Radio Announcement Puts Town In Panic

Chronicle (Levin), 12 February 1949, Page 5

Radio Announcement Puts Town In Panic

(N.Z.P- 4—

■Reuter*

Cor*iriahtJ

Reeeived Friday, 7 p.m. NEW YORK, Feb. 31.' The entire population of Willmar, Minnesota, was thrown into panic last night when a bored radio announcer broadcast "just for fun, ' ' that a trainload of wild animals had broken ioose and were prowling around the town in search of strav bodies. The announcer, Maurice D. Hargo, dramatically announced _ that a circus train -stalled in a blizzard, had pulled into Willmar and its wild animals hai stampeded fiom their pens, trampling a railway employee so badly that he was sent to hospital with several broken ribs. Ile hold all citizens to turn on the lights in their homes to frighten the animals awav and warned everyone to keep off the. streets. At a crueiai moinent of his broadcast the fire alarm blew because of a iire in a loeal. dairy and the citizens feared the worst., ^li'eYc . Iranyi'eally telephoned' eaeh other and.arranged to nieet at a strategic spot to combat the wild beast.s in strength. One sleepy householder stumbled into the poliee station armed with rifle and loaded down with ainmunition, and crying: "Where are the critters?" Many citizens, afraid to go to bed, stayed up all night fearing the wild animals* would burst into their homes. By early morning the police managed to soothe the populace by broadcasting messages that no animals were loose. Police Chief Joseph Jacobson said he did not plan to prosecute the announcei "because I don't know what to charge hirn with. 1 don't like this sort of thing though.'* The announcer 's explanation was: "1 didn't think anybody was listening. "