Miscellany: Jun. 30, 1930

First

In London, Commissioner of Works George Lansbury opened the Serpentine, muddy little lake in Hyde Park, to public bathing for women. Up got Kathleen Murphy from her bed in London’s purlieus at 3 a. m.; to the Serpentine went she. Others dove in before the official opening hour (4:30 p. m.), were arrested, but not Kathleen Murphy. Shivering in rain she waited, was first officially authorized Serpentine woman bather. Explained Kathleen Murphy: “I’ve never been first in anything in my life. . . .”

Precise

In Chicago, a gunman held up the cashier of the Superior State Bank, was proffered $5,000 in bills, said he did not need that much, selected $700, walked away.

Cigarets

At Sofia, Bulgaria, George Tzanoff sat in a restaurant, smoked 144 cigarets in 15 hr., broke the previous world’s record of 121 cigarets in 24 hours.

Snake

In Jackson, Mich., Glen Noggle objected to his wife’s petting her snake before serving him meals, sued her for divorce.

Catch

At Tenino, Wash., Mark O’Neil went fishing, caught one trout, dragged up one slot machine, in which he dropped a nickel. The machine did not work.

Miner

In Berlin, Joseph Szigert, disconsolate Hungarian miner, swallowed 1 Ib. of dynamite, put a bit more in his mouth, chewed it, blew up.

Amusement

At Stockport, England, Walter Kynaston, a retired detective, showed friends a picture made of 8,000 canceled tramway tickets which had taken nine months to piece together. “That’s how I amuse myself,” said he.

Picnic

In Ansonia, Conn., Raymond C. Spang, maniac depressive, returned home to his wife and four children after escaping from a New York veterans’ hospital. To celebrate the reunion he took them on a picnic to West Rock, 400-ft. precipice near New Haven. Small boys playing baseball below saw Maniac Spang lift up his son Donald, 4, pitch him over the cliff, disappear, reappear, toss down his remaining children—Helen, Lorraine, Raymond. Maniac Spang then grappled with his wife, kicked her over too. After firemen had chased and tried to reason with him, Maniac Spang poised on a ledge, lifted his arms, gracefully dived off to join his dying family.