Looking back: Husband accidentally kills wife and man needs medical assistance after becoming “emotional” watching Elvis Presley T.V. special
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IDAHO FALLS — EastIdahoNews.com is looking back at what life was like during the week of Aug. 19 to Aug. 25 in east Idaho history.
1900-1925
BLACKFOOT — A husband accidentally shot and killed his wife, the Blackfoot Idaho Republican reported on Aug. 21, 1914.
T.L. Stewart, of Porterville, was preparing to shoot at a bird when the accident happened.
“While trying to extract what he supposed was an empty shell in the gun, it discharged and killed Mrs. Stewar, who stepped into range at that instant,” the paper said. “The shell was loaded with shot, and a large wound resulted in the region of the heart.”
She fell to the ground and died “almost immediately.”
“Mr. Stewart was almost frantic with surprise and grief, and it is said that but for his children he would probably have ended his own life on the spot,” the article states.
The couple lived in Porterville for a number of years and have “always been highly respected and were very happy in their home life.”
1926-1950
RIGBY — A man sawed through jail bars and escaped from the county jail, The Rigby Star reported on Aug. 22, 1929.
Fred Leonard, a “member of the carnival company,” was arrested in Rigby in June 1928. He was bound over to the district court on a felony charge.
He escaped from the jail a little over a year later by sawing two bars off a window with a hack saw.
“Outside aid was rendered on the job, it is thought by the officers,” the paper stated.
1951-1975
RIGBY — A car driven by a Rigby man was hit by a northbound local freight train, The Rigby Star reported on Aug. 25, 1955.
Gary Call was on his way to work in Idaho Falls when the accident happened. He said he didn’t see or hear the train’s whistle as he approached the crossing, where he was going about 20 miles per hour.
The crash happened on the crossing one mile south of Rigby on the county oiled road which intersects the Yellowstone Highway.
“The fireman on the freight reports that he saw the approaching car and yelled to the crew, who applied the emergency air brakes and the train came to a stop within 11 car lengths,” the article reads. “The impact caused the car to skid backwards and it was thrown 52 feet from the point of impact.”
Extensive damage was done to the front end of Call’s car. Call had bruised legs and a cut on his chin.
“A farmer in a nearby field reported he heard the train whistle for the crossing,” the paper added.
1976-2000
POCATELLO — A Pocatello man became “so emotional” at the end of a half-hour Elvis Presley television special that he “started shaking and passed out,” the Idaho State Journal reported on Aug. 19, 1977.
Pocatello Police and a paramedic responded to help the “semi-conscious” man in his 20s. The television special was on Presley’s life story.
“The victim, who claimed to be a fifth cousin of the late rock n’ roll singer, said he started getting dizzy and light-headed during the broadcast which began at 10:30 p.m.,” the article states.
The man, who police said appeared to be in a state of shock, was treated at Bannock Memorial Hospital and released.