YORK may be making a surprise bid to become the murder capital of the North, but violent death is nothing new to this city, as JW Moody reminded the Diary.

"On a recent clear-out I came across a Press dated June 19, 1992," he writes from Elmpark View, York.

"An article involving the murder of Norma Dale in 1946 indicated that a relative of young Norma was writing a book of the incident.

"I do not know if such a book was ever published, perhaps you may know. It would be interesting to find a closure, as much speculation as to the perpetrator has been circulating all these years."

The author of that book is Beth Dale, whose husband Brian is Norma's cousin. Beth took two years to write the book, working with the police and compiling 30 files of evidence in the process.

In the book she names the woman she believes was responsible for the death of Norma, who was four when she was strangled and her body dumped in Tang Hall.

That woman is still alive and living in York and so the law of libel prevented Beth's account being published.

"The book was going to go to print in Canada," she tells the Diary. "But we had lots of death threats, lots of problems."

A year ago Norma's mother Frances died. She wanted Beth's book published, but the immediate, surviving family do not. So the project is on hold.

Beth hopes her book, called One Red Shoe because one of Norma's shoes was never found, will eventually see the light of day - perhaps after the death of the woman she blames.

"It's quite frustrating," said Beth. "Waterstone's had a list of people waiting for the book to come out.

"I do like to think that something will happen at some point."

THE Diary's unique method of predicting City's results certainly has its faults (okay, it's useless) but we are sticking with it.

Our forecasts, you may remember, are based on the number of players in any team with reversible names - surnames which could also be Christian names.

On this front there is some good news as City take on the mighty Carlisle United in the FA Cup clash tomorrow.

United's squad only has one qualifier: Chris Billy. Whereas City boast both Bryan Stewart and Adam Arthur (and at a pinch Kevin Donovan).

So then: 2-1 to the Minstermen.

AFTER our clock watch yesterday, we came across this from the Evening Press, October, 1904. "The original clock almanack (sic) in Yorkshire dialect has come to be regarded as an institution in hundreds of North-country families. Like old wine, this budget of sage counsel and quaint conceits would seem to improve with age."

The paper lauded the almanac's author John Hartley for devoting "his attention exclusively to mundane affairs".

Here are a selection of his sayings:

"Yo'll nivver improve a fool by callin' him one"

"A chap may know nowt about music an' still have to play second fiddle to his wife"

"Said a cockney, 'There's no doubt about it, sir, London has no equal'.

"'Has tha ivver seen Pudsey?' asked the Yorkshireman. 'No.'

"'Then shut up, an' goa boil thi heaad.'"

Updated: 09:56 Friday, October 29, 2004