100 years ago, 1914
A Lewiston residence was entered Saturday night and three suits of clothing taken, and the house ransacked. Nothing of value was removed, altho a $5 bank note was in plain sight in one of the rooms. The jewelry and sliver were not disturbed. Dresser and desk drawers were emptied and the contents scattered. The owners were in Rangeley over the week-end and entrance was gained thru a window in the rear of the house. The police are undecided whether the thief was disturbed in the work and left without taking as much a intended or was looking for something of more valuable nature and took the clothes as a blind.

50 years ago, 1964
An 11-year-old Auburn boy got the surprise of his life today when he found a polar bear in a cornfield near his home. Steve Philbrick, son of Raymond Philbrick, 82 Marshall, Ave., found the concrete polar bear stolen from the Polar Chemical Co. in Lewiston several days ago in a cornfield off Fairview Ave. How the errant polar bear wound up in the cornfield is a matter of conjecture, and what can a boy do with a polar bear in the summer?

25 years ago, 1989
An impromptu act of friendship marked the closing performance of the musical “Peace Child” by Soviet and American Worldpeace campers Wednesday evening at the Community Little Theater in Auburn. As Leonia Loginov, pianist from Moscow, acknowledged applause, he took off his glasses and placed them on the floor. When he reached down to pick them up a minute later, he noticed that someone had stepped on them. Loginov needs the thick-lensed glasses at all times. From the auditorium’s second row, Gil Poliquin Jr. also noticed the incident. Through Russian-American interpreter Mike Farrell, he explained that he was an optician and would try to repair the glasses quickly. At his shop on Lisbon Street in Lewiston, he found a new frame that exactly matched the broken one. In a few minutes, he repaired the damage and delivered the glasses back to the grateful Soviet pianist.

The material in Looking Back is reproduced exactly as it originally appeared, although misspellings and errors made at that time may be edited.