Best Foot Forward. In Birmingham, William Duncan took his new power lawn mower out for a trial run, mowed off his left big toe.

As Ye Sow. In Plainfield, Ind., Farmer Raymond Heald got fed up with townspeople throwing beer bottles, tin cans and garbage in his fields, "gave them back what they'd been giving me" by dumping a load of garbage in front of the town hall, was acquitted of committing a misdemeanor by a jury which included eight farmers.

Life with Father. In South Bend, Ind., Frank Spiteri landed in jail after he stormed into the store where his 19-year-old son Mezerino worked, beat him with a pipe, cried: "This is for the 18 years I've been feeding you!"

Pure Havana. In Portland, Ore., Thomas Crawford told police that two strangers had hypnotized him by blowing cigar smoke into his face, then got him to draw $1,100 from his bank account and give them the money.

Compatibility. In Fort Scott, Kans., Robert Locke and Beverly Key took out a marriage license. In Miami, Elizabeth Coffin announced her engagement to Lloyd Graves.

Unsafe Deposit. In Muncie, Ind., Supermarket Owner Lester Muster, trying to outwit burglars, kept his money in a wastebasket instead of a drawer, until an employee chucked $10,080 in cash and checks into a fire while cleaning up.

Moving Day. In El Paso, an entire cinder-block wall, complete with aluminum lettering, was stolen from a city swimming pool.

Sales Campaign. In Reno, police arrested Radiator Repairman Verle Wilbur and three teen-age boys, said Wilbur had hired the boys to punch holes in the radiators of 35 to 50 parked cars.

Bug-Eared. In Santa Fe, N. Mex., telephone service in the state capitol was halted while fumigators got rid of the bedbugs in the main switchboard.

Cold Farewell. In Albany, Ore., the Greater Oregon ran an unsigned classified ad: "If the man who went rushing out the front door of my house the other night without any clothes on will call at my office, he can have his clothes and no questions asked."

Speeder's Digest. In Trumbull, Conn., Victor Hovey, arrested for doing 70 m.p.h. on the Merritt Parkway, told the judge he had not realized how fast he was going because he had become engrossed by his wife's reading of a magazine article on the perils of speeding.

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