A Midleton chemist woke to find a bus stop installed directly outside his Main Street shop, triggering a bureaucratic mystery that saw the stop vanish and reappear without explanation, according to reports.
The Bottom Line
- Mr Butler discovered a bus stop directly outside his chemist shop at 78 Main Street, Midleton, dealing a disastrous blow to his trade.
- After weeks of unanswered complaints and threats of legal action, the stop was covered in tar and gravel, only for workmen to reinstall it in the exact same spot two weeks later.
- Despite contacting the town clerk, council members, and various authorities, Mr Butler was left entirely unable to establish who held the ultimate authority over the stop.
The Disastrous Arrival at Number 78 Main Street
Visiting his chemist shop at 78 Main Street one afternoon, Mr Butler was shocked to find that a bus stop had been set up right in front of his enterprise. The location of the new stop had an immediate and damaging impact on his trade, proving disastrous for the business.
The bus stop remained fixed in place for approximately a month. Seeking its removal, Mr Butler wrote to the town clerk to outline his objections and threatened to take legal action if the stop was not relocated.
Denials and the Disappearance of Democracy
Direct approaches to the town clerk and council members yielded no responsibility. According to Mr Butler, almost everyone he contacted denied involvement, with only one councillor showing any interest in resolving the issue.
As far as Mr Butler was concerned, democracy was dead on the Main Street of Midleton. Following weeks of arguments, complaints, and confusion, the mystery took a strange turn when he arrived at his shop one morning to find the white road markings for the bus stop covered over with tar and gravel.
The Mystery of the Reinstalled Stop
The bus stop disappeared completely following the resurfacing and remained absent for roughly two weeks. Yet the puzzle grew even stranger when a crew of laborers showed up one afternoon to put the bus stop back up in the exact same spot.
Following five weeks of inquiries, Mr Butler still had no way of figuring out who was in charge of the bus stop or who had given the instructions for it to be taken away and put back. As far as he was concerned, it could have been Mr Magoo, leaving him no closer to finding out who was really in charge.
This episode of Hall’s Pictorial Weekly was broadcast on 27 October 1971.
