South Yorkshire Times January 29, 1949

Queer Wath Immigrant

On Sunday morning at the Lord Nelson Hotel, Wath on Dearne Mrs. Seabury, wife of the licensee was putting out her vegetables for the Sunday dinner when she placed a cauliflower on the kitchen table out jumped a large insect.

It leaped on a settee about 4 feet away. Hearing her callout, a greengrocer, Mr Tom Elvin, who was having a drink in the bar, ran into the kitchen, ran into the kitchen and after several attempts managed to catch the insect with a pair of pincers. The insect, which is about three inches in length, has legs almost as long as its body, and large compound eyes, from the bases of which grow two long antennae.

It is dark brown in colour with two pairs of wings which lie flat along the body.

Mrs. Seabury told a ” South Yorkshire Times” reporter that she understood that the cauliflowers had come from Italy and presumably the insect had come with it. Some believe it is a locust. Others think it his an outsize grasshopper as it has not been teen to fly but only to jump.

Baby Angela, Mrs. Seaburys grand-daughter, looks upon the curiosity as her own proud possession. Everyone who calls has to look at it in the jam jar where it was placed after Mr Elvin had captured it.

Mr and Mrs Seabury are not so much worried as to what it is as to what to do with it.