Looking back: Man taken to court for stealing $5 and ‘local Bobcat pet’ moves to Hollywood

The Latter-day Saint Chapel in Ammon. Around 1875. | Courtesy photo
IDAHO FALLS — EastIdahoNews.com is looking back at what life was like during the week of Feb. 20 to Feb. 26 in east Idaho history.
1900-1925
BLACKFOOT — A man appeared in court on the charge of stealing a $5 bill, the Blackfoot Idaho Republican wrote on Feb. 21, 1924.
The case of the state against Fred Clemo was tried twice in the justice court — once with a hung jury and then with a verdict of guilty, the paper said.
“Mr. Clemo appealed to the district court and the case was dismissed on motion of the prosecuting attorney,” the Idaho Republican stated.
1926-1950
PRESTON — A “lifelong resident” of Preston was found dead on the highway, the Preston Citizen reported on Feb. 24, 1944.
Allen Taylor, 54, recently moved to Brigham City, Utah, but had been visiting his son in Malad before his death. He was found dead on Highway 89 west of Logan, Utah. Officials believe he was the victim of a hit and run, but they also found “several confusing details.”
A Utah woman by the name of Olivia Bowcutt came upon the dead body while driving on the highway. She swerved to avoid striking it and “overturned her car.”
“The much-bruised body had been run over by two cars,” according to the article. “Late Thursday, the drivers of these cars had not been identified.”
Thern Lundberg, of Tremonton, told Logan Police he had offered to give Taylor a ride into Logan “a few minutes earlier when he had seen him on the highway.” He said Taylor refused the ride and was on his way into Brigham City where he worked at a local hospital. This “testimony was being checked.”
“The car in which Mr. Taylor had been riding was found farther down the road and the driver, who gave his name as Parley H. Rasmussen, remembered only that he had stopped the car to let Mr. Taylor out and did not know the man had been killed,” the Preston Citizen mentioned.
Taylor left behind a wife and four sons.
1951-1975
RIGBY — A “local bobcat pet” left Rigby for Hollywood, an article in The Rigby Star dated Feb. 25, 1960, explained.
“Friends and neighbors last week gathered on the front lawn of the Bruce Rising home to witness a touching farewell between Bobby, a wildcat, and its owner, Lyle Rising,” the article said.
Bobby was “joining the Hollywood celebrities of the animal kingdom” to start training for the Walt Disney productions and for other Hollywood producers.
“Sometime ago, Lyle found Bobby, a (young) wildcat, out in the Howe area of Idaho,” the paper mentioned. “Since that day, until the departing hour, Bob and Lyle were devoted pals. Fully grown now, the big cat came and went as she pleased at the Rising home, making friends with all the neighbor boys and girls, and holding a very special place with the Rising family.”
The week prior to Bobby leaving, Bruce was at a gas station at the same time Richard Robinson, of California, was there. At the time, he worked for Disney and other producers as a pet animal trainer. Robinson had a dog, two lions and a bobcat in his van. He let the bobcat out to “watch his reaction in the snow” because he had never seen snow before.
“Mr. Rising informed Robinson that his son had a ‘beauty of a cat’ and that she would make a perfect mate for his cat,” the article reads. “Lyle returned home from his sophomore classes at the Rigby High School to find Mr. Robinson waiting for him.”
Robinson “acquainted” Lyle with the “Hollywood offers awaiting Bobby and (said) he would keep Lyle posted by letters and pictures of her climb to stardom.”
The article continued, “There is an empty place in his (Lyle’s) home life now that Bobby has gone.”
1976-2000
POCATELLO — A driver stopped for a child in the road which caused a three-car pile up, the Idaho State Journal’s Feb. 23, 1977, paper said.
According to the accident report, a car driven by Walter Bithell, 58, was traveling north on Yellowstone Avenue when “it stopped in the traffic lane for a small child in the roadway.” Another car driven by Clinton Stephens, 27, “slowed behind” Bithell’s car and was struck by a third car driven by Gary Airhart, 19.
“The impact of the initial collision caused Stephen’s vehicle to collide with Bithell’s 1975 Toyota,” the paper explained. “Airhart was cited for inattentive driving.”
Airhart told police he had been looking in his rearview mirror at the time of the accident and didn’t see the other cars ahead of him slowing down.
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Source: eastidahonews.com