The Odd Truth, Jan. 14, 2004

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.

INDIANAPOLIS - Jack Kerouac's original draft of "On the Road" is hitting the road.

The Beat Generation text sprawls across 120 feet of paper in a continuous block of text.

It begins a 13-stop tour of museums and libraries this week.

First stop is the Orange County History Center in Orlando, Florida. The trip ends at the New York Public Library in 2007.

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay bought the manuscript two years ago for nearly $2.5 million.

Irsay tells The Associated Press his goal all along was to "have it and share it with all those who want to see it."

Kerouac wrote the novel in a 21-day typewriter marathon in New York City in 1951. "On the Road" won critical acclaim when it was published six years later.

Monkey On Your Pants

SINGAPORE - Women in Singapore are buying their husbands special Chinese New Year briefs, hoping to bring them good fortune and increase their sexual potency.

Women are also buying themselves "Funky Monkey" panties specially designed for the year of the monkey, featuring smiling cartoon primates. The Lunar New Year begins on Jan. 22 and is celebrated by the Chinese diaspora around the globe.

But the most popular style is bright red briefs for men featuring Chinese characters for wealth and prosperity, said Jeannette Cheong, owner of the underwear store ButtOn Trendy Undies.

Cheong said she has sold more than a thousand pairs of the festive undergarments, priced at $3.50, since Christmas.

"The Year of the Monkey is definitely more marketable than the other zodiac signs," Cheong said. "Because the cartoon designs for women's underwear are cuter and more appealing."

The items are most popular with middle-aged women who tell Cheong they want to spice up their love lives, she said.

She said she has also received bulk orders from companies looking for Chinese New Year gifts for their staff.

More unusual buyers of the lucky underwear include gray-haired men shopping for themselves and "mamasans" - local slang for women who arrange sexual liaisons - looking for "corporate gifts" for their clients, Cheong said.

State Of West Virginia Auctioned Off

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - An attempt to auction off the state of West Virginia drew 56 bids and nearly enough promised dollars to fill the state's projected budget hole before eBay learned of the joke.

By Tuesday evening, with five days to go in the sale of item number 2372779353, "Entire State of West Virginia," bidders had bumped the ante up to just $1 short of $100 million.

"As an eBay consumer myself ... that's a heck of a bargain!" joked Amy Shuler Goodwin, spokeswoman for Gov. Bob Wise, who's projecting a $120 million deficit for fiscal 2005.

The seller, identified only as "fishstuffnthings," did not immediately respond to e-mails late Tuesday. Nor did "nosnam1488," who was the high bidder.

Within minutes, the auction was unplugged and the state was "no longer available."

"Obviously, this buyer doesn't have the goods to sell," said Chris Donlay, spokesman for the San Jose, Calif.-based online auction company.

But for "fishstuffnthings," it was fun while it lasted, despite some misspellings:

"I, as emperor of West Virginia, have been appointed as steward of this sale," he wrote. "You are bidding on the ENTIRE STATE of West Virginia. Please note that this auction does not come with governing rites, nor the inhabitants of said property. You also may not change the state flag, bird, or so on. This is merely for bragging rights, or to hang a sign in your garage that says, 'I own West Virginia.' Also please note, you will have every right to succeed from the union, but that has been tried in the past without much success. I am also willing to relinquish the seat of `Emperor' FOR FREE!"

Japanese Dream Machine

LONDON - There's a new dream machine from the Japanese.

It's called the Yumemi Kobo, which literally means craftshop of dream.

The device is small enough to sit on a bedside table.

If for instance you want to dream of a particular person - such as Brad Pitt, George Clooney or Pamela Anderson - you stare at a photo, then record a message verbalizing your desire to dream of that person.

The message is then automatically replayed at the moment when people are most likely to dream.

The product is due for a May launch with a price tag of about $140.

A Sign From Beyond The Grave?

DELAND, Fla. - First it was the Dale Earnhardt goat, now it's the Dale Earnhardt cat.

David Albury was at home recuperating from surgery several months ago when he noticed the black fur on his cat's back was shaped in the number "3." The fur screamed "Dale Earnhardt" to Albury.

He told his wife of 30 years, "Valerie, we're rich."

Albury, a NASCAR fan who regularly watches the races on television, called up the Daytona International Speedway to see if officials there were interested. The Speedway officials suggested he call Dale Earnhardt Inc. based in North Carolina. He hasn't gotten a reply.

