Oct. 3. But after seeking advice from City Attorney Kit Williams, clerk Sondra Smith rejected the petitions Oct. 9 on grounds that they didn’t have copies of the ordinance in question attached, as required by law.