100 years ago: 1925

“Love and its frequent running mate, the green-eyed monster Jealousy, according to reports which reached Auburn Friday morning, brought a young man named Archie French of Turner and another named Clement, into a clash Wednesday night, in the course of which French was stabbed in the cheek.

“As the report reached Auburn the trouble started last fall, before work on the Auburn-Turner State road stopped. Mr. Clement was connected with the road work, while French is in the trucking business. They disagreed over a young Turner woman. While there were words, as the story goes, in the fall, no actual hostilities occurred.

“On Wednesday night, however, the two young men met, either by chance or design, which is not very clear, near the home of French. The old trouble was renewed.

“Before they were separated Clement, it is stated, used a knife, striking French in the cheek inflicting an ugly, tho(ugh) not serious wound, not sufficient to prevent French from continuing work, either on Thursday or Friday.

“No arrests have been made and no complaint made. Officials in Turner questioned about the matter by the Lewiston Journal on Friday said that while a stabbing of minor consequence had occurred, there was a desire on the part of all concerned to drop the matter and forget it.”

50 years ago: 1975

“The chariot race had to halt for a pit stop and the foot racers took a breather to wave at a passing locomotive as centuries and cultures telescoped today at Auburn’s Central School, site of the second annual sixth grade Greek Olympics.

“Looking more like Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn than Damon and Pythias, youthful wrestlers in corduroy trousers and tee-shirts grappled for victory and the crepe paper laurel wreaths and certificates which went with it.

“Brown-haired Peggy Maddocks, however, may just never want to see the color green again.

“Peggy won the olive-eating contest, eating 47 pimiento- stuffed olives in 60 seconds only to discover she was tied with a still-hungry Alan Gray.

“In a 30-second eat-off, Peggy ate just twice as fast, downing another 47 for a total 94 olives in 90 seconds.

“‘I feel sick,’ Peggy admitted as admiring classmates crowded around.”

25 years ago: 2000

“LEWISTON — Her shift done, Kristina Belanger was just hanging out, waiting for her ride, when the hysterical woman burst into the (Lewiston) Burger King.

“‘Call an ambulance!’ she yelled. ‘My son’s choking!’

“Someone reached for the phone. Belanger ran to the parking lot where she found a boy, no more than 5 years old, standing beside a van. He was red-faced and wheezing.

“‘He had tons of drool,’ she said. ‘He was trying to whine but he couldn’t.’

“Her heart raced, but she knew exactly what to do. Only three weeks earlier she’d learned the Heimlich maneuver in one of her nursing classes at Lewiston Regional Technical Center.  Belanger, 18, is a senior at the vocational high school. She’s studying to be a certified nurses aide.

“She turned the boy around and, kneeling, told him quickly what she was going to do. She wrapped her arms around him, clasped her hands and pumped his abdomen.

“On the third squeeze, he coughed up a Life Saver candy. It looked like a cherry one.”

The quoted material used in Looking Back is produced exactly as it originally appeared although misspellings and errors may be corrected.