NEWS OF THE WORLD

Manawatu Times, Volume LIX, Issue 7493, 18 June 1934, Page 5

NEWS OF THE WORLD

MISHAP AND COMEDY A man collapsed at Tunbridge Wells, Kent, lately. An excited errand boy, intending to call the ambulance, pulled the fire alarm. The fire brigade turned out. The chief constable came up in a police car. The fire hooter summoned the voluntary firemen and a crowd of hundreds of people. Then the ambulance arrived, and the man was taken to hospital. There they found he had merely bruised his head. PACT OF 20 YEARS STANDING Four men standing on the steps of St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, in fulfilment of a pact made 20 years ago, raised their hats when the clock struck 5 on a recent evening. They stood silent for a few moments to honour the memory of the absent fifth. He had died seven years ago. The pact was made in 1914, when the five men—the Rev. J. P. Goodenough, Mr Victor Scoble, Mr A. H. Saunders, Mr W Heale, and the late Mr H. Sapolin—were working in the Post Office engineering department. Over a meal they made another pact to meet again at St. Paul’s on the first Saturday in April, 1939. £3OOO JEWEL ROBBERY STOLEN FROM PRIVATE RESIDENCE Jewellery said to be valued at about £3OOO was stolen by thieves who broke into the home of. Mrs Alexandrina Rendle, of Westminster, a few weeks ago. “I went out in the afternoon for about two hours and on returning home I found my bedroom in a state of disorder,” said Mrs Rendle. ‘‘The lock of a wardrobe had been forced, apparently by a jemmy, and my jewellery was missing. “Among the missing jewellery were a £IOOO diamond bracelet, a pearl necklace, a diamond necklace and brooches and rings. “The thieves apparently entered by way of the front door after they had unlocked it. I am mystified as to where they got a key. They walked along a corridor and into the bedroom without disturbing my husband or the man or woman servant, although the flat is a small one. Then the thieves apparently walked out by the same route.” STRANGE STORY OF WATCH BOY HIDES TREASURE DURING SLEEP This is the strange story of a watch that disappeared. Twelve-year-old Raymond Walters, of Euston Road, London, was given the money to buy a watch on his birthday. Raymond relumed home, flushed and triumphant, with the shining treasure he had waited months to possess. He showed it to everybody, and continually checked the time shown by other clocks. That night, before he went to bed, the boy tied the watch to the pest at the head of his bed so that he could see the time when he woke up. In the morning the newly-acquired treasure had vanished. He searched his room in vain. . Tearful and pleading, Raymond questioned members of the family, thinking it was a practical joke. But nobody had seen the watch since he had taken it to bed with him. But Raymond’s brother, Monty, had an idea. That night, he waited until Raymond went to sleep, and kept watch in his room. Two hours went by. Then Raymond, who was sleeping heavily, got out of bed with slow, mechanical movements, and roamed like a ghost through the house, his brother following. Raymond went into the kitchen, made his way to the oven, and with somnambulistic slowness onened the door and groped inside. Still walking in his sleep, he continued uostairs again, his precious watch clasped in his hand. Then, aftef tying it to the bed-post, he got into bed again. In the morning Raymond was astoundjxl to find his watch hanging in its original place. Even now he does not know how it got there. "And I don’t intend to tell him. either,” Monty said. “It might upset him.” NINTH MYSTERY FIRE DISTRICT IN ENGLAND SUFFERS Fresh cause for anxiety was lately given to the police in Exeter by a mystery fire. The blaze was the ninth that has occurred in the city within six months without reasonable explanation. The fire gutted the premises of Messrs W. C. Shears at Lower Mills and destroyed thousands of pounds’ worth of grain-grinding machinery. Very pluckily. Mr A. C. Davey, an unemployed man, dashed through the flames and rescued a horse from an adjoining stable. In doing so, he was bitten by the frightened animal. An officer of the Are brigade was also admitted to hospital, suffering from injuries. Mr A. G. Shears, one of the principals of the film, said he was at a loss to account for the origin of the fire. He said he was certain everything was in order when the premises were locked up. MAROONED ON REEF FISHERMEN’S UNENVIABLE EXPERIENCE Setting out from Jersey on a fishing expedition, five men, Charles Lc Breton, engineer and owner of a converted ship’s lifeboat, the Joy Bell, two brothers. Raymond and Jack Bouchard, Philip Garner and Donald Reynolds, ran into a storm a few weeks ago. The fishermen were forced to take refuge on Maitre lie, a rock on Minquiers reef. The men broke into some huts for shelter and found themselves marooned owing to the sustained gale. They only had a little bread, which they ate sparingly with some fish which had been caught during the trip and which was cooked on a small fire. As the Joy Bell did not return to Jersey there was great anxiety as to what had happened, and the Jersey lifeboat went out on a systematic search of the coast. After being out for 10 hours in heavy seas the crew, by means of shouts, located the men at the spot where they had been marooned for 30 hours. They were huddled together for warmth and two of them, Raymond Bouchard and. Reynolds, were suffering severely from exposure. Coxswain Glcndewar decided to convey them back to Jersey in the lifeboat, while the three others were left behind with a supply of food. As the lifeboat arrived at St. Helier at night the quayside was lined by excited spectators, who raised cheer after cheer for the heroic seamen. One of the rescued men remarked that he thought the party was lucky when, in spite of the huge seas which broke over the rocks, they were able to get to the huts. “We hoisted distress signals of towels and handkerchiefs,” he continued, “but we could not see because of the tremendous clouds of spray which drenched us.” The other three members of the party, Messrs. Le Breton, Jack Bouchard and Garner, who remained on the reef, later returned in the Joy Bell which was moored, undamaged, by the rocks.

