FROM this newspaper 100 years ago. - Some sensation has been caused this week in the eastern part of Cleveland by the discovery that the beer supplied at several public-houses was contaminated with arsenic. In Brotton and Skinningrove several barrels of beer have been poured down the sewers by direction of the brewery company that supplied it, and for a day or two, the beer drinkers had to go without their beverage; but a fresh supply, assumed to be pure, has now come to hand.

From this newspaper 50 years ago. - The arrest of a cow after being found wandering in a Darlington street was described at Darlington, on Tuesday, when the owner was fined 5s for allowing the animal to stray on the highway. It was stated that while PC Brewster was on duty in Skinnergate, on October 24, he saw a cow wandering in the road. He "arrested" the animal, escorted it to the police station and then saw it safely stalled in a Corporation yard. Defendant wrote that he put the cow into a field at the end of Southend Avenue, ready for market on the following Monday, but it escaped by forcing its way through a double fence.

From this newspaper 25 years ago. - To open or not to open - that was the question, and it was one which caused several inhabitants of Hutton Rudby a few anxious moments when their mail arrived on Tuesday, mail which included letters in unfamiliar handwriting and bearing an Irish postmark. With the stories of last year's letter bombs still fresh in their minds, they gave their local policeman, PC Deighton, a few busy hours and his telephone was ringing constantly as anxious residents asked him for advice as to what to do with the blue-grey envelopes. Fortunately he was able to reassure his apprehensive callers that their ominous looking mail contained nothing more explosive than Irish sweepstake tickets. "I was pleased they phoned. It was the right thing to do," he commented