PLAYBOY millionaire Hugh Hefner's sense of humour has cost him a thousand dollars. He had to pay the money to a frail 60-year old woman preacher who claimed that he welched on a promise. The woman preacher, Sister Hilda, deaconess of the Church of Messiah in Detroit, said that Hefner had promised to donate a thousand dollars to her church. She told a Detroit claims court that she recognised Hefner standing on a Detroit street corner. "I asked him for a donation to buy a new school bus for the church, " she testified.

Hefner, taken by surprise, agreed . . . on one condition.

This was that Sister Hilda, a 4ft 10in grey-haired, 60-year old, pose for a centre-page picture spread in Playboy magazine. Apparently Sister Hilda was not aware of what that would have involved.

"Anyway, I agreed, " she said.

"I put Mr Hefner down for a thousand dollars and naturally I expected it. I was prepared to go through with my side of the bargain." Mr Hefner left the street corner meeting chuckling to himself.

But the other day, when Sister Hilda told a court that Hefner had continually refused to see her when she arrived at his Detroit Club to collect the money, the millionaire was laughing on the other side of his face.

Hefner was listed in courts as having 'an outstanding debt of one thousand dollars'.

Hefner sent a member of his staff speeding to the court with a thousand dollars in bills. Sister Hilda thanked the Hefner aide and withdrew her suit. But there was no information available as to whether sister Hilda would insist on carrying out her part of the bargain.

Freeman's Journal 1 April, 1850

CORONER'S Inquests . . .Deaths from destitution in Cavan. William Pollock, Esq, coroner, held an inquest on the 25th instant, at Derris, parish of Drumlumon, in this county, on view of the body of Peter Reilly. Edward Reilly, labourer, deposed that the deceased, who was his brother, had been in the Granard workhouse for six months last year, but left or deserted it about September last, and remained with him (witness) in a small hut from that time up to Friday the 22nd of March instant, when he died at the hour of eight o'clock in the morning.

Witness further stated that for five days previous to deceased's death, he did not taste food, nor could he procure any; witness and his family, making eight in number, being on the outdoor relief, and receiving only two stones of Indian meal weekly, could not afford him any assistance.

Margaret Reilly, wife to the last witness, deposed that she sat up with the deceased for two nights previous to his death; that she did not see him taste food during that time but four spoonfuls of Indian meal stir about; that, having regard to her own family and their stinted allowance, she could not render deceased more assistance than she had done". The coroner having recapitulated the evidence, the jury returned the following verdict: 'That Peter Reilly of Derris came by his death from destitution and want, and that no blame is to be attached to the relieving officer of the district, the deceased having deserted the workhouse of Granard in September last.'

The same coroner held another inquest on the same day, in the parish of Drumlane, on the body of a man, name unknown, which had been found lying dead on the roadside the preceding day. The jury found a verdict that 'the deceased man, name unknown, came to his death by disease, want, and destitution'.