Times, They Are A-Changing

Since I'm on a nostalgia kick, here are a couple of "Yester-Year" articles that appeared in our local newspaper on this date, a long time ago.

Fri., Aug. 21, 1931

"Frank Gordy, a reporter for 'The Press,' was slapped in the face at city hall yesterday by James H. Webb, well-known attorney and counsel for the Mobile county seawall commission, as the culmination of references recently made to Mr. Webb in 'The Press.' ...Webb told Gordy that an article printed in 'The Press' was untrue and that Gordy was told it was untrue before it was given publication. The attorney then slapped the reporter in the face. Gordy did not retaliate and later Mr. Webb apologized to the reporter."

Boy, wouldn't you love to see that happen today? Whatever happened to good old fisticuffs?


Tues., Aug. 21, 1956

"A six-cent cut in the price of regular gasoline resulted Monday from a price war among five independent filling stations on the Mobile Bay Causeway. The price war started two weeks ago with the opening of a new service station on the causeway east of Mobile. It trimmed the price two cents a gallon and later reduced it four more cents. ... The five independents were selling regular gasoline for 23.9 cents a gallon, compared with 29.9 previously. ... Regular gasoline was cut to as low as 21.9 cents a gallon during a general price war on the causeway and in neighboring Baldwin County in September and October 1954."

What's really scary about this last article is that I can remember those gas prices.