The Odd Truth, Oct. 18, 2002

The Odd Truth is a collection of strange but factual news stories from around the world compiled by CBSNews.com's Brian Bernbaum. A new collection of stories is published each weekday. On weekends, you can read a week's worth of The Odd Truth.

Faster Than A Speeding Gourd

ELLETTSVILLE, Ind. — When Jim Bristoe told his wife he wanted to build a cannon that would shoot a pumpkin a mile, she told him he wasn't all there.

But he built one anyway, with a 30-foot-long barrel. It is powered by a 700-gallon air tank and is appropriately named "Ain't All There." It looks much like a mobile anti-aircraft gun.

"You don't need to cover your ears, but you're going to know I shot it," the 42-year-old electrician and mechanic said during a demonstration on Wednesday.

When Bristoe fires the cannon, a 10-pound pumpkin is hit with 11,300 pounds of force. The pumpkin projectile leaves the muzzle at about 900 miles per hour, he said.

During the test, the cannon fired a pumpkin through the rear of a Pontiac.

Bristoe plans to take the 2-ton pumpkin cannon to the first annual Pumpkin Propulsion Contest at Verizon Wireless Music Center near Noblesville on Saturday.

The contest is sponsored by Indianapolis radio station WRZX-FM. It's the brainchild of morning show host Gonzo Greg and his colleagues.

"It's more of an exhibition than a competition, and we don't know what to expect in terms of entries," said Greg. He added that it sounds like Bristoe will probably win. (AP)

Judge Sneaks 5,000 Pound Plaque Into Court

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - The man who describes himself as Alabama's "Ten Commandments Judge" is defending his placement of a monument -- with all ten of the commandments on them -- in the state Judicial Building.

Roy Moore is the chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court.

He placed the 5,300-pound monument in the building late one night in July of last year -- without telling the other justices.

That prompted a lawsuit by the Poverty Law Center and Americans United for Separation of Church and State. They say the monument has a religious purpose.

From the witness stand, Moore said the commandments are the moral foundation of law.

Legal experts say the case could be the one the U.S. Supreme Court uses to decide if monuments in and around government buildings are constitutional. (AP)

The Old 'Hiding In The Ceiling Panel' Trick

HOUSTON - It's not often that a suspect falls into the hands of the cops -- literally. Police in the Houston suburb of Brookshire busted a would-be burglar at the B-and-B Supermarket. The suspect apparently hid in ceiling panels after the store closed, but he set off an alarm. Police were searching the store, when the guy came crashing through the ceiling. Police say he had pocketed some prescriptions from the store's pharmacy. Formal charges against the man are pending. (AP)

Long Forgotten Fairytale

SAGINAW, Mich. — Sixty-four years after they went their separate ways, high school sweethearts Donna Baldwin and Rene Hall are tying the knot.

In the late 1930s, they attended school dances, went on long walks and ice-skated in the park. After graduation, they parted and eventually married others.

When Hall's wife of 61 years died in June, he thought of his old girlfriend. The 81-year-old Baldwin and 82-year-old Hall planned to get married Friday in Clare.

"We lost touch, but you don't forget someone you cared for," Hall said.

Baldwin had settled down in a cottage on Lake George near Harrison after her husband of 56 years died in 1998.

Hall, who lives in Bradenton, Fla., read Baldwin's husband's obituary and recognized her name.

He found her phone number, and they met for lunch in August. He asked her to wear a red rose so he would know her after all those years.

"I couldn't believe it when he called," Baldwin said. "I was pretty shaky walking into the hotel, but it just clicked. We felt like old friends."

They talked for just a few hours before Hall returned to Florida, but they stayed in touch and Hall proposed over the phone.

"It's kind of a fairy tale," Baldwin said. "People are very interested in our story. Some women say, `There's hope for me yet."' (AP)

What Are Families For?

SOUTHINGTON, Conn. — State Rep. Dennis Cleary won't be able to count on the support of his family this Election Day.

The Republican, who represents Wolcott and Southington, is seeking a sixth term in the General Assembly. But relatives have taken out a newspaper ad and planted signs on their lawns in support of his opponent, Democrat John "Corky" Mazurek.

The ad, printed in the Wolcott Community News, reads, "We are tired of Dennis ... Are you?"

Jude Cleary said family members believe his brother is a "corrupt" and "self-serving" politician.

The falling-out has to do with Dennis Cleary's handling of his father's estate, an issue that has been taken to Waterbury Probate Court, Jude Cleary said.

Cleary's younger sister, Christine Sergi, told the Record-Journal of Meriden that neither she nor her mother would vote for him.

Dennis Cleary dismissed his family's comments in a written statement.

"There have been sibling rivalries since Cain and Abel, and anyone with integrity and maturity would keep it within the family," said Cleary, the ranking member of the legislature's Public Health Committee.

Jude Cleary said that despite his ad urging people not to vote for his brother, he doesn't know much about Mazurek.

"I think just about anybody would have to have more integrity than my brother Dennis," Cleary said. (AP)

Chances Dim For Earth-Shattering World Series

SAN JOSE, Calif. - The last time two California baseball teams met in a World Series, the earth moved -- with deadly results.

It was 13 years ago yesterday that a magnitude seven-point-one quake struck as the San Francisco Giants were about to take on the Oakland A's in game three of the Series at Candlestick Park.

The quake broke a section of the Bay Bridge, caused a freeway to collapse and destroyed neighborhoods. In all, 63 people were killed and 3,000 injured.

Could another quake strike as the Giants take on the Anaheim Angels starting this weekend?

Seismologists say another moderate or even larger quake is theoretically possible. But, they add, the chances of a big one hitting on any given day are extremely remote.

Says a Caltech professor: "It's probably the same probability as people would have given to the Angels winning the World Series at the beginning of the year." (AP)