The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-09-01
Thirsty Boweryites Part With
Shoes for Stuff Dude Had
in Suit Cases.
FALL FOR DECoY FLASK
Lamentation Follows Busy
Half Hour on the Little
Stock Exchange.

a batch Of thirds and fourths in
mems hobby straws and three suits bear
ing the blue label Of Sam smlnks Klever
Kut shop had fetched an assortment of
nutmeg graters, half pint
and pint dippers and q wash boiler or
two.
Ratsha Zeltner. the Grand street Frick,
who Is no relation to wireless Looie,"
did bit of brisk trading in misses and
wopen's slightly worn low cuts and
dozen raincoats which, would one believe
II, had come out of the stock of a store
the name Of which. IL Ratsha was to
break a confidence, would positively sell
every coat for more than Ratsha was
willing to take for the lot.
Ratsha snapped his sartorlal treas
ures for aluminium ware and few agate
while Yankee" Mandlebaum
OF Columbia street did shirt and un-
derwear barter with Benny Haimovitz
that threatened to develop into a pogrom
until Fedor Spivak Of the firm of Spivak,
Spivak. Spivak. Spivak and Spivak. at
torneys Mt law and counsellors, known
as the Five Little Tafts, arbitrated for
the sake Of law and order and $3.50. for
which a bill will be rendered.
But business was not as brisk as Il
has been Of other Sundays until 1880.
A Stranger Appears.
At that hour there appeared on the
west side of the Bowery stranger with
two suit cases. He was not a regular
trader on the exchange nor had any
OF the regulars seen him before. He
wore neat gray suit, and high button
patent feathers. A Panama hat and
suede silk gloves added to his sartorial
Philfstinism. With him, or rather
trailing him. came five young fellows
who made great ado furtively looking
up and down the street and s-s-shush-
ing everybody who asked them the why's
and wherefores OF their concern.
Upon the curb across from the old
posted his suit cases He did not drop
them. mind you. Rather lie set them
down gently. very gently.
Maybe he has this TINT or dyna-
mite or something in them suit cases."
ventured Hymie Levinson, the tinware
trader. "Or maybe eggs who can tell %
The stranger was opening one of the
suit cases and a crowd began to gather
In and out of this crowd wove the five
young fellows who had trailed the
stranger up the Bowery. They whis-
pered and winked. They dropped hints
and smacked their lips. They rubbed
aiot pNOihaCHo DltW ITdKTdnl
breaths into the faces of the crowd.
And constantly they kept up their furtive
glances. Occasionally they'd s-s-shish
questioners and make side remarks
about the no-goodness of cops and
dicks. And then the suit cased stranger
would snap closed his two bags and
assume look of unconcern.
But finally the coast was clear. The
stranger produced from one of his suit
cases half pint flask. p'or 81 he
informed his now hypnotized audience
he would part with that bottle and for
every one of the $50 bottles In those
suit cases he would take a dollar.
And gentlemen" he said in a hoarse
whisper, don't open 1t here. Take 1t
home; take 1t up side street or take
1t TO your club or to your favorite
hangout and there taste Of It."
The finest whiskey that Kentucky
ever distilled" croaked the busy cap
pers as they struggled here and there
through the crowd. He bought 1t from
guy who went outa business and got
1t cheap, considering the quality"
But 1t takes more than the word of a
stranger or six strangers to sell the Sun
day afternoon crowds at the Bowery and
Bayard street anything.
Demanded to be shown.
How do we know it's wtiskey7" de-
manded Shanghai Smith, who is a re-
mittance man and who lives in the Owl
Hotel might be nothin' but water and
prune Juice. or something like that"
Smell it, sneered the mysterious
stranger. uncorking a bottle that he ma
drawn from the suit case and later
tucked into his pocket. Smell that, you
poor fish,"
If Shanghai had any resentment at
being called a fish he forgot to become
angry after the first Whit. 1t was
whiskey that smote upon Shnnghais
olfactories, and Shanghai's word was az
cepted by the mob. 1t is probable that
the Bowery nor Park Row has no
greater whiskey expert than Shanghai
Those of the throng who possessed q
dollar made immediate purchases and
hurried away. Those who lacked two
bits or may be fifty cents of dollar did
immediate business over on the Little
Stock Exchange. Coats, hats. shirts and
In one event pair of fair shoes were
sold TO the traders for as much as they'd
fetch. Where a bargain could not b
driven the aspiring purchasers of the
strangers wares FASTENED away on mys.
FERROUS errands, generally returning with
the necessary dollar.
By 2 o'clock the traders had most OF
the hats. coats, vests and outside shirts
OF the whlskey buyers. The strangers
had more than $3.50 and the mob ha1
more than $50 of the half pint tiasl.s
The stranger and his cappers hastenef
| away with empty suit cases.
At 2 10 Shanghai Smith was pacins
the car tracks in front OF the Littl,
Stock Exchange. Tears were tricklinl
down his deeply creased cheeks and ovel
his dubious nose.
ITO think" .lamented Shanghai. "tha'
a guy with a ley like that duAe hat
could bunk a bunch of wise birds lik,
the Bowery boys. Honest, kid, I ain
| sore at the guy at all. I'm for brealSin
| my own jaw and calm In the police I,
| take me over to the bug ward In Belle
we.
ITO think that slick come-on Xix,
that dude could slip over on Shangha
/ Smith a half pint Of no account cougl
syrup for a bean. On the level, kid, IT,
| knocked me for a row; honest 1t has
| And here / smells his decoy booze ant
! slips him one washer for a phory bottl
that he palms while I'm loekin'."
Shanghai's emotions overcame him a
| this juncture and he strobe over TOWARD
| Blocker street. while the other pur
chasers OF ancient cough syrup begai
reporting. hoping that kind fate woul,
l fetch the gray CARRIED stranger back [
the Bowery-preferably on some darl
and stormy night when there weren'