Miscellany, Jul. 30, 1951

Laying the Ghost. In Bloomington, Ind., after his parents had told him to keep out of the barn because “there’s a bogey man in there,” five-year-old Philip Oliver smoked him out by burning down the barn.

Wirepulling. In Hong Kong, the Great Northern Telegraph Co. offered an $800 reward for information on thieves who had stolen 3.36 miles of its cable from the bottom of the China Sea.

Cash & Carry. In Windsor, Ontario, a subtle thief broke into Vacationer Arnold McCarthar’s house, then called a furniture dealer, who obligingly drove up with a van, made an estimate, paid on the spot and carted all the furniture away.

Fare Enough? In Holyoke, Mass., Taximan George Hamel advertised: “Tell us where you are—that’s all we want to know. We’ll take you where you want to go safely, comfortably,” got a fast letter from 22 soldiers in Korea: “We are 1 6 miles north of the 38th parallel on the main supply route, third foxhole on the right, off in a rice paddy with very little water in it. Please pick us up as soon as possible.”

Easy Out. In Portland, Ore., during a heated argument with a woman in a second-floor room, Sherman Baker walked out in a huff, under a misapprehension and through a window.

Knocking Fortune. In Coyote, N. Mex., Escaped Convict Leslie Oatis rapped on a door to ask for a drink of water, found he had chosen the home of the deputy sheriff who was searching for him.

Field Work. In Chicago, after Scoutmaster Frank Singleton had given his troop a lesson in artificial respiration, he rushed out to fight a grass fire, was felled by smoke, quickly revived by his pupils.

Modest Modes. In Mays Landing, N.J., 500 nudists held a fashion show.

Chance of a Lifetime. In Detroit, Edward Jefferson was acquitted after he told the judge how he happened to knock a policeman to the sidewalk: “I saw a big bee land just above the officer’s collar on the back of his neck and I didn’t want him to get stung, so I hit the bee as hard as I could.”

Goodbye, Mrs. Chips. In Slough, England, Joseph Davies, 26, paid a nostalgic visit to his old schoolteacher, told her proudly of his success in life, then departed with her handbag.

Biological Warfare. In Hanau, Germany, when somebody squealed, Hotelman Josef Backhaus brought suit against a competing inn for planting bedbugs in his mattresses.