The Washington herald., 1914-08-19
ON THE GREAT WHITE WAY.
by o. o. MCINTYRE.

! Special Correspondent Of The Washington Hersh.
New York. Aug. lS.-The affable Charles
GOrndorf, king Of the wire tappers, is in
the tolls II the police are to be believed.
GOrndorf is one Of the shrewdest Ameri-
can criminals and the ease and grace
with which he slides out of trying situa-
tions has made him a most hated man
at headquarters. In appearance he sug-
gests the retired banker. He Is the come
on" for his celebrated bunch OF wire tap
| pers and he travels always on ocean
liners with an occasional week or so On
| land. He is highly educated and knows
every nook and Crsny of the globe. He is
polished. reserved, and bears an air OF
extreme confidence. Nearly everyone on
liner wants TO meet bin after they are
out several days. but it is no easy task.
He has his victim spotted before he sails
and he is about the only person the
wire king will meet socially. When
, arrested after returning 1850 to one OF
his squeasng victims he gave the name
Of John Jones and said he was a clerk.
Those who doubt that the war is not
good for business should interview some
Of our prominent hurdy-gurdy capitalists
In Gotham who are just at present gath
ering in a golden harvest OF pennies.
When the some fve hundred hurdy-gurdy
men in New YOrk-there is hurdy-
gurdy trust you know-learned the things
that were going on in Europe did they
beat It for their home consul's office?
They did not. Instead, they simply
changed their musical programs from
the ragtime airs Of the day to patriotic
tunes. They never fail to get a crowd
by playing. Die wacht am Rhine" or
The Marseillese." and a shower OF pen
nies always results.
Charles Ham, who Is not an actor,
hired a servant girl the other day for his
home on West Forty-sixth street. She
gave her name as Lilly Samson and gave
no intimatlon Of having been bred in the
purple; in fact Mr.. Ham himself seemed
certain that she was just a common ordi-
nary person-Of the darker hue That
night at dinner Mr.. Ham learned Just
who II was that he had brought into
his home. Lilly came in with a feather
duster sticking up from her head and an
nOunced majestically that she was the
African queen OF the Fits and after
dignifed exit returned shortly in a cos
tune Eve-like in its appointments and
even Flo Ziegfeld would call IL a trine
risque. Mr.. Ham sent for the police who
took the queenly servant to the ward in
Bellevue where they keep all the queens
dukes. Caesers. and Alexander the
Greats. She was at home for she had
just gotten out the day before when a
guard wasn't looking.
As Diamond Jim" Brady has so sue
Cintly remarked: There is nearly always
chicken in every family tree The
other evening Mrs. Roger Dixie dropped
into her husbands delicatessen store to
see that all was well with the pickles and
kraut when she noticed a stately blond
occupying her usual place during the rush
hour at the cash register. Roger made
himself strangely scarce in the back OF
the room where the cheese is kept and
had little to say when Mrs. Dixie wanted
to know the reason for taking on new
help. She couldn't get satisfactory re-
plies so she attacked the enemy by
throwing any and everything she could
get her hands on. After holding the fort
for a few minutes the enemy retreated
under fire to the next corner. When
Mrs. Dixie returned and took her place at
the cash register. During the lombard
ment Roger remained with his pet cheese
and was strangely silent for several
days.
The German newspapers in New York