Evening star., 1939-01-08

Sum Is Made $1,000, With
Accompaniment Of Ponie,
Crisis and Arrests
OMAHA, Neb., Jan. 7 (NANA).
Omaha citizens have just been
treated to an amazing illustration
of the manner in which news from
the United States is distorted in
the German press.
Some weeks ago, Omaha Repub-
licans achieved some publicity. but
not as much as they would have
liked, when, to settle a bet, a pilot
dropped fifty 81 bills at noon from
an airplane over the city.
Acting County Republican Chair
man H. M. Baldrige, former Rep
resentative, had bet w. c. Fraser,
an attorney, that 40 out of so per-
sons were interested enough in the
party's campaign to clean up the
courthouse to return the bills to
the campaign chest when they
found them.
Each dollar bill was attached to
the outside of a stamped, addressed
envelope in which was inclosed a
little note, asking that the letter
and dollar be mailed at the nearest
mail box. The last batch was
dropped directly over the court
house. and among, the finders were
two Democratic Office employees.
They spent their money.
The stunt didn't attract much at
tention, although there are still
many people who like to look at
airplanes. Mr.. Baldrige lost the
bet, because only 18 bills were re-
turned.
German Version.
The incident was almost for
gotten, until copies of the Allge-
meme Zeitung, published in Koe-
nigsburgh, Germany, were received
here. This is a translation of the
German papers version of the
stunt:
When it rained dollar bills;
bet of two American f1iers; four
weeks in Jail for such dumb
stunt"
Two young persons coming from
a certain group who usually finds
much time on its hands entered
into bet. Both of them purchased
an airplane and they were arguing
which one could cover distance
of 200 miles faster. They decided
to have a race and that was the
first senation which these two young
men created for their home town.
The winner of this race was Doug
las Pine apparently reference to
Fraser, but why, nobody knows
who reach his destination before
Henry Baldrige and thereby won
the $4,000 which was the bet the
f1iers had made.
However, since money did not
mean much to these snobs they
made an agreement that the per-
son who lost the race should take
the sum of the bet in 81 bills and
throw them from an airplane over
the market place in Omaha. Nat
throughout the city and early in
the morning of that day on which
the dollar notes were to rain over
Omaha the entire population was
on its feet.
Tens of Thousands in Mob
1.-THE police were greatly sur
prised, because from the market
place to the banks of the Missouri
River tens of thousands were
packed. Traffic stopped and even
the police were powerless with such
mob. Then Baldrige's flying
machine appeared on the horizon
greeted by the cheers of the thou
sands packed below. He lightly
brought his ship down to within q
hundred meters of the ground
Shortly thereafter two thousands
81 bills were f1uttering through the
air.
"Pandemonium reigned among
the people on the streets. The mob
rushed after the money that was
falling from heaven. Many people
had sticks and some had butterfly
nets to catch these dollar bills as
they fell. Quite a number of fights
ensued; practically fight for every
dollar bill. Women were knocked
over. Children were stepped upon
Clothes were torn from some people
and not less than 81 persons were
injured in attempts to get a share
of this gold that was falling from
heaven. The health authorities
were kept busy.
Bills Torn to Shreds.'
"Close to one-third of the dollar
bills were no longer usuable be.
cause they were practically torn tt
shreds during the fights. There
were also some courageous young
boys who jumped into the Missouri
River to recover some of the dollar
bills that had fallen there. It tool
police a good long time to get thu
crowds separated after all thi!
happened.
During all of this uproar Dougla!
Pine, the winner of the bet, wa!
standing on a balcony laughing a
the wonderful show He was very
much surprised shortly after wher
he was arrested, and friend Baldrig,
also was arrested Immediately upor
landing. is it against the law tt
throw dollar bills from heaven,
Both of these men asked. Actually
there is no American law forbidden
such an act, but the police foune
a way to punish these two men fol
the uproar they had created. The.
were accused of obstructing traffic
and accused of violation of a cit!
ordinance for airplanes which pro
hibits the throwing of papers of an!
kind from the plane without tn.