EDITOR’S NOTE: Superiorland Yesterdays is prepared by the reference staff at the Peter White Public Library in Marquette.

30 years ago

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. -The Police Chief says a published complaint about the treatment of a motorist who was traveling with a nun won’t prevent the officers from handcuffing and jailing traffic violators. “it’s up to the officer’s discretion to transport a violator or have them follow the officer to the courthouse, and handcuffing is always allowed under this policy,” the chief said. “Through October of this year, our officers had 24,000 traffic contacts and we received only one complaint, I think that speaks well of our policies.” The complaint was authored by a columnist in a weekly Chicago paper. The columnist said that his aunt was handcuffed, placed in the back of a squad car and taken to jail after being stopped for speeding. “Why not just let her follow the officer to the station in her car?” The columnist wrote, “Her traveling companion was a nun. They weren’t likely to screech away and start a wild chase.” The Chief said the arresting officer followed standard procedure. “Our officers don’t know if an approaching person may have a weapon or intend to flee on foot if they get out of their vehicle,’ he said.

90 years ago

MARQUETTE– The city played host to 36 unemployed men who sought lodging Wednesday night in the city jail by furnishing them with Christmas dinners yesterday afternoon in restaurants. Mayor H.S. Peterson authorized Marshal W. H. Trevarow to extend the invitation to all men who applied at the jail for lodging and as they left yesterday morning the officer gave each an order for a Christmas dinner. The men were happy and profuse with other thanks from the kindness,” every one of them was penniless and had no idea where they would get their Christmas dinner. Some of them informed me it was the first square meal they had eaten in days. Last evening James Maloney, chief of police for the Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company, played Santa Clause to as many homeless men. He also paid for their suppers at a restaurant.