Earnhardt died in 2001 during a crash in the Daytona 500. The legendary driver's car bore the number 3.

Albury is adamant that he doesn't want to sell the black and white cat named Romeo, and more recently called Little E or Kitty 3 after Earnhardt.

"But I wouldn't mind if he became a celebrity," Albury said.

This isn't the first animal born in Florida bearing the number 3 since Earnhardt's death.

In 2002, a brown Nubian goat was born in north Florida that had a white "3" on its side. It was promptly named Lil' Dale and several Earnhardt fan's went to its farm to see it.

Billy The Kid Conspiracy?

ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico - Was there a conspiracy surrounding the death of legendary Old West outlaw Billy the Kid?

Legend says he was gunned down by Sheriff Pat Garrett in 1881. But a California man says the Kid's death was faked.

Homer Overton says he was told by Garrett's widow more than 60 years ago that the dead man was actually an unwitting impostor - a drunk who was shot point-blank in the face by two unlikely pals - Garrett and Billy the Kid himself.

Overton's sworn statement is being offered as evidence for exhuming the body of the Kid's mother. Some New Mexico officials want to compare her DNA with that of a Texas man - who claimed until his death in 1950 that he was the real Billy the Kid.

A hearing on the exhumation petition is set for January 27th in Silver City, New Mexico - where the Kid's mother is buried. Town officials oppose disturbing the gravesite.

Monkeys Invade Indian Embassy In Nepal

KATMANDU, Nepal - Monkeys have invaded the Indian Embassy in Nepal's capial, forcing diplomats to seek help from animal specialists, the embassy said Wednesday.

About three dozen monkeys have attacked embassy officials, defecated in offices, and destroyed equipment, embassy spokesman Sanjay Verma said.

"We have sought help from experts and hope to get rid of the problem soon," Verma said.

Experts from the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation and from a zoo were called in to capture the monkeys. The embassy plans to pay 25,000 rupees ($350) for the task, Verma said.

The embassy previously had caught some of the monkeys and took them out of Katmandu.

"But somehow they managed to find their way back," Verma said.

New Delhi has its own monkey problems. The animals are known to ransack files, screech at visitors and bang on office windows in India's Parliament complex.

Massive Ketchup Spill In Ohio

ZANESVILLE, Ohio - A stretch of Interstate 70 was turned into a shallow sea of red sauce, dented cans and broken bottles when a tractor-trailer rig carrying Del Monte tomato products overturned.

The truck spilled 40,000 pounds of ketchup, tomato juice and spaghetti sauce over the eastbound lanes of the freeway west of here on Tuesday.

Traffic had to be rerouted via U.S. 40 while workers spent three hours clearing the mess. Ten Falls Township firefighters helped in the cleanup, loading the debris into dump trucks and using their hoses to flush away the sauce and juice.

State troopers said the accident occurred when a car drifted into the left lane and struck the semi. Neither driver was hurt.

A food pantry in Zanesville benefited from the mishap. About 1,500 pounds of mixed vegetables, ketchup and spaghetti sauce salvaged from the wreckage were delivered to Christ's Table.

"It saves us a lot. It's a bunch of stuff we didn't have to spend money to buy," said John Willhelm, kitchen supervisor at Christ's Table, which serves lunch to about 300 people daily and provides food to needy families.

Man's Best Friend

BRISTOL, Pennsylvania - The family of a man who died last week said that when they went to a funeral home to make arrangements for him, they found one mourner already in attendance - a faithful dog.

Polo, a 3-year-old mix of German shepherd, chow chow and labrador, was often seen in the company of Ed Crossan, whose daughter, Donna, owns the dog. Crossan, 73, died after surgery last week.

On the day that Theresa Crossan was preparing to make funeral arrangements for her husband, someone let Polo out and no one could find him.

When the family arrived at the Wade Funeral Home about five blocks away, they found Polo pacing back and forth.

When Polo disappeared again the next day, Donna Crossan and her 10-year-old son, Brendon Lopez, knew just where to look.

"The first few times, we didn't see him," she said. "We decided to try one more time. Sure enough, when we drove into Wades, Polo came running from the side of the house."

Brendon said he thinks Polo could smell his missing friend at the funeral home, and Dr. Eric Meihofer, a veterinarian, agrees.

"It was just a dog looking for his pal," he said. "It's an amazing story. It shows that the dog was very loyal and loving."