The Washington herald., 1920-12-08
new CRIME ERA
BESETSGQTHAA
Fifty Murders Since Oct.
l, but Gay City Takes
Little Interest.
BY O. O. M,INrYE.

NEW YORK, Dec. I'm the days
when Lefty Louie and Gyp the Blood
and their fellow gangsters roamed
Second avenue sticking up stuss
games and robbing Chinese laundry
men, metropolitan journals were
hlled with red-lnked headlines