The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-01-30
THIEVES In ACTORS FACTORY
STOLE 100, GOO CIGARETTES FR0W
RAY HOND HITCHCOCK

While Comedian MOurns Lost $1,000.
The Hoob cigarette plant at ~ Fast
Twenty-third street was cleaned out by
burglars some time on Thursday night
and 10000 boxes OF Egyptian cigarettes
at IS cents a box carried away This was
the entire reserve supply on hand and the
burglary may put the manufacturing firm
Of 5. S. Momjian 4 Co. out Of business.
Monjian is an Armenian and his partner il
Raymond Hitchcock, the star of The Yankee
Consul at Wallack's.
The burglary is a sore blow to Hitchcock,
for it was he who supplied the money, while
his Armenian partner furnished the ex-
perience- Hitchcock has spent several
months Of missionary work in plugging
for his own cigarettes, and be managed to
get them on sale AT many Of the leading
clubs and several OF the large hotels.
Whenever the comedian was asked by
his friends why he was 80 interested in this
particular brand he never made any bones
about explaining. His stock explanation
was this
What's Hoob' standfo for? You don't know.
Of course Translated it means Hitchcock's
original Oriental brand That explains why
think they are the best on the market
Hitchcock was introduced 10 his partner
six months ago by Flora Isabelle, the actress,
who is engaged to marry the comedian. Miss
2abele is an Armenian and Momjian looked
her up when he arrived in this country.
Momiian is said to be an expert in tobacco,
but because of his very limited knowledge
Of English hc could not Obtain employ
Inent in this city. He soon learned that
Hitchcock was a cigarette smoker and he
made him cigarettes.
The actor liked them and passed them
around among his friends All agreed with
Hitchcock that they were good. The come
dian had IS 600 that was not drawing interest
and he proposed to tho Armenian that they
become partners and put the Mcmillan
make OF cigarettes on the market Momiian
was delighted with the proposition and they
hired quarters in the Twenty-thrd street
building.
Momjian began business last June and
he blended all the tobacco put in the ciga-
rettes while he hired couple Of men to mako
them. Hitchcock played his part by boost
ing the cigarettes whenever he could
Everything was running smoothly until
the burglars visited the plant. When they
carried away all the stock in the place they
practically put the cigarette firm out of
business.
When Momjian discovered the burglary
he was like crazy man. He hustled to
the hotel where Hitchcock is living and
told him of the firms loss. The actor
didn't take the visitation OF the burglar
phi!osophically. He said many things
that wouldn't look nice in print and he
ordered Momjian 10 hotfoot to the nearest
police station and roar loud and long about
hSsTm's loss
Momjian followed his partners instruc-
tons and he went TO the Tenderoin station.
With tears in his eyes and in broken
English he told his tale of voc. Two detec-
tives looked wise and Gained the excited
Armenian by telling him they would soon
have the burglars in prison and recover
the stolen property. Nothing has bee
done about the robbery yet.
Momjian called again at the Tenderloin
station yesterday to SEQ why the police had
not made good on their romise. He got
no satisfaction except that detectives were
busy.
Hitchcocl, said yesterday he didn't know
whether ne would put up any more money
or not. He has a suspicion that a number
Of young men who attend a school near
his tobacco plant might be able TO tell some
thing about the missing cigarettes. They
only had TO force one lock to get in the plant
Il hope the burglars will smoke them
selves 70 death" said Hitchcock yester-
dav. hut the cigarettes are 30 good that
I'm sure they wont hurt them. Any one
| find displaying a nice green box with a
draped female reclining near a harp will
be under suspicion, for those cigarette
boxes were designed by me. In eaoh
Of the 10000 bu1e, were ten cigarettes, 50
the thieves won't have 10 buy smokes for
some time 10 come. The robbery has
put the business on the bum and don't
know whether it will ever recover from il.
I'm mighty glad ! hayo a couple Of
dozen boxes at the hotel for my own Use.
The burglars who honnred US by q visit
know a good thing. IN show them m
good fellow il they viii come ard SEQ
me Why I've got 80 much respect far
them that I'll give them passes 90 SEQ Tho
Yankee Consul ! may be bad actor.
but as hoodoo partner in a tobacco firm