The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1917-02-23
DIAMOND JIM BRADY
IS DANGEROUSLY Ill,
RECOVERY DOUBTFUL
Noted New York Character, Who
Tries to Crowd 80 Hours Into
a 24-hour Day, Is Believed to
be Near Death.

special Correspondence 60 The Herald
New York. Feb. 23.-Bruadway is
never again To- see the r-esplcndunt
figure of Diamond jim" Brady. Tho
va who for years has enjoyed the
reputation Of being the most bejeweled
on earth has tanRocd his last tango
and pnrtnkon OF his last midnight sup
per In the Times Squar" district where
he has 80 long beer q familiar figure.
MIR. Brady h. the man who IL sup
posed To have knocked into splinter.
the old saying that you can't mix
pleasure with business, Tho latest de-
velopments. however, ind ate hat The
old saying still holds good. Diamond
Jim" according to word received hy
his friends. is critically III az Atlantic
city and his physicians hold QUE no
hope for his recovery. His huge bulk
and iron frame have at last given way
to the strain OF Mr.. Brady's persistent
effort 10 crowd 80 hours into n 2i-hour
day.
James Buchanan Brady, TO give him
his full name. has long been n OF
New York's most picturesque figures.
He II a man who made q business Of
spending. He is credited with having
been Americas greatest salesman. He
used TO be a baggage smasher In the
Grand Central station here. Somehow
he got n Job as salesman for "a railway
supply house. He made up his mind
before he went out that, 20 be n success
ne had 10 make such AN impression
on each and every person he visited
that ne wouldn't be forgotten. The
method he employed was to garb him
self in the gayest raiment. He looked
like "A negro minstrel except h a he
wasn't In blackface. The men he called
on gasped when they saw him, or rid
iculed him. but they didn't forget him
What was more, some al them gave
orders for goods.
From that day TO this Brady has
been n spectacular figure wherever he
has appeared. He started as a salesman
when purchasing agents had wider
: latitude In railway buying than they
have today. He rarely failed to get
an immediate audience when he visited
a purchasing agent. His visiting card
was n 500 bin. He used TO cut the
bin in half and place one half In an
envelope with a note saying that tho
other half vas outside and wanted TO
see the gentleman.
Brady's yucress in business was @
sensation and his income enormous. In
the course Of time he became president
81 q big car company, vice president
of the largest railway supply house In
the world and a director In many cor
porations.
He was q great man FOR entertaining
He spent tens Of thousands of dollars
each years i'm v few restaurants along
/ Broadway. When he travelled he usu-
ally took "a lot OF persons with hin I'm
his private car He was an inycterlte
first uishter, ana mo- one iu America
probably has spent moro money ON the
Ithegter than has diamond Jim In
the days when there WIS racing around
Ncw YORK he maintained ID stable of
|thnruughbrcds and was q constant Wis
itor a. the race tracks. lie liked a
prize fight aud seldom missed "a bout
botwecn fast men, lie backed more
than one who needed capital
Brady friends ten O. thousand
stories about the po%culiaritics. habits
and doings Of this man, whose life has
had az many facets az n Of his own
blue white diamonds some nave
found their way into print. others
haven't Mr.. Brady collected not dia-
monds alone. He had passion Tor
AN sorts Of precious stones He used
them TO vary tho decoration OF ms
evening dress. one night he would
wear studs. cuff buttons n waist
lcout buttons OF diamond Another