IRISH TIMES ODDITIES: ALLEN FOSTERtrawls through the Irish Times' archives.
AN INGENIOUS TRICK
Erasmus Kovalenock is in prison because he tried to make a living out of mice, writes Reuter's Riga, Latvia, correspondent. It was his habit to go to a baker and buy a loaf of bread. When he arrived home he would cut a hole in it and scoop out some of the inside. Then he would catch a mouse and, after killing it, insert it in the loaf, which he sealed again and treated by a process known only to himself which made it look like the mouse had been baked with the bread.
With a disgusted expression on the face, he would later call at the baker's and threaten to "expose" him. He played the trick on 18 bakers, and they all quickly handed him a sum of money as "compensation". Then he came up against a baker who denied that the mouse was in the loaf when it left the shop. Not only that, he handed Erasmus over to the police.
November 14th, 1934
IRISHMAN TRIED TO SWIM HOME FROM HOLYHEAD
Because he could not afford a steamer ticket, Patrick Lyons, a 25-year-old Irishman, who had served in the British army, tried on Tuesday to swim from Holyhead to Éire. The distance is over 60 miles.
Lyons left his clothing on the beach at Holyhead, and entered the water wearing only underpants. After swimming about half a mile, however, he gave up the attempt and returned to shore.
"I wanted to get home," he told the police, who found him suffering from exhaustion and cold. He maintained he was quite capable of swimming the Irish Channel under favourable conditions.
April 27th, 1946
FLYING CATS
The last B.O.A.C. flight from Aden to London left yesterday with 110 passengers - and two South Arabian cats. The airline is suspending operations because of the security situation. Aboard the V.C.-10 were the two cats "Freddie Farid Bin Aidrus Al Aulqi" and "Egbert". They belong to two British girl secretaries employed by the South Arabian Federal Government.
November 1st, 1967
STEPHEN MADE HIS MARK
Steven Holcomb walked into the local bank in Traverse City last September with a 100,000-mark bill dated 1923. The teller, unaware that the note, printed during Germany's wildest inflation period, was worth only a few cents, checked the current rate and gave him $39,700.
For the next few weeks, Stephen lived the high life, ate and drank the best, and bought himself some firearms. The purchase of the guns brought in the police, who had been alerted by the bank authorities when they discovered their costly mistake.
No charge can be levied against Steven over his exchange deal but he will be tried on February 5th for illegal possession of arms.
January 28th, 1977