An Indiana carpenter had his tools stolen but later found them — up for sale on eBay.
"What I ended up doing was actually purchasing some of my tools so I could receive them and prove that they were mine," John Guichelaar told WRTV-TV of Indianapolis.
Police raided the garage of Christopher Lamont Hayden last Monday, finding thousands of dollars' worth of tools, allegedly stolen in perhaps 100 burglaries.
"This is the first case we ever had where stolen property was solicited [on the Internet]," said Indianapolis police Detective Martha Richardson, "and we had serial numbers to get the identification marks."
Guichelaar told the TV station he spent a week checking local pawn shops after his tools were stolen, but then decided to check the Internet.
Indianapolis pawn shops (search) are required to write down serial numbers and take thumb prints from sellers, the TV station said, but eBay, where Hayden had apparently been trading since 2001, has no such rules.
Heavy Artillery a Bit Slow to Reach Target
A huge cannon ordered by George Washington for the siege of Boston finally got to its destination 229 years late, reports the Boston Herald.
After the fall of Fort Ticonderoga (search) to Vermont militiamen, 48 cannon were sent to Boston in the winter of 1776 to shore up American forces besieging British forces in the city.
But one cannon, a "six-pounder" weighing a ton, never made it. It fell through the ice as it was being hauled by oxen on the frozen Mohawk River in upstate New York.
The cannon was brought to the surface in 1853, when it became the mascot of a state political party before being tossed back in the river by a rival party.
In 1907, it was brought up again and placed in the Fort Ticonderoga National Historic Landmark, which is loaning it to the South Boston Citizens Association (search).
"I did get goosebumps and a tear to my eye when we crossed the Mohawk River," said association President Michael Bare, one of 25 Bostonians trucking the cannon to Boston. "I stopped my truck and said, 'General [Washington], we did cross the Mohawk River.'"
The South Boston Citizens Association organizes Boston's Evacuation Day (search) ceremonies, held every March 17 to commemorate the day in 1776 when the British, suddenly confronted by the other 47 cannon from Fort Ticonderoga, packed up and sailed out of the harbor.
Here's a Little Cow Urine Face Cream for You
NEW DELHI (AP) — From constipation to cancer, diarrhea to diabetes, they offer to cure nearly everything — with medicines made from cow urine.
India's Hindu nationalists, who were ousted from power last May, have a new job: promoting cow products that many Indians believe have great therapeutic value.
A stall at the headquarters of the Bharatiya Janata Party (search) showcases more than two dozen tonics, potions, pills and a line of cosmetics. The products are sold under the brand name Goratna, or "jewels of the cow."
"It's very good, very effective. You must try some of these," said S.P. Sharma, a BJP official, as he offered to buy a pack of face cream he said helped his daughter get rid of pimples.
"My daughter tried all kinds of things. Nothing worked," Sharma said. "But this one is working wonders for her. Last week, I bought one pack and today I am buying one more."
The Goratna offerings use five key cow products — butter, milk, curd, urine and dung.
Purushottam Toshniwal, the general secretary of the cooperative that manufactures the cosmetics, said workers there followed a "solid scientific process" based on India's ancient herbal remedies, known as ayurveda (search).
Although many Indian scientists and doctors believe in the efficacy of some ayurvedic medicines, few agree there is proof that cow urine enhances their impact.
Cops Give Up on Finding Wisconsin Kangaroo's Owner
DODGEVILLE, Wis. (AP) — Authorities in southern Wisconsin have discovered that capturing a kangaroo in a snowstorm isn't the hard part. It's finding out where the animal came from.
Authorities recently gave up their hunt for the owner of a red 130-pound marsupial, saying its origin will remain a mystery.
The Iowa County Sheriff's Office has given the Henry Vilas Zoo (search) in Madison permission to keep the kangaroo, nicknamed Roo. The animal has been in quarantine at the zoo since its capture early January, as reported in Out There.
Sheriff's deputies corralled the male kangaroo in a barn after receiving calls from shocked residents who had seen it hopping through rural parts of Dodgeville for two days.
"We're almost two months out since the incident occurred. I would imagine that the owner is not coming forward," Iowa County Sheriff Steve Michek said.
Michek said deputies ruled out several claims of ownership, including one from a Connecticut woman who said her kangaroo was missing. An Appleton, Wis., man also claimed he had lost a kangaroo in September, but his description did not match that of the animal.
Zoo officials plan to introduce the marsupial, which has been deemed healthy, to their other five kangaroos this spring when the weather warms up.
Acupuncture Relieves Elephant's Pain
SINGAPORE (AP) — The Singapore zoo is using an old Asian remedy to treat sick animals: acupuncture (search).
The latest patient is Tun, a 15-year-old Asian elephant whose right leg was crushed by a male elephant nine years ago.
Zookeepers worried that Tun, who weighs 5,291 pounds, might not be able to settle her weight on her lame leg as she grew heavier.
Veterinarian and acupuncturist Oh Soon Hock, who has poked and prodded giraffes, cheetahs and Komodo dragons in the name of medicine, started treating Tun a month and a half ago.
"After the first treatment, she was more mobile. Now her leg can be bent better and her muscles are more relaxed," Oh said.
Elephant handlers are on site when Tun receives acupuncture treatment twice a week. The intricate process involves coaxing with repetitive noises, gentle tugs on her fan-like ears and bribery with bananas and carrots.
"I don't think acupuncture has any pain, if you know what to do," said Oh, who learned acupuncture at the Zhonghua Chinese Medicine College (search) in Taiwan.
Oh said acupuncture on animals and humans uses the same premise of locating key points between the joints or veins.
OSLO, Norway (AP) — Unlike many fishermen, Harald Skoge didn't have to exaggerate the size of his latest catch. The 321-pound halibut was too big for his nearly 29-foot boat.
Skoge, who fishes as a hobby, was trying his luck off western Norway with a simple hook and line on Feb. 23 when he thought something had gone wrong.
"At first, I thought the hook had gotten stuck at the bottom," the retiree was quoted as saying in Friday's edition of his local newspaper.
Slowly, he was able to roll in the line, and realized something very, very big was on the end. When the giant halibut broke the surface, he realized it was too big to haul into his boat.
"I had to tow it to land," he told the newspaper.
After three hours of towing the fish, he was able to deliver it to a local fish processing plant, which weighed and bought the catch.
According to Skoge, the fish's head alone weighed 42 pounds, more than many anglers can claim for their whole catch.
Compiled by FOX News' Paul Wagenseil.
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