AN EXTRAORDINARY STREET INCIDENT.

Colonist, Volume LI, Issue 12545, 22 May 1909, Page 4

AN EXTRAORDINARY STREET INCIDENT.

Queer things happen sometimes, and" an extraordinary incident occurred on the night of April 30, in Swanston street, Melbourne, where_ a great crowd gathered round a cranky looking individual who was industriously endeavouring to set his own coat tail on fire. The performance was a great deal harder than it might seem and so the crazy one found it, for after using a box of matches, burning his fingers, and using a copious flow of words appropriate to the occasion he was foroed to desist with the remark addressed to the public at large "You" require a lot of practice to do this successfully, you know ; but I'll do it ail right in time. Lend me some matches.". The crowd imagining that the man was some wag, with a jok© afoot to try aud liven up the feeling of general depression which seemed to have set in with tho bitterly cold weather, supplied another box, and once more the man took up the task of incinerating his coat tail. His parsoveranco at length prevailed, and the' glow behind was reflected in the glow of satisfaction that overspread the operator's features, as he felt that everything, was going nicely. "Ah, that's all right!" he exclaimed; "the brigade will soon be here with all tho firemen under the direction of the chief officer.' By this time a number of people had realised- the truth that the man was deranged, probably from drink, and half-a-dozen ablebodied citizens made a c joint attack upon the 'seat of the fire.' " Owing to the situation of the flames, the-re-sult was. disastrous to the crazy one, for while sbmo held him, others subjected the vicinity of his coat tails to tho most violent treatment, some flogging ;the burning coat tails with sticks and umbrellas, and some using their °^t' i^*' ' tixa &rG '™-" as ' fiM-lly^iMrtin.-guished by; a seagibla person wkeemerged hastily from a neighbouring restaurant, and threw a bucket of water over it. When th.o crank finally got loose he looked likean effigy of Guy Fawkes, but he regained . some of his wandering sense, for he submitted to, be taken homo on a tramcar .by a . friend who had reoogmsed him. '.'Here; move on out of this ! commanded a burly constable ll ?? tes^afterwards, as ho' dispersed the wondering crowd- "don't l>s ob^tructms 4te - footway' ,j- ea a2I seem: t'- havo voiy little t' do "