The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-08-19
by ROBERT wELLEs RITcnIE.

London, Aug. l8.---If it is 2 distinc-
ton for one American to have thrown
a scare into all OF Great Britain, then
surely some one Is due to advance to
the front and center and pin n medal
on the expansive chest of one Will
liam ESQ called Pussyfoot--J ohm
son. temperance worker and repre-
sentative in Britain of the Anti-Saloon
league back home. For Pussyfoot
Johnson has done that little thing; he
has the back hair OF every honest
drinker In these isles rearing up on
end through fear that by some magic
he alone and unaided is going to
snatch the cheering cup from British
lips And do that iniauitous thing
right speedy. too!
The amusing feature OF this little
tale. lads, is that Friend Pussyfoot
hasn't done a thing to merit all this
bogey-man stuff except to saw wood
and say nothing. Only he had the
misfortune to be dfscovered--to be
discovered saving wood and saying
nothing.
Muckrnker Starts W~heeze.
This week the Daily Mail sent out
an enterprising survival Of the Muck
rakirg age OF fifteen years ago to
write a series OF scarey stories about
how American prohibition spellbind
Ut S ALREADY WPI6 SttTely AT WOIh "
convert the British Isles to the pres
ent parched condition that inhahi
tants of the L. s. A. are enjoying.
This belated muckraker was an in
dustrious soul: he went at his job
hard, and the very second person he
picked on was Pussyfoot Johnson
What he said--to the extent OF
n close packed column in the Daily
Mail-about the insidous methods OF
this same ~ Johnson. how he
moved into an area of wetness, pussy
footed around for speel and sud
denly made that area dry as dog
biscuit. WAS indeed a crime. The late
lamented Guy Fawkes, who once,
manw years ago, plated to blow up
the house OF parliament and all who
happened to be therein at the time,
was a babe in arms In comparison
with the picture this Daily Mail man
drew OF Mr.. Pussyfoot Johnson. He
was rnvening fanatic with the as
tuteness of a Macchiavelli, was this
America propaganda; he worked in
the dark. he snatched honest liquor
from honest mems lips without their
seeing the haul that did the trick.
The day after the Daily Mails
broadside appeared Mr.. johnson had
the bad Judgment to go to Finland.
Why Finland nobody knows, though
he has many influential friends in
long standing in that country and
had long planned to make another
visit to them as soon as possible after
the war. He might have chosen
Kansas City or Timhuctoo. The smooth
tongued aides he left behind him said
he'd gone to Finland in answer to an
urgent call from influential people"
in that distant land; they did not
know just when he'd return
This was a tactical blunder, on the
part Of Mr.. Johnson--perhaps. The
Daily Mail exulted that 1t had
smoked him out" Publicity. 1t de-
clared was bad for Mr.. Johnson's
business Therefore. having received
the big hawl-out. Pussyfoot had been
forced TO flee.
Playing n Deep Game?
But perhaps--1ust Perhaps dear
reader---Mr. Johnson. of Kansas City,
or wherever he halls from originally,
was playing deeper game than the
Daily Mali VOTED when he ducked
for Finland after the exposure" 1t
is barely possible he believed that
by playing up to the part attributed
10 him. by sustaining his reputation
as 'pussyfoot," he could the better
uphold that very reputation as
worker in the dark which thu London
paper had fixed upon him.
However, the scare was abroad in
London.
Other papers began to inquire into
the mysterious menace exercised by
this mild hammered gentleman with
glasses and an embonpoint. The Eve
ming News took up the cry and sent
out q young man to interview -