100 Years Ago: 1923

Just Half Way Out of Jail! Halfway to liberty, Fred Wilder, a prisoner in the Kennebec County Jail, at Augusta, Saturday night became wedged between the iron bar grating and the window sash on the second tier of cells and unable to move either way, and shouted for help. Failing to reach the man from the inside, jailers called the fire department and he was rescued by the aid of a scaling ladder and Dire axe.

50 Years Ago: 1973

An Auburn mortician today dropped by his office and found a body on the floor. It belonged to a small red-headed man who immediately jumped up and ran out of the building. Police said the man had made an attempt to open the safe but had been unsuccessful. He was surprised while apparently resting on the floor, by John Dillingham, who dropped by his Spring Street building shortly after 6 a.m. The man was described as wearing no shoes and no shirt. Nothing was found missing from the building.

25 Years Ago” 1998

With Monday’s announced merger with SIS Bancorp Inc., Peoples Heritage Financial Group’s Lewiston hive is expected to grow to more than 800 employees, company officials said Tuesday. “No question we’re going to add some new jobs,” said Brian Arsenault, spokesman for Peoples. Between 25 and 100 jobs from clerical to management will come here from Springfield, Mass., he said. Based on past experience with moving jobs from other states, Peoples will likely hire local people to fill the jobs, Arsenault said. Peoples is among the top five employers in the city, according to information provided by the Lewiston-Auburn Economic Growth Council.

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