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Cape Codders march in rain for St. Patrick

WEST DENNIS, Mass., March 10 (UPI) -- Organizers of the Cape Cod St. Patrick's Day Parade in Massachusetts decided Saturday that a heavy rainstorm would not stop them from marching.

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Ed Tierney, the organizer, told The Cape Cod Times that rescheduling the event in West Dennis would have been impossible. Pipe and drum bands are much in demand in the weeks around St. Patrick's Day, and are booked months ahead of time.

"This is our third year and we're trying to build a parade," said Police Chief Mike Whalen, a member of the committee. "So when you say you're going to do it, you gotta do it."

Only two of the 32 planned floats were no-shows.

The Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School band also decided to keep its instruments dry.

But others adapted. The live St. Patrick character on the Skippers Restaurant float held an anachronistic umbrella while also wielding his shillelagh.

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The Lost Dog Pub float got to the parade -- even though the restaurant had a fire Friday night -- with a float featuring a white dragon. But the Golden Harp for best in show went to the Cape Cod Irish Village for its mobile recreation of the Moore Street Market in Dublin.


Fond patron leaves Scottish museum $4M

EDINBURGH, Scotland, March 10 (UPI) -- A woman who enjoyed visiting the National Museum of Scotland has left it more than $4 million, the largest bequest in museum history.

Adele Stewart was generous to the museum in her lifetime, but officials told The Scotsman they had no idea she had that kind of money. She sometimes brought in unusual objects she found picking through trash in Edinburgh.

The museum plans to name a new gallery in her honor. Gordon Rintoul, the director, said he is "honored and touched" by her gift.

Stewart lived quietly in a small house she once shared with her father. She apparently inherited the money and a love of history from her father, who had inherited both from an aunt.

Canon Tim Murray, rector of the Episcopalian Church of the Good Shepherd where Stewart worshiped for 40 years, described her as someone who never said much about her private life.

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"She was someone with eccentricities rather than being a full-blown eccentric," he said. "She was one of those lovely ladies who people always liked talking with because you never came away without learning something interesting about life or literature."


Venomous snakes found in Australian bank

CARINGBAH, Australia, March 10 (UPI) -- An Australian bank branch in a town near Sydney closed its doors and called for a snake handler when at least two brown snakes were found inside.

Employees of the St. George Bank in Caringbah found the snakes in the kitchen area at the back of the building, The Daily Telegraph of Sydney reported. The area is not open to customers.

The Australian brown is one of the world's most venomous snakes, capable of causing death almost instantaneously if it bites.

Lara Daniels, a spokeswoman, said the branch closed down as soon as the snakes were spotted.

Caringbah is about 20 miles south of Sydney in New South Wales.


Body of Australian outlaw Ned Kelly found?

MELBOURNE, March 10 (UPI) -- Australian archaeologists may have found the grave of Ned Kelly, the notorious 19th century outlaw, in northern Melbourne.

Official court documents show Kelly's remains were buried at the prison where he was executed for murder in 1880. Officials allegedly moved his body to a mass grave at the Pentridge prison in Melbourne, though the location of his body became something of a mystery, The Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported.

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Ned Kelly entered Australian folklore as a robber and general outlaw. He made his own suit of armor to confront police in his last shoot-out, surviving 20 gunshot wounds before police finally arrested him, the BBC said.

Authorities said it will be hard to determine for certain if the remains are those of Kelly because grave robbers removed his head shortly after his burial.

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