ENDURANCE

Hokitika Guardian, 16 June 1928, Page 4

ENDURANCE

SOME FREAK TESTS. SYDNEY, June 1. Australia just now is passing through a queer epidemic, numerous young men seeking notoriety by way of . accomplishing feats of endurance. Queer as tho epidemic is it has led to stranger developments, and to at least one Police Court case in which the principals were charged with imposition. At Bathurst a young man from Coogee set out to break the record for continuous dancing. The police were suspicious of him and allege, that when a constable visited tho casino the dancer and his attendant were asleep. Both were arrested and the would-be record breaker danced his way to tho Police Station, danced before the sergeant as lie was being charged and searched, and danced his way to the cells, and danced, while lie was locked up in the cells. He maintained that lie was perfectly genuine, and lie was not going to allow a little thing like an arrest to interfere with his record. It has not been stated whether he succeeded in his object, but his dancing had ceased when lie appeared before the Magistrate. Ha pleaded not guilty and his case was dismissed on a technicality.

The case for the prosecution was that a constable visited the hall at 2 a.m. and found the place in darkness. He located a man in an ante-room, who said that tho dancer was in another room dancing in the darkness because the light had affected his eyes. The constable returned at 5 o’clock with a civilian and then found that the dancer was asleep on a couch. 'Phe man that was supposed to he keeping watch was also asleep. Repurchased tickets to see the test, and tho charge arose out of the sale of tickets to. the sergeant. Although the dancer had admitted going to sleep the prosecution failed on the -ground that tho sergeant, when he purchased the tickets, knew that t)io whole thing was a fake. Therefore it could not l>e said that the sergeant’s money was secured by means of false pretence. In another town a. young man had discovered that there was such a thing as a ball-punching record, and ho thought- it would lie- a good thing to try and break it. About five years ago a man at Rockhampton punched a, hall for three or four days without stopping, and that record remains. The latest aspirant for the “honour” punched for nearly three days until! he became temporarily blinded, and then retired.

Next Erie Sundornml, champion long distance walker in Victoria, announced that he woud dance- from Melbourne to Geeong, a distance of -17 miles. Ho succeeded and he claims to have established a record. No'rodv is disputing that. He had relays of partners, and a gramophone on one. of the cars provided the necessary music. He arrived in Melbourne as fresh as paint and continued his dancing for a quarter of an hour.