This day in WND History: June 9

When the Gipper got his gun

June 9, 2004: It was inevitable the passing of Ronald Reagan would stir memories of those knew him.

One of those memories that came to light was shared by long-time Iowa resident Melba King who told of the hot, humid autumn night in 1933, when a mugger slipped behind her and shoved a gun into her back, demanding her money, as she strolled home in downtown Des Moines.

The next thing she heard came from the window of a second-story room facing the street: "Leave her alone or I'll shoot you right between the shoulders."

It was a young Des Moines radio sportscaster named Ronald Wilson Reagan who had overheard the confrontation and was now pointing a .45-caliber revolver at the would-be robber.

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It worked. The mugger fled, not knowing the secret Reagan waited 50 years to reveal.

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