Wednesday, April 7, 2004

100 years ago: An amusing case was heard at Leeds Assizes, when an auctioneer from Scarborough sued the proprietors of the Scarborough Post for libel. The plaintiff conducted his own case, complaining of various publications in the paper, one of which referred to a lecture, which the plaintiff was to deliver, which was to show, in the words of Mr Bumble: "The law is an hass." The article about him also said: "(The plaintiff) has a grievance against the forensic methods of the country," having been given a verdict not in his favour a number of years ago, and that he "wished to let the world hear of his troubles at the lecture, but the world stayed away, and the lecturer still keeps locked up in his own bosom the pearls of wisdom which were to have fallen from his lips".

The auctioneer complained that the article had injured his character, and held him up for public contempt and ridicule, and that he had never had anything to do with a court case. However, when he was cross-examined, he admitted to sending letters to the King calling His Majesty a thief and a coward, and various other names. The jury eventually heard enough and stopped the case, and gave judgement in favour of the newspaper.

50 years ago: After an article appeared about the strange things found on trains, the East Yorkshire Motor Services revealed what got left behind on their buses. A Sunday joint, a fireguard and a top hat were among the 10,000 articles which passengers lost after journeys during the previous 12 months.

These included about 1,000 umbrellas, nearly all of which had been claimed. At one time a child's school satchel was handed into the lost property office as regularly as three times a week over a long period, and the staff came to know it so well that they telephoned the child's mother as soon as the satchel was brought in. One day a married couple presented themselves at the lost property office to report the loss of the wife's wristlet watch. They thought it must have been lost on the journey and full particulars were taken. Just as inquiries were starting, the couple returned and the husband pointed to the watch on his wife's left wrist. She usually wore it on her right wrist, and when it was not there she thought she must have lost it.

10 years ago: Heading straight for the heart of rival chocolate country was the Cadbury's Creme Egg, spotted speeding along the A64 from the coast towards York. Driving the eggmobile, a converted Bedford Rascal van under its wrapper, was thought to be one of the oddest seasonal jobs in the country, as for three months in the run-up to Easter four of these vehicles were driven round the country, advertising the eggs and bringing a smile to the faces of people it passes. The company already had a photograph of the eggmobile sitting outside the Mars factory in Slough, and staff were hoping to get similar ones taken in York at the Rowntree and Terrys factories.

Updated: 09:42 Wednesday, April 07, 2004