A fun romp into Newcastle's past

I
t can be an eye-opening experience to look back in history and take in the news of days past. Even for a quiet town such as Newcastle, this peering into the annals is full of surprises. When choosing what time to report on, I pulled out my most sophisticated mathematical machines to help give me the answer. I used all my calculating skills and decided that this week, during the year I was born answered the equations best. Fortunately, this did not tax my powers of math. 
Some of these stories are amusing, some enlightening, and some are even a bit absurd. So, without further beating a dead horse, here are some of the stories that made the news in Newcastle during the week of Nov. 15, 1962.
Who remembers a man who was arrested in Newcastle for car theft? On Friday, Nov. 9, 1962, 20-year-old Wallace Lee Crease, of Compton, California, stole a car in Lead, South Dakota. At 3:30 p.m., an hour after the vehicle was reported stolen, he was arrested in Newcastle. He waived his rights to a hearing and was charged with grand larceny.
Who remembers when Judge Lloyd Denny had a busy week. It was considered just that when Denny was inundated with four traffic violations coming before his bench in one week. How that must have exhausted him!
How about the report in Today’s Health, the magazine of the American Medical Association, regarding snoring. It was reported that one American out of eight snored, causing problems in couples and families when it came time for restful sleep. What a scoop.
“The frequency of the vibrations depends on the size, density, and elasticity of the affected tissues and the force of the airflow,” according to the NLJ. 
I had to laugh at what we now consider such common knowledge, and the way it was worded made Alexis Barker laugh out loud when I read that to her. 
“It’s like that could pertain to several bodily functions,” she responded, once she got the laughter under control.
Another bit of fun was a classified ad, wherein a three-bedroom house with living room, bath, enclosed back porch and a large enclosed yard was for sale. Also attached was a furnished two-bedroom apartment in the basement of the house and a large garage with driveway. The price – $4,000. That must have broken the bank!
Another eye-opening experience can be had by browsing the ads that were in the paper. Here’s a bit of what was presented by Red Owl Food Stores.
“You’re dollars ahead with Red Owl’s everyday low prices and S&H Green Stamps.” the ad said. Who remembers S&H Green Stamps? I do, but not too fondly. My mother saved up these stupid stamps for months. At Christmas time, she gathered all her books of stamps together, and we went to cash them in. As my brother, sister and I were gawking over the toys and other colorful items that could be had, we were only setting ourselves up for disappointment. Imagine our letdown as she grabbed boxes of canning jars and a large pressure cooker instead. I learned to hate those S&H kid teasers. I don’t think I ever received one toy because of mom’s insensate hoarding of green stamps! No wonder I’m so depraved. I was so deprived!
Some of the prices advertised here make a person take notice when we compare them with today’s prices. How I long for these prices now.
Red Owl oleomargarine – two one-pound cartons, 39¢ (I don’t remember stuff called oleomargarine, but it sounds gross.)
Red Owl white, yellow, spice and devil’s-food cake mixes – four 19-ounce packages, 89¢
For whiter, brighter washes – Tide detergent – large size, 29¢ (how many ounces is large size?)
Red Owl insured ground beef, cello-wrapped so you can see its freshness, 39¢ a pound
Good Housekeeping “Delectable Desserts Cook Book, No. 11,” 39¢
I hope you enjoyed this brief romp into a small sample that was in the NLJ in years gone by. Stay tuned for more as I, once again, pull out the archives and spend some time browsing and digging up some humorous ditties from the past.