Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe Gangster Capone beats rap again MIAMI, Sept. 29 (UPI) -- The passing of 80 years didn't help prosecutors of 1930s Chicago mobster Al Capone, who once again failed to nail him for perjury in a re-enactment in Miami. Advertisement A mock trial was held in the same Dade County Courthouse where Capone successfully defended himself decades ago. Dressed in period-appropriate attire, the participants played out the trial in which Capone contended he was being deprived of his right to walk the streets. Miami's public safety director at the time, S.D. McCreary, had issued an "arrest on sight" order for Capone, who was living in Miami Beach at the time. The actor playing McCreary told the packed courtroom Capone was a "menace to the good people of our fair city." But Capone had contended he was arrested and held in secrecy without cause. Advertisement "They held me in a back jail and didn't let me call my attorney," the actor playing Capone told the mock jury, reciting from the gangster's original testimony. And just as in the 1930s, Capone beat the rap and walked out of court a free man. The re-creation was the work of Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Scott J. Silverman, official historian for the 11th Judicial Circuit of Florida, which put on the event as part of its centennial celebration. 'Snuggle Suit' outselling slanket LONDON, Sept. 29 (UPI) -- A British catalog retailer said the "snuggle suit," an all-in-one fleece bodysuit for adults, is outselling its sleeved blanket ancestor, the slanket. The House of Bath said snuggle suits, fleece jumpsuits with elastic at the wrists and ankles, are selling at a rate of more than 350 per month, outselling the slanket, a blanket with sleeves, more than 3-to-1, The Daily Telegraph reported. The retailer is billing the snuggle suit as "prettier than a tracksuit and more comfortable for lounging in than a bathrobe." "We have seen an unbelievable success in the sales of the 'snuggle suit' since we launched it this year," said Kate Whittingham-Jones, head buyer for House of Bath. "Sales haven't even slowed during the summer months, which has astonished us." Advertisement Suitor drops ring on Brooklyn Bridge NEW YORK, Sept. 29 (UPI) -- A butter-fingered suitor who dropped a diamond ring during a proposal on the Brooklyn Bridge says he got some help from a New York employee. Trey Turner had one piece of luck -- the ring landed on a construction platform instead of falling into the East River, the New York Post reported. Turner told the Brooklyn Paper he was kneeling before his intended, Kelsey Kramer, last Wednesday. He said the ring "flipped out" of his pocket as he reached in to pull it out. "It flew in the air, hit the ground and started to roll," he said. "I was leaning down to grab it when it fell." Doug Reese, a bridge worker, found the ring on the platform. A city Transportation Department employee presented the ring to Kramer Friday, since Turner had returned to his home in Florida. Kramer accepted Turner's proposal, even without the ring. Turner said he had been worrying about dropping the ring while he and Kramer walked across the bridge from her apartment in Brooklyn Heights. At least one other man in recent years has dropped an engagement ring on the bridge during a proposal. Don Walling dashed into traffic on the bridge roadway to retrieve his ring and present it to Gina Pellicani last year, the Post said. Advertisement 'Elmo' fights back against attacker WINTER PARK, Fla., Sept. 29 (UPI) -- Police in Florida said a man dressed as "Sesame Street" character Elmo was attacked during a children's event but he was able to break his attacker's fingers. Winter Park police said the Muppet-suited man was performing Sunday at The Guitar Center when the attacker began throwing punches at him, leading Elmo to fight back, WFTV, Orlando, Fla., reported. Police said the performer, who was not injured, broke the attacker's fingers. Officers said they were able to break up the fight before children saw and the attacker is undergoing a mental evaluation in a local hospital.
