1959: Monkey credited with saving master from fire

• A report reached here that a party of 16 hunters from Caribou who are at Harvey’s Siding, have been very successful in their search for big game. George Wright, who is with the party, took a little side trip on his own account and is very glad he did, for he succeeded in shooting four bears.

    The first F-106 Delta Dart to be assigned to Loring Air Force Base arrived at the base  at 9:26 this Thursday morning. One of a number of these powerful interceptors scheduled for Loring will be named, “City of Caribou.” Built by the Convair Division of General Dynamics and pictured here while knifing its way through storm clouds, the Dart, “Can carry out its defense mission day or night in any kind of weather.”

• O.L. Anderson has the framework up for a new house on the corner of Smith and Grove streets.
• Waldo O. Lowney has commenced the erection of his new ice-house on High Street in the rear of Mrs. E. W. Lowney’s residence. He will begin cutting ice this winter on the Aroostook River.
• William McLellan and W.L. Oak moved into their new double house on Collins Street last week.
• H. Lee Craig has moved from rooms in Dr. Upham’s house to rooms in the old Burleigh Hotel, which will soon be opened as a hotel by Mr. Craig’s father.

• Roger Bouchard, Edward  Doyle, Philip  Peterson and George Corey, students at the University of Maine spent the weekend in town.
• Mildred Lombard was in Portland this week attending the Hairdresser’s Convention, which was held on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
• Grade seven at the Caribou High School chose the following officers at a meeting held Oct. 25: president, Edward Hackett; vice president, Philip Doherty; and secretary, Mary Dunham.
• A surprise farewell party was given Miss Marie Kelley of Limestone, last Saturday at her home with about 20  present. Miss Kelley is going to Portland at attend Shaw’s Business College.
• Miss Winnie Peterson of Stockholm, graduate nurse from the Cary Memorial Hospital is at the home of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Hilma Peterson.

• Cheeke, a four and-a-half-year-old monkey, is credited for possible saving the life of his master, Aubrey Keirstead during a fire at the Kierstead residence on the River Road. Kierstead was asleep in an upstairs bedroom when a fire, presumably started from a smoldering cigarette or match, began to smoke behind the kitchen stove. Cheeke sleeps there. He was in fact, chained near the stove. His master believes he opened the door between the kitchen and adjoining living room with his tail. The pet somehow managed to climb to the top of the door and awaken Kierstead with his screaming and chattering.
• A camp belonging to Fred Devoe on the thoroughfare between Mud and Cross lakes was completely destroyed by fire last week.
• Mr. and Mrs. Lester Burgess have received word that their son, Gardner, who is in the U.S.A.F., has completed basic training at Lackland Field, San Antonio, and is being sent to Lowrey AFB in Colorado to take a course in armaments systems maintenance at the technology school there.
• Jerry Martin has joined the U.S. A.F. and has left for basic training at Lackland A.F.B.
• Mrs. Frank Pendleton was hostess to the Caribou Garden Club’s annual meeting which was a picnic supper served by Mesdames Cecil Burgess, Raymond Harmon, S.W. Collins and Walter Collins.

    Oct. 29, 1959 — Monkeys are not generally considered as being very intelligent — compared to human beings, that is, but this friendly pet, “Cheeke,” very probably saved the life of his master, Aubrey Kierstead, early last Thursday morning. “Cheeke,” perhaps couldn’t figure out what the smoke behind the kitchen stove meant, but he didn’t like it and he screamed and chattered until he awoke Kierstead who was sound asleep upstairs. What might have been a big fire, was promptly squelched by firemen.