The Washington herald., 1919-05-20

New York, May 19.-Harry J. Suss-
kind is the coat and hat check king
of Broadway. He controls more check
room concessions than any other man
in New York. One cannot lunch. dine
or sup at any leading Broadway hotd
or restaurant without doing business
with him.
A hundred thousand dollars a year
is only part of what he pays restau-
rants and hotels for The privilege of
checking their. patrons hats and
coats. His weekly payroll is In ex-
cess of 5000. and in addition he runs
two flourishing road houses and vari-
GUS cigar stands.
dozen years ago Harry J. Suss-
kind. an alert young man then. used
to take New Workers. hats when they
went in to luncheon at the Hotel
Astor. He was extremely polite and
he always gave you your own hat
the very first time. He was the most
efficient lad the hotel ever had and
, that Is why he is today sitting in a
private Office in the big Gambler Build
ing with stenographers. bookkeepers
and a dozen assistants at his beck
and call.
Too much abuse has been heaped
upon the hat checking concessionaire.
! Most everybody-strangera and resident
pans him. He is simply rendering
YOU a service that the hotel and cafes
refuse to give you at a small cost.
or course, the hotels and cafes should
furnish this service but they will not
stand the heavy losses.
Susskind is willing too. He is worth
more than a half million. A guest
pays him perhaps a dime for taking
care of a coat sometimes worth thou
sands. II it is lost Susskind promptly
makes good. His losses run into the
thousands. He makes no definite
charge. You give what you like and
many do not give anything.
He pays between 5000 and 5000
for the check room privileges in the
! larger places each year Many cafes
are not finaciaIly responsible. and
should the guest lose fine coat. a
suit would be simply throwing good
money after bad. SuSskind has never
failed To make good. The minute he
establishes the fact that the loss was
, the fault Of an cmployc. a check is
instantly paid for the amount asked
and no question is asked. Susskind
docs not say that the hotel should
not furnish this service. but when
At Churchills he has twenty-five
men and women in the check room
II has the largest single check room
/ in New York. Many of his hat check
ing boys and girls get as high as so
a week and quite a few OF them are
college students. Sussknd himself is
Il young man OF excellent habits. He
has large interests and is member
Of many important business and club
organizations
Broadway was shocked by the death
OF Jim Europe. premier jazZist. who
was slain in Boston. Jim Europe be-
gan with the Castles and rose to fame
along with them When he went over
to Europe and introduced Jazz in
France his fame tripled. as it were.
II was nv good fortune to know this
slender. serious exponent Of a new
I brand of SynCopa tion He was IN frail
. health but no task was too difficult
when called upon. lie has played
from dusk until daw". Europe MAIN
tanned that the first Jazz band was
really Eazzs band. fifteen wears ago in
New Orleans. II H. certain that Jazz
/ is of negro origin and Europe was
/ proud OF that. The Musical Courier
I recently traced the Jazz to the negroes
[ of Atlanta. But most folk believe that
I Europe's theory was correct.
Herbert Fields is to join his dad.
. Lew Fields. in a New York summer
show. The Young man has been in
several productions and shows quite a
/ hit of ability. He Is short and fat and
. his dad calls him "a block off the old
chip"