Salem Witch Trials And Al Capone Era Revisited: Weird News & Oddities

Let’s go back in history to Colonial times, in America’s 250th anniversary year, a fitting place to start this week’s Weird News & Oddities. piece of furniture that has ties to the Salem Witch Trials in colonial Massachusetts could fetch up to $800,000 at auction, according to Sotheby’s.

The newly discovered wood cabinet carved in 1677 “stands as a monument to early Colonial American artistry” and is “a symbol of Western urbanity on the Puritan shores of Massachusetts, a poignant witness of the Salem Witch Trials and an early example of the westward migration of the English immigrants’ first generation’s children.”

The cabinet is one of only five known examples from the Symonds shop of Salem, and the only one not in a public collection, according to Sotheby’s. It was likely made by one or both of John Symonds’ sons, continuing a “woodworking dynasty” that served Salem and nearby communities into the 18th century.

• Read more: 17th-Century Salem Cabinet Could Fetch $800K At Auction

‘A Kind Word And A Gun’

A loaded Colt handgun found in the walls of a Chicago distillery may have ties to Al Capone, the Prohibition Era Chicago crime syndicate mob boss who is famous for saying, “You can get more with a kind word and a gun than you can with a kind word alone.”

The folks at Thornton Distilling Co. aren’t sure yet but are determined to find out if the notorious gangster’s lips ever parted while holding the century-old piece. Thornton police confirmed it’s from the right era and based on its condition, appears to have been hidden in the wall for many years.

The loaded handgun in a holster was found tucked in the wall of the catacombs beneath the distillery building, the oldest standing brewery in Illinois and Capone’s largest bootlegging facility during Prohibition.

The gun would be an unusual find in any other building, head distiller Art Klafter told Chicago news station WGN, “but here with all of the history of the building, it kind of makes sense,” he said.

• Read more: Century-Old Loaded Gun Possibly Tied To Al Capone Found In Distillery Wall

‘A Lizard In A Blizzard’

A Providence, Rhode Island, man shoveling his driveway after last weekend’s massive winter storm found a huge South American lizard clinging to life as he tried to crawl out from under 20 inches of snow.

The New England Wildlife Center said the man who found him did all the right things by taking the lizard inside, wrapping him in a T-shirt to conserve heat, and reaching out to a local reptile pet shop for advice.

It’s unclear whether the lizard escaped or was intentionally let out. Tegu and other lizards are cold-blooded, and when temperatures drop too low for too long, their metabolism slows, blood flow is compromised, and cells begin to fail.

A small portion of the lizard’s tongue was amputated. When he arrived at the center, he was suffering “frostbite to his tongue and showed signs of significant muscle weakness after prolonged exposure to the cold,” the Wildlife Center said.

Veterinary staff are treating the lizard for inflammation and general weakness, and he was “resting comfortably and finally warm,” the Wildlife Center said in a post on Wednesday.

• Read more: RI Man Finds Huge Frozen South American Lizard While Shoveling Driveway

Whew, Mountain Lion All-Clear

Residents of San Francisco’s Pacific Heights neighborhood can rest easily now that a mountain lion they had been warned to give a wide berth has been rehomed to a more suitable location.

The approximately 2-year-old, 77-pound mountain lion had been spotted roaming the neighborhood multiple times on Monday and Tuesday, including in a park, the courtyard of an apartment complex, where he was tranquilized and captured for relocation in a “suitable national environment.”

It was the first sighting of a mountain lion in San Francisco since 2021. Wildlife officials suspect the mountain lion became lost or confused during dispersal, the perilous journey young, independent mountain lions take as they leave their natal range to establish their own territories.

• Read more: Possibly Lost, Confused Mountain Lion Captured In San Francisco Neighborhood

‘Mutton’ To See Here

We may never know why the chicken crossed the road, but the California Highway Patrol provided information Tuesday as to why dozens of sheep made it to the other side in rural San Joaquin County.

They weren’t on the “lamb,” er, lam. It could be said police were there to say, in effect, “there is ‘mutton’ to see here but ‘ewe’ cannot move along just yet.” A couple of plays on words deserve another. Police observed on social media that it could’ve been a “BAAAAAADDDDD” day without their help.

It was a good, old-fashioned sheep drive, and CHP officers were asked to stop traffic, so the animals could safely cross the road from one pasture to another.

• Read more: ‘Mutton To See,’ But A Question: Why Did The Sheep Cross The Road?

Cows Have A Night Out

On the other side of the country, police in Peabody, Massachusetts, helped escort a herd of renegade cows home after they snuck out for an evening on the town last Saturday.

Call it a “bovine intervention,” police joked in a video on social media that showed Det. Will DeRoo coaxing the cows back where they belong.

“While working a patrol shift, you need steady command presence, clear and calm verbal commands, and the patience of someone compassionately negotiating with a herd of cows who strongly believe Saturday night should never end,” police said.

DeRoo put those skills to work, and “calmly guided these guys back like a seasoned farmer — convincing even cows to make good decisions on a busy Saturday night,” the post said

• Read more: ‘Bovine Intervention’ Comes After Cows Break Free For A Saturday Night Out

A Buck Looking For A Buck?

In a third example of police showing their humorous sides, authorities in Ridge, New York, had some fun by suggesting frisky buck deer may have broken into a bank window “looking for bucks.”

As entertaining as a tale of a bank heist by Bambi’s pops might be, the six-point buck, he wouldn’t have made a very good thief. He tripped the alarm when he crashed into the teller window glass and police quickly responded.

• Read more: Was Buck That Smashed Bank Window Looking For Bucks?

Important Rat Update

If you’re wondering about the dozens of friendly rats found in an abandoned Rocky Point, New York, house that Patch previously reported on, we have this important update:

The 75 that remained in the condemned house are stealthy, and rescuers so far have been unsuccessful in capturing them.

“They have made intricate tunnels throughout the house, whether it be through plumbing or the walls,” rescuer Erica Kutzing told Patch. “They know the house far better than we do. Yeah, and they have created a system to survive in there that we don't know about.”

She added, “This is definitely their house, and we, you know, we're the visitors.”

About 400 rats, including 12 litters of pups, have been rescued. A little more than half of them have been placed with rescuers from Maine to Virginia. The remaining rats are in the care of the Strong Island Animal Rescue.

The rescued rats have been microchipped by a veterinarian specializing in exotic pets.

• Read more: Friendly Rats Aren’t Leaving Condemned Home, Have ‘Created A System To Survive’