FAMOUS HOAXES.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVII, Issue 5059, 1 December 1926, Page 4

FAMOUS HOAXES.

NEW ZEALAND SHEEP. “VERACIOUS” DOPE! STORY. A contributor to the Newcastle Weekly Chronicle recalls that abdut 40 years ago the London Times, gave an account, under, the heading “A Strange Story,” of a marvellous me,thod of transporting sheep from New Zealand to. England, and the narrative was copied into many papers in the kingdom. The heading was cautious, as “The Times” hajd been hoaxed in 1836 by a story giving details of living animals inhabiting -the moon, and was more wary on this occasion. Briefly told, the story detailed the outcome of experiments by an Italian professor, Signor Rqtitsall (suggestive name!), who had wonderful trees which yielded saps, one of which was injected by hypodermic syringe into the veins of the sheep, which at once fell to the ground, to all appearances dead. The carcases could be packed into a ship’s hold like logs, o'f wood and sent to England. On arrival the bodies were taken to pasture land, when a second hypodermic injection of the fluid from .the other tree was made, and then the supposed dead sheep leaped into vigorous li’fe, and began to feed voraciously! The veracious narrative wound up by stating that the “professor” had departed to South America 'for further supplies of the wondrous sap. As he has. no.t yet returned, this marvellous “discovery” is probably lost to the world.