Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1912-09-27
GOOD THING REMOVED
GRAND YOUNG BOOB" OF 6RoAD.
WAY PAssEs AWAY.
Death Of irving W. Childs, Who Spent
Several Fortunes on the "Great
White Way" Brings Real
Sorrow TO Many.

the night living colony OF broadway
for the death Of Irving w. Childs. who
died the other day at the age Of 26. 1t
is not the grief which Broadway feels
when bankruptcy or parental inter.
vention. or even death. takes away q
good thing" Childs would have been
beloved On Broadway II he had not
inherited 100000 from his millionaire
father, William Henry Harrison Childs
of Brooklyn, and even had he not
thrown the money away with both
hands. With the age Of man and
his great fortune, he combined
clownish youthfulness. gay reckless.
ness, baby-like faith In adventure.
mystery and romance and an Aladdin
like luck which gave Broadway good
healthy laugh every time he appeared
on the jaded sensation.weary street.
Young Childs died Of pneumonia
He fell an easy prey to the disease be-
cause his search for pleasure and ex-
element had completely exhausted his
nerves and vitality
Broadway called Childs-more in az
lection than in ridiIule--the Grand
Young Boob" BY which Broadway
meant that anybody could get money
from him at any time and have fun
in doing it..
The youth had a great ambition to
be a detective When the benevolent
sheriff, Hamburger, gave innocent
pleasure to many imaginative million
aires by appointing them his deputies,
Childs was one OF the very first in the
line of applicants. As soon as he was
appointed he had gold badge studded
with diamonds made at Tiffanys and
a pair of solid gold handouts The
outfit cost him $2,40O and he displayed
it on the slightest excuse.
Policemen and detectives, OF whom
he knew scores, made harmless spend
ing money by permitting him to make
arrests for them, after they had mark
ed down men for whom they had war
rants. Childs would pay from 500 to
$500 any moment for the privilege OF
laying his hand on a criminals shout
der and saying: Il arrest you in the
name Of the state OF New York" snap
ping the gold handouts over his pris-
oner's wrists.
When no criminal was available 1t
was necessary to resort to indirection
by introducing him to somebody as
"Mr. Irving Childs. formerly OF Scot
land Yard and one of our keenest
amateur detectives-does stunts that
make Sherlock Holmes look like a
f1our-fusher.'
The new made acquaintance could
always borrow all the money Childs
had about him and he seldom started
the evening with less than $500.
His spendthrift ways would long
ago have broken him had it not been
for his luck in speculation. He would
bull or bear the stock market In bro
kers' offices in the uptown hotels with
spectacular success. Wall street was
too far downtown for him to 60 to the
market, he used to say, so he made 1t
come to him; and 1t did. He usually
determined his trades by the toss OF
coin.
Another underestimate indication Of
system behind Childs' playfulness
was his refusal to sign checks except
inside the doors Of bank. He had
running accounts at a hundred hotels
and restaurants.
Put my name where fifty people
would have chance to study my sig
nature and forge It," he said, land
me detective! Not on your life!"
So he would have a waiter or {
clerk sign his name for him; every
body knew him and knew he was re
sponsible for his debts.
A woman wearing handsome furs
could borrow any amount of money
from Childs on two minutes acquain
lance. This idiosyncracy more thar
once caused speculative friends tc
dress a waitress or chorus girl ir
hired furs and introduce her to the
young man in order to share with hel
the price Of champagne dinner.
The Grand Young Boob's" favorite
indoor sport was giving chop sueJ
contests. He would frequently take
six. ten or all the members Of chorus
to a Chinese restaurant and give a
prize of 500 to the damsel who stow
ed away the greatest quantity of the
stuff.
Childs was separated from his wife
who was Gertrude Westfall Of Brook
Ign. They have one child. Childs
eloped with his wife, although there
was no opposition to their marriage
Recently after she obtained legal