VILLAGE’S ONE-MAN CHURCH There are only 17 inhabitants in the village of Faxton, Northamptonshire, and their monthly church service is one of the strangest in England. The Rev. W. M. Watkins Pitchford, rector of Lamport, walks a mile across the fields to officiate at the church. He rings the bell, plays the organ, conducts the service, and more often than not preaches to a congregation of one woman, who combines the roles of choir, sexton, sideswoman and congregation. OLDEST BUSINESS IN LONDON The oldest business concern in the City of London is the College of Heralds, which was founded in 1380. The heralds are appointed personally by the King; they receive a small fee from him for certain Court duties, deriving most of their income from fees paid by people in search of family trees, armorial bearings, etc. , MARRIAGE OF MUTES CEREMONY IN DUMB LANGUAGE . Solemn pledges were exchanged by signs when a deaf and dumb wedding took place at the oarish church at Folkestone, Kent, lately. bride was Miss Lilian Crage, of Kentish Town, and the bridegroom Mr Thomas Henry Brazier, a Folkestone bootmaker. The service was conducted by the Rev. 11. G. Goodall, the curate. As he recited it Mr L. M. L. Glover, lay missioner, “spoke” it to the couple in deaf and dumb language. When the moment came to say “I will,” the couple nodded their heads. Both have been mutes from birth. Among the guests at the reception were 15 deaf and dumb people. The bridegroom at one time plaved foot-, ball. VANDALISM OF CAMPERS GATES CHOPPED FOR FIREWOOD Rowdyism and vandalism by hikers and campers have aroused protest from the villagers and the vicar of Bardsey, Yorkshire, the Rev. C. R. Hall. Residents are complaining that the rowdy, element have destroyed all privacy and disturbed sleen in the village at weekends and holiday times. V The vicar says: “At such times I cannot go about in the ordinary course of mv work without being stared at stupidly. -Some of the hikers and camners are positively impudent. “One of my parishioners has a tennis court in a field beside his house. One day ho found a party of campers had taken nossession of the court, and they actually resented a request to move away. There is more privacy in the centre of Leeds than there is in Bardsey.” There are also complaints that trees and hedges are regularly broken down, and even gates removed to be chopped up for firewood. RECTOR SENT TO PRISON COULD NOT PAY INCOME-TAX The Rev. John Arthur Leng, rector of St. Denys, Yorkshire, was at Barnsley lately committed to prison for six weeks on a judgment summons for non-payment of income tax. It was stated that an order for payment of £6 18/6 was made last October. The rector did not attend the court, but sent a letter stating that he had been involved in very heavy expenses, particularly in respect of renaming his house The letter added: “I shall be leaving here in September, and I shall then be able to meet all my liabilities.” The collector said the assessment was in respect of the earnings of Mrs Leng, who was a teacher in the Barnsley district. Mr Leng also had the income from his benefice. BIG FORTUNE WASTED MAN SENT TO PRISON “A heartless and deliberate fraud,” remarked the Tower Bridge magistrate in passing sentence of four months’ imprisonment on Arthur Rowe, aged 55, who was charged lately with obtaining money by false pretences from Mr Percy William Noakes, at Deptford. A detective said that Rowe went to Johannesburg some years ago and returned with £IO,OOO. He had spent the money, and was now destitute and out of work. In order to raise money he went to Mr Noakes, to whom he had been introduced in 1932, and represented that he had property near Johannesburg on which gold had been found. He said he proposed forming a company among his own friends, and (hat a £SO investment would produce £2OO within 12 months. Mr Noakes parted with £35 in all to secure a £SO share, and Rowe disappeared for some time. Later, he returned and asked Mr Noakes for the balance of £ls to complete his holding. Inquiries had convinced Mr Noakes that there was neither property nor gold, and he called the police. THE PRETENDER OF FRANCE TO TAKE A HOUSE IN ENGLAND A home in England is being sought for the Due de Guise, the Pretender and the rest of the exiled French royal family. They are now living at the Manoir d’Anjou, near the Franco-Bel-gian frontier. The Count de Gramont, a prominent royalist courtier, arrived in London a few weeks ago by an early train and took a suite at an exclusive London hotel. During the course of the day he received visits from well-known house agents. Since the Due de Guise issued his manifesto on the occasion of the Paris riots last year, a manifesto which the commission of inquiry, lately sitting in Paris, has declared to have led to bloodshed, the presence on Belgian soil of the French Pretender has become a source of embarrassment to the Government of King Leopold. Belgium is too near France, and the constant intriguing of Royalists across the frontier has been annoying both Governments. The last Pretender, the Due d’Orleans. resided permanently in England, and at one time owned both Yodk House, Twickenham and Wood Norton, Warwickshire. There he lived in regal state, and made county squires wear knee breeches when dining with him. An estate similar to Wood Norton is being sought, as the French authorities will raise no objection to a British residence. The Due de Guise —“King John 111 of France”—is head of the House of Orleans, successor of the long line of Bourbon monarchs who once ruled France. He has a 25-year-old son, the Count of Paris, and a grandson. Sixty years or more ago the ancestor of the Due de Guise, the Count of Chambord, then head of the French royal house, was offered the crown. He refused to rule under the Tricolour of the Revolution, demanding the former white flag with the golden lilies of his royal forbears. The French Parliament refused to yield to the request for the change of flag. Otherwise “King John III.” might be reigning over France to-day.