ITEMS OF GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 17471, 15 May 1920, Page 2 (Supplement)

ITEMS OF GENERAL NEWS.

;' FORTUNE LEFT ;IN A TRAIN. * A- traveller recently loft a 'bag- containing £20,000 in a train at Florence. ; Later the )bag "was found, but the!money had gone,-'* ■ ■'.. 4. :\"''S^i<'V i • •'*« >J| 'TOUR ATA BIRTH. ;/ The ; wifej of a Customs officer at Marseilles.'gave .birth ! to four children* two I'ovs, and, two girls, , recently. The boys did : not "survive, but the girls are doing well; •'■' U <■>' ■•" '.- •'" v i /'.' / OEftsTERY' STRIKE. , ■ '. V' C' : '' ' •'. - * ' . •'" \ ' Cemetery workers at' Ballymena, England, recently went on strike, and the chairman of the council, a number of councillors';'' and a local magistrate opened a grave for an interment, digging under police protection. * YOUNGEST , AVIATRESS. Mdlle.-. Andree Farman, the ' 14-year-old daughter of M. Maurice Farman, the wellknown aeroplane manufacturer, is probably the world's youngest aviatress. She began to pilot an aeroplane last June, and now takes toer'-father for aerial joy-rides to the seaside and to his chateau in the country on the 'banks of. the Loire. 'WOMAN REFUSES £5000. It is reported that Miss Sherwood, the missionary who was one of the victims in the Arraitsar (Punjab) riots (in April last . year), was . offered half a lakh of rupees (£SOOO at the present rate of exchange) by Cite Government as compensation. She refused, and only asked for the nominal value of her wrist watch, which had been stolen. SMUGGLING SOVEREIGNS. Indian Customs officials at Karachi recently discovered 23,000 Turkish and Brit ish sovereigns, which it was attempted to import from the Persian Gulf into India

in a dhow. Though concealed in packages of dates, the gold was discovered by means of probing with a long needle. Smuggled gold may now yield handsome profit, inasmuch as a sovereign sold in a bazaar fetches 20 rupees. ROBBEBS'ESOAPE IN AEROPLANE. The "hold-up" of a bank at Benson, Minnesota, ana the escape of the robbers in an aeroplane with a sum of about £25,000, is reported from New -York. This is probably the first case on record of robbery by means of a flying machine. By a curious coincidence General Sir Nevil Macready, Chief Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, dealing with the "crime wave," in his report to the Home Seoretary for the year 1918-19, states that the police are already considering how they may combat the possible aircraft criminal. The Coumissioner says that the posibility of certain classes of crime being undertaken by the aid of aeroplanes is receiving attention. NINE YEARS' TRANCE. A young woman who had been in a trance for nine years has been admitted to hospital at Rietfontein, Cape-Colony. When seen recently her body was in a state of complete rigidity, and when her eyelids were raised the eyes did not indicate consciousness. She is Anna Swanepol, 31. Since he 22nd birthday she has been in bed, with limbs fully extended. The nurse in charge of the case has satisfied herself that the patient can . hear what is being said.

HUNTED BY FEAR. The strange history has been revealed of a man's five years' fugitive wanderings over the world on account of a crime he never committed. William Eichorn recently surrendered to the Ottawa police, and' said he was wanted at Winnipeg on a charge of manslaughter. According to his story, Eichorn and a chum stole a motor-car in June 1915. The car upset and his chum was killed. Eichorn, fearing that he would be charged with manslaughter fled the country and wandered to China, Japan and Africa, finally returning to the United States to surrender. Police advices from Winnipeg show that Eichorn was never "wanted" for manslaughter, and the death of his chum was regarded as an accident. The only warrant issued fir his arrest was for the theft of the motor-car.

i WEARING £500 A NIGHT. Miss Shirley Kellogg confesses that her famous rajah costume in "Joy-bells!" cost £250. This is exclusive of the gorgeous sunburst of osproy in her head-dress, which 'is accountable for another £200.Four hundred and fifty pounds for one costume alone—which is only worn for a few minutes during each performance. This ' dress is made up of row upon row of stringed beads which hang from a Bilver cuirass. There are fifty-one beads on each string, and there are about eight hundred strings. Whenever one of these strings catches a little shower of beads falls, so that the costume has to* be sent to the wardroberoom for repair after each performance. Some idea of the expense of "dressing" a show may he gained when one hears that for "Eastward Ho!" at the Allium bra, London, 560 pairs of stockings alone, at, 37s 6d' a pair, had to be provided.