In Police Circles – Two of the clerks for Janelle & St. Pierre, the Lewiston clothiers, were arrested in Auburn Friday noon for distributing advertising bills. The city ordinance expressly forbids the distributing of circulars or handbills on the public streets and the Auburn people who take great pride in the appearance of the city, do not like to have the sidewalks littered with paper. The two young fellows were taken before the court and fined the costs.

50 Years Ago, 1956

• Usually a black cat, a broken mirror or a walk under a ladder can be blamed when trouble starts breathing down your neck. Today these harbingers of trouble aren’t needed to explain away back luck. It’s bad luck day all day – Friday the 13th. Those who prefer to spend the day in bed will only get three days of Friday the 13th rest this year. After today the “bad luck day” will turn up only twice more, on April 13 and on July 13.

• The U.S. Weather Bureau figured out today that if all the rain that has fallen this week had been snow, Portland would now be under 50 inches of the stuff.

25 Years Ago, 1981

The surgeon general advised American smokers Monday that although low tar and nicotine cigarettes may reduce the risk of lung cancer, they contain unknown quantities of additives whose health effects can’t be assessed.

Surgeon General Julius R. Richmond said he has tried without success to obtain from the tobacco industry information on which of about 300 additives are included in specific cigarettes.

He said congress may be asked to grant the agency authority to obtain such information, which the industry regards as among its trade secrets, if the data is not made available voluntarily, Richmond said there is a possibility some additives may cause tumors, cancer or be toxic.