Woman in a Coma After 1999 Beating

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On March 27, 199, Frankie Cochran, 32, remained comatose at Harborview Medical Center"s Intensive Care Unit after being attacked with a blunt object by her estranged boyfriend in an Oakville milking barn. Cochran milked cows at Clark"s Dairy, two miles east of Oakville.Before losing consciousness, Cochran told law enforcement David Allen Gerard, 36, Aberdeen, attacked her.Four days before the attack, Gerard had been in court facing fourth-degree domestic violence assault charges. He had threatened Cochran with a hammer outside the same barn where she was later found. He had been released with the condition that he not contact Cochran.The year before, Gerard was convicted of a felony malicious mischief domestic violence charge. He had thrown her computer off a desk, pulled telephone cords from the wall so she couldn"t call for help, and poured bleach on her clothing.He was ordered to complete an anger management course and to spend 35 days in jail.Brick Yard Suffers First Fire of Season120 years ago, in 1889McHard"s brick yard was the scene of the first fire of the season."Early in the afternoon, flames were observed breaking out in the dry house but they had got too much headway to make it possible to save the building," The Centralia News wrote."Big Bill" Shoots100 years ago, in 1909At 10:30 a.m. "Big Bill" Hillis, the U.M.C. (Union Metallic Cartridge Company) Remington expert shot, gave a free exhibition north of Chehalis on the hillside."Shooting small articles, such as marbles and peas with a rifle include some of his stunts," The Chehalis Bee-Nugget wrote.Centralia Crowds See New Trains with Small Horns75 years ago, in 1934As the new train came through Centralia, the citizens came out in large numbers."Those new trains, it was concluded by the hundreds who stood in a nippy March breeze to watch the Union Pacific"s latest pass through Centralia, have the puniest horns," The Chronicle wrote. "There was the Royal Scot and its peanut wagon whistle and today comes the streamlined aluminum queen of the rails with a Twin City bus horn on it. "Beep-beep-beep. It didn"t sound like a train but it was one. It came on time at 9:42 o"clock. Centralians stood from city limits south to the viaduct north to watch the train roll slowly by. Once its brakes squeaked as if to stop, but it was just a bluff the engineer made to shoo the inquisitive off the rails. "The crowd was orderly, staying at a respectful distance and mumbling only slightly because the train wouldn"t stop to be touched."Weiher is Only Unanimous Pick50 years ago, in 1959Gene Weiher, Onalaska High School, was the only unanimous choice of the fifteen schools voting for the 1959 All-Conference Lewis County League basketball team. He was described as a "smooth shooting and rebounding ace."Historical Society Signs Depot Lease25 years ago, in 1984The Chehalis Western Railroad signed a lease with the Eastern Lewis County Historical Society to keep the 75-year-old Milwaukee road train depot on it current site."Alice Boutain, president of the society, said, "I think this is what everyone has been waiting for. It"s wonderful. The depot is finally going to be saved and restored."New Commander Visits Lewis CountyFive years ago, in 2004Col. Debra M. Lewis, commander and district engineer for the Army Corps" Seattle district, visited Lewis County to learn more about local flood control.Lewis was the third commander since 1997 to be involved in the flood control projects."It seems like we"re always having to bring people up to speed," Lewis County Commissioner Richard Graham said.