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Indiana Jones journal origin a mystery

CHICAGO, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- Officials at the University of Chicago said an apparent Indiana Jones fan sent a replica movie prop to the school addressed to "Henry Walton Jones Jr."

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Admissions counselor Grace Chapin said workers were left scratching their heads when no "Henry Walton Jones" could be found in the school directory, the Chicago Tribune reported Monday.

"We gave it to a student worker, and the kid came back laughing once he Googled it," Chapin said. "Some of us are in a haze with finals, you know, so he said it was Indiana Jones' name. Then we opened it, and it was very bizarre. There was no explanation as to why it was with us, so we talked about it and decided to put it online."

Workers said they opened the package and discovered an elaborate replica of fictional professor Abner Ravenwood's journal from the "Raiders of the Lost Ark" film.

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Chapin said Lucasfilm, the studio that made the Indiana Jones films, said it does not know where the journal came from. She said some have theorized the faux postmark on the journal itself may have confused the U.S. Postal Service if it fell out of its original packaging.

Chapin said the journal may also be part of an unusual admissions project.

"I don't want to get everyone sending us elaborate Indiana Jones creations, though," she said.


Dingo steals woman's valuables

NEWCASTLE, Australia, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- Authorities in Australia said a dingo stole a bag containing several thousand dollars in cash and valuables from a British tourist.

Police said the 58-year-old tourist, whose name was not released, was visiting Jimmys Beach, just north of Newcastle in New South Wales, Wednesday when the dingo ran off with her bag of cash and jewelry, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported Monday.

"The offending dingo was photographed by witnesses and was clearly identified as having one leg predominantly white," Port Stephens Crime Manager Acting Inspector Matthew Maroney said.

He said the dingo, which has been the subject of numerous complaints in recent months, was found and killed. However, he said the bag of valuables was not found.

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Man reunited with dog after 5 years

GREENFIELD, Ind., Dec. 17 (UPI) -- An Indiana pet adoption center says it reunited a man with his Shih Tzu five years after the little canine went missing.

The reTails adoption center in Greenfield said it received a Shih Tzu Friday that had been picked up as a stray Nov. 30 and a microchip scan identified an owner and listed a working phone number, the center said on its website.

ReTails said the chip identified the dog as Bandit and staff quickly phoned the dog's owner, who it identified as Mike.

Mike said the dog had escaped from his home while he was working a full five years ago and had not been seen since despite his efforts to find him.

Workers said the owner came to the center within 10 minutes of being called for an emotional reunion with Bandit.


Pony rides train, tours Berlin

BERLIN, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- A German girl whose pony became an online celebrity with a YouTube video of the animal riding a train said the pony also visited a McDonald's and a store.

The 16-year-old owner, who identified herself as Frauke, said a friend stood her up at a train Station outside of Berlin Friday so she decided to board the train with Seppi the Shetland pony and take a trip into the city, The Local.de reported Monday.

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"Everyone was taking photos or stroking Seppi. Because it was so funny I just kept travelling," Frauke said.

Frauke said she met up with a friend and took Seppi on a small Berlin tour that included a McDonald's restaurant and an H&M store, where she and the pony were asked to leave.

A YouTube video of the pony on the train during the pair's ride home had amassed more than 300,000 views as of Monday.

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