STRANGE STORIES FROM THE AMERICAN PAPERS.

Auckland Star, Volume XL, Issue 205, 28 August 1909, Page 15

STRANGE STORIES FROM THE AMERICAN PAPERS.

JiIKBD BED-HEADED GTBH& BEST. "That man had * positive mania for redbeaded women," eald a witness in Justice Scudder'g Court at Brooklyn, testifying against John Tyler Dupcrnt, whose wife, Helen, was suing for divorce. "Why, your Honor," the witness went on, "he has had as many as three, four, and even clx redheaded girls with him at once to various public places, I have seen him." Lawyers ana .spectators looked interested, the justice was aroused out of his Judicial calm, and everybody waited for further particulars. It was Margaret Fuller Elser, the complaining wife's sister, who was on the stand. "We all went to Coney Island for the Mardi Gras of 190T," Mrs. Elser particularised. "Helen, this husband of hers, my younger sister Gertrude, and her finance, John Aoquellue. Dupont suddenly disappeared from us in the crowd, and we searched for him. We found him In a cafe there, seated at a table, drinking with no less than half a dozen women. And every one of them had ted hair. He apologised, Joined us again, and five minutes later was 'lost, , as he called It, once more. This time we found him, an hour later, on the beach, kissing another woman. \ And she was redheaded, too! Another time I met him coming from a roadhouse on Ocean Parkway. He was hugging and kissing a woman. Yes, she had red hair. Then, again, I found him on Park Row and at Coney Island—onco •with two girls, again with four. (They all had the same eort of hair—red!" FIGHT IN A PULLMAN CAR. Before leaving Washington early on Tuesday, July 13, Mr. Joseph Leiter, the Chicago millionaire, engaged in s oneround bout with the Pullman conductor In a car, The train was just about to pull out of the station for New York when Mr Leiter, accompanied by hie wife, took seats in the car. The conductor stopped to speak with Mr. Leiter, and almost Immediately angry words passed, followed by a rapid exchange of blows. The two men engaged In o hand-to-hand encounter, rolling about on the floor of the car so closely enitangled that efforts to separate them were unavailing. The nght was abruptly terminated, however, by a young men dressed In white flannels, who placed Mr. Leiter bora de combat by a blow behind the ear, which ended the fracas. The authorities refused to Interfere on the ground that "one was just as bad as the other." CATASTROPHE IN MIDAIR. An amazing pytct ichnlcal display, 20,00 ft above the assembled spectators, culminating with a catastrophe in mid-air and a mad plunge by an aeronant Into Bayonne- Bay, New Jersey, is reported. Mr, Crosby, a 20-year-old aeronaut, waa the hero and victim, and although he is a mass of bruises, and his hands are badly burnt, he still hopes to make "another successful ascent" shortly. In the basket of Mr. Crosby's balloon enough explosives were carried to furnish a fireworks demonstration on a vast scale. Rockets, Roman candles, bombs, and cascades of fire were shot forth to the delight of 10,000 spectators. Suddenly there was a cry of terror because a tongue of flame was seen licking one side at the gas bag. The balloon was on fire, and began to descend rapidly. 'After the balloon collapsed in flame, and Mr. Crosby was apparently roasted in midair, a diminutive figure was seen falling head over heels towards the water below. It was Mr. Crosby, quickly followed by the derelict balloon, which was a sheet of name. Mr. Crosby struck the water with a great splash, and was Immediately rescued by steam launches. When inte*» viewed, he said: "It was a mere trining incident." ~.._,;„.*^..^lifc A CHOIR OF CANARIES. In Cincinnati (Ohio) forty canaries were installed in the Lincoln Baptist Church to aid the regular choir In the religious service, and the effect of combining the birds' voices with the pipe organ and the vocalists was (says a New York correspondent) declared by members of the congregation to be a success. The text was: "Who are these that come flying through the air like doves?" The pastor had requested the members of the congregation to bring as many canaries us they could, and the gilded cages were hung all about the building. The birds began chirping with the first strains of the organ, and continued as long as the choir sang. ATTENDING CHURCH IN BATHING COSTUME. The Balvatlon Army have Introduced an Innovation at Atlantic City, one of New Jersey's famous seaside resorts. For years the Salvationists have held services on the beach, but this year (says a correspondent) they have obtained the permission of the authorities for those who frequent their services to wear bathing costumes Indoors. They have rented the Beach Theatre, juat off the three-mile broad walk, and hold services there practically all day. Sections have been arranged in the theatre for bathers whose costumes are dry and others whose are wet. It has become quite the fad for whole troops of bathers to come out of the water and attend the Salvationists' services just as they are, without waiting to change. > FADS OF THE MOMENT. Skyeeraplng gymnasia, conservatories, play-gardens are common enough In the States, but to the Hotel Astoria, In New York, belongs the credit of establishing the first all-the-year-round roof restaurant in America. This roof garden is considerably bigger In area than Trafalgar-square, and can accommodate 5000 persons. The opening was attended by many leaders of fashion. The new roof garden contains, in addition to the Belvedere Restaurant, a rose garden, palm garden, and a promenade a quarter of a mile long, overlooking every section of the city. An ice-making machine, which produces icebergs weighing nine tons, which are used to cool the roof, Is a novel feature of the equipment. There Is also a flag gallery, containing flags of «>1 nations. These flags will be flown, one by one, from the top of the eteel flagstaff, which weighs two tons, and two electric searchlights will bethe them in brilliance. In the winter the Belvedere Restaurant will be enclosed in glass, and will serve as a solarium. The latest fad in America is the sunbath, which is supposed to cure all maladies, and hence many private houses also have a comfortable solarium. Of late, however, the sun-cure cult has been heavily pressed by "chiropractors." The theory of the "chiropractor" Is that most maladies are due to something wrong with your spinal column, and his work is to "replace luxated and sub-luxated vertebrae" in the normal position. They have heaps of testimonials, these "chiropractors," and they claim to adjust your vertebrae with ease aud accuracy by a movement or thrust of the hand upon the spine. It lg quite within the scope of American eutepprise to set apart a portion of the Astoria solarium for "chiropractic" adjustments. ' .