The Washington herald., 1918-04-20
BY O. o. MCINTYRE.


Especial Correspondent of The Wash
ington HearldD
New York, April l9.-Watch out fo-
the Endless Chain Yarn. New York
has had a taste OF this wild propa-
ganda this week. The yarns were
whispered about in the cafes. IN the
theater Hobbies and at the opera.
| People told them with shudder.
Traced down they proved TO be mere
fabrications set into circulation by
pro-Gern.ans.
Here is a sample OF one of the
| hideous stories. A well-known So
ciety woman happened to be in a
street car with two young girls,
heavily swathed in black wells and ac-
companied by an elderly female COM
panion. From time TO time tine So-
man companion raised the wells and
| wiped tears away from the girls
eyes.
I. The society woman sympathetIcally
said to the companion that the girls
| appeared to be ill., Whereupon the
companion answered: They are worse
than III. They have just returned
from the north of France, where they
were captured by the Germans.
Their hands were cut off 80 they
could not write OF their treatment.
and their tongues were slit SO tSry
could not tell of it-weu. / am taking
them to a maternity hospital now
The society woman blanched and
went into Mysteries and was removed
: 10 hospital hopeiessly insane.
! Many intelligent people accepted the
wild story as true and il was so
InIN- .,f.- La. -
( folks called up the newspapers to
learn the facts Reporters traced the
story as far as Allentown. Pa. where
a woman there said it was told girl
| friend of hers who worked in a store
by a travelling salesman.
The yarn was simply one OF those
endless chain" stories. which. "A cou-
pie OF years ago. used to deal with
! alleged victims of poisoned needles"
girls who were jabbed in a crowd.
hustled into a taxi and never again
seen or heard of by their relatives.
Another wild story was told a calm.
patriotic gentlemen in the lobby of
hotel. The gentleman grabbed the
story teller by the arm and hurried
him to a police station. He proved to
be patriot but had foolishly believed
the story The whole scheme is TO
spread fear-the chief weapon of the
/ Hun propagandst in America.
Advance notices are beginning to be
sent out by a new metropolitan hotel
now in process OF building. SO much
| is promised that the people suspect a
publicity agent. Among the things
promised are newspapers at what the
| efraaf nRu,ShnUS Nharpa No NhiSk-
| broom boys. All checking of clothes
free. No tips. 4 morning paper un-
der your door without charge And
the price of the room printed and
framed in the room. Here's hoping
that when the place is crowded the
| ideas will not do the disappearing
act.
Another yarn from the mercury
| lighted editorial rooms of Park Row.
! 1t was in the morning. The city
editor was there. A reporter came in.
He took of his coat, walked over and
picked up a chair and beat it TO frag-
| ments against a post. This chair
finished. he picked up another and
went through the same process.
Finally the gasping editor called
! out: Here, what are you doing
I'm resigning. you gray-haired
IDIOT" was the reply. ''and l am re-
signing in a way that will make YOU
| remember me until your dying day.
And after you are dead | want a piece
of the rope"
Then he marched out and the city
| editor got him later in the day by
telepohne and offered to double his
salary. but he wouldn't come back.
He has Joined his colors. He will
make a fighter. no doubt.
Over In Brooklyn a young man has
started a new religious. organization.
He married a girl of wealth, and as
his desire was always TO be preach
er. she bought him an old church not
in use He breaches there every Sun
DAY and is building up quite a congre-
cation.