The Washington herald., 1918-08-24
D. . DMKc

New York. Aug. 23-vineent Gaff-
ney Is a frail understood young man
just over 20. and yet for three months
he has foiled the entire man-hunting
force Of Manhattan in their efforts
to capture him. Gaffney became the
proverbIal thorn when he escaped
from the Tombs by a series Of DEATH
defying leaps from building to build
ing until he reached the street.
He Is a Gopher gangster. and men,
bers of his gang waited in an auto
mobile around the corner to whisk
him away. Three weeks ago the po-
lice working on the old theory OF
"Cherche la femme" surrounded Gaff-
ney in the fat Of his sweetheart
Nineteen men, ten of them the crack
shots Of the department, surrounded
the building and two knocked at the
door of the fat. Carney bounded
out OF a window, clad only In his un-
derclothes, and by dropping from fire
escape to fire escape amid a rain Of
bullets, vaulted a fence and was
gone.
Harlem was combed an hour later
by go policemen for a man without
any clothes, and yet Gaffney went to
q strange house. told a stranger story.
got clothing and was soon away-hf-
teen minutes after he had gone the
police surrounded the house
Penny dreadfuls of an older day
would hesitate at attempting to por-
tray in fiction Gaffney's amazing ex-
ploIts. He is a lean. sallow faced
product OF the Cherry Hill poolrooms.
a slave Of the needle and quick on
the trigger. He has a notch on his
gun for killing his man.
In the rendezvous OF the gangster
there is a new thrill. For since
Lefty Louie" and zip the Blood"
went through the little green door"
at Sing Sing to the electric chair. tn
police believed that the rat-eyed
gangster had lost his cunning. Now
the CANISTER believes the tables are
turned. and that his ancient foe-"the
COPS being made the laughing stock
OF the town.
Over in the Fifth avenue coffee
rooms. the nymphs dua pave. par
mours of the Fangsters are also lift-
ing their glasses to Gaffney's escape.
Father, mother. sister and brother
may turn against the gangster. but
the women who support them never
do That Is the queer psychology
among the dregs OF the underworld.
They may beat their women, live on
OF their spoils and desert them, but
always they can go back and be well
coined.
Kin Hubbard. Indianapolis creator
for Abe Martin philosophy. was in
New York the other day and at the
Press Club some one noticed that he
was a patron of the almost lost art
of chewing the weed. There Is not
enough eating tobacco sold in New
York in a day to wad a shotgun.
One newspaper man commneted
on this fact. People do not chew
tobacco anymore" he told Hubbard.
II wonder why Il 10. Even in the
newspaper shops one rarely sees a
tobacco chewer, whereas all used to
chew"
You are wrong" said Hubbard.
There is just as much tobacco
chewing as ever. white vests have
gone out of fashion and that is why
you do not notice IL so much"
Sign on a Park Avenue tea room;
After September the hrst, this
place will be next door"
Up in the woods near Mt. Kisco
there is a celebrated old ramshackle
building, now utilized as a fashion
able dining place and known as
THE Port for Missing Men" 1t 10
only patronized by rich motorists as
the drive is about four hours from
New York. 1t is in the neighbor-
hood where Richard Harding Davis
lived and roamed about for game.
Coffee and cigarettes are served on
a portico overlooking an extraordi-
nary view OF the Sound and beauti-
full westchester countryside. 1t is
buzzed about on Broadway that q
man about town, q confirmed atheist
dined there recently. He sat drink
ing in the view an hour. The
next day he appeared at church and
has not been seen on Broadway
since.