NEWS FROM ALL QUARTERS

Hokitika Guardian, 16 October 1930, Page 2

NEWS FROM ALL QUARTERS

LATEST IN BANK HOLD-UPS. Carrying a black bag containing a powerful bomb, a man entered the Stockyards National Bank at Fort Worth, Texas, and demanded £2OOO. When the cash was refused he dropped ithe bag,, and l the ho mb exploded, blowing the man to pieces, killing the vice-president of the bank, and wrecking the hank building.

PLOT TO KILL DANISH KING

The “Liberte” stated recently that the King of Denmark narrowly escaped assassination when he attended the recent festivities to mark the 1000th. year of the Parliament of Iceland at Reykjavik, the capital. Two men were observed attempting to approach the tent which was occupied by tire King and Queen of Denmark during the outdoor celtebraticns/ The men were arrested, and it is stated they had in their possession revolvers and hand-grenades. Two of the men and a woman were also arrested.

THE GHOST SHIP RETURNS. One of the novel features of Navy AVeek was the working model v of H.AI.S. Kent, the 74-gun line-of-battle-ship built at Deptford in 17G2. Manned by sailors in eighteenth-century uniforms, with glazed hats and tarry pigtails, she presented a fine sight as she tacked across the Basin in the dockyard. She sailed down the Medway and across the Thames to Southend, where she created a sensation. Visitors could hardly believe their eyes when they saw this apparent relic of a former age standing across the river. AN “UNDERGRAD’S” THEFT. A 19-year-old Oxford undergraduate, Geoffrey Curran, pleaded guilty to steading a cinema camera and other property valued altogether at £9O, ( the property of Michael Donald AVhyte, from a room at Christ Church, Oxford. The, chief constable said that. Curran went to France and when relatives heard of the charges they communicated with the police and by arrangement Curran Came back and surrendered. Curran’s father said his son had no motive for what he did and was not pressed for debt. He made his son an allowance 6f £350 in addition to extras. He was hound over for six months and ordered to pay £3 3s costs. YOUNG CONSTABLE’S COURAGE. A tribute to the heroism of the police was paid at Bow Street recently, when a reward of £lO was given to P.C. Albert Vincent Denton for saving two little children from being run over by a motor car. He was escorting some school children across the road when a car, travelling at a fast pace, skidded on the tram lines in their direction. Denton, who was only 20 years old, dragged two of the children to safety, and in doing so was knocked down and dragged for ten yards. Several of his ribs were broken, and he sustained internal injuries. The magistrate said Denton was the youngest constable he had ever had the privilege of rewarding. SQUARING THE CIRCLE. A mathematician who claims to have solved the ancient problem of squaring the circle, ha.s caused a sensation among Italian scientists. Professor Giuseppe Tschenett, of Bolzano, says he arrived at the solution more by pure mathematics than by geometry. He hag sealed his papers and consigned them to the care of a lawyer to await the inspection of a committee of savants. “Squaring the circle” is a problem which has been fruitlessly attacked by the ablest mathematicians of past centuries. The problem is to obtain a square equal in area to a given circle. It has long been thought that an arithmetical solution is impossible, and proofs have been advanced that a geometrical solution is also impossible.

ADDER-BITE IN SUSSEX. The arrival at the Royal Sussex County Hospital, Brighton, of a case of snake-bite temporarily placed tlie authorities in a predicament. The patient, Basil Parsons (16), had been bitten on the hand by an adder, and his condition appeared to be rather seriouys. No anti-snake serum was available either at the hospital or in the district, but after telephone inquires the authorities succeeded in tracing, a source of supply hi Loudon.

Two tubes of the serum were sent off by train from London and were taken bv car from Brighton Station to the hospital. An injection was made a/nd the hoy later recovered. Although adders are fairly common in some parts of Sussex, cases of persons being bitten are comparatively rare.

PIONEER OF THE CIGARETTE. Nowadays, when people are reputed to be furnishing their houses with coupon prizes given hv tobacco firms to stimulate the .sales of particular brands of cigarettes, it is interesting to hark back for contrast to binut* when a Scots aristocrat was pioneer of the cigarette in society. 'iG’iy aristocrat was the Duke of Sutherland, grandfather of the present peer. Some GO years ago a gentleman might have been observed strolling down Bond Street, London, smoking a ri.cc arette greatly to the amusement ol passors-Lv, for in those iai-off d.v\> the cigar was the only recognised smoke for “a toff” This hardy pioneer was subjected to a great deal of chaff and criticism, hut the Duke ot Sutherland cared little for either jeers or sneers. He believed m he cigarette, and he lived to see the lordly cigar get a shoog “niaist ruined a’ ” He was tile first man in society to popularise the humble cigarette and it seems strange that no brand was honoured with his name.

PASTOR AS GANG LEADER. I ; ;• A church pastor has been elected leader of a club composed of young Glasgow gangsters, and he has all the powers of a gang leader. “Southside Stickers” is the name of this strange organisation, in which anything connected with religion or politics is absolutely taboo. The Rev. J. Cameron Peddie has for some time interested himself in the young rascals, who drift into the gangs of Glasgow, and the club is the outcome of his work. He is arranging entertainments, including boxing tournament, and the club is to form a football team. Mr Peddie, exolaining his position as leader, said: “To the lads I am simply Brother Cameron. Peddie, their leader. The rules provide that drinking, betting and bad language will not he used; in the club premises. Ido not know the religion of any one of the gangsters—if they have any religion. The slogan of the “Stickers” is 'Brotherhood and good citizenship.’ ” It was .mentioned at a meeting of the club that 15 members of the gang are m prison—the “porridge factory,” as it was called—and arrangements are being made to'give them, a rousing welcome when they are released.