Past Pages for Sunday, Aug. 31, 2014

140 Years Ago

The state prison: Col. Hyman, the warden, gave the Appeal a tour of the new buildings in addition to the old prison. The number of cells is 52 with dungeons for punishment. In the shoe shop 38 men were at work turning out about 50 pairs of boots and shoes daily. In the carpenter shop the convicts turned out some fine work — a counter and desks for the office.

130 Years Ago

Cheeky horse: A blind horse browsing near the side of the Stone Lodging House became frightened by some boys and ran square into the house and up a narrow flight of stairs to the second story. The lodgers were aroused and excited seeing the old horse in the hallway. One man came out and ran against the horse and was kicked back into his room. The horse pawed at a doorway until the roomer came out, someone would call out: “Say, do you want to buy a horse?” An attempt was made to turn the horse around the narrow hallway. He resented the attempt by kicking in the door of a room occupied by a San Francisco tobacco drummer. Then the horse trainer, Mr. Dodd, came and thrust his thumb in the horse’s nostrils, backed him down the hall and down the stairs ...

110 Years Ago

Clever girl: Miss Noneta McGlashan, daughter of the Truckee editor Charles McGlashan, is making her name in San Francisco as a sculptress and designer. She begged to study under a competent master and was sent to New York to be taught by Bernard. Her father told her that if she could support herself for one year in San Francisco, he would send her to Paris.

70 Years Ago

“Carson Theater ... ‘You Can’t Ration Love’ with Betty Rhodes and Johnny Johnston — Grand fun in this story about girls who got their men the OPA way ...”

50 Years Ago

Current best-sellers (compiled by Publishers’ Weekly) Fiction: “Julian,” Vidal; “Armageddon,” Uris; “The Spy Who Came in from the Cold,” Le Carre; “Candy,” Southern and Hoffenberg; “The Rector of Justin,” Auchincloss.

30 Years Ago

Advertisement: “Computer Craft — Labor Day sale: Apple IIe System $995; Macintosh by Apple, $1,995; Apple IIc $995.”

Sue Ballew is the daughter of Bill Dolan, who wrote this column for the Nevada Appeal from 1947 until his death in 2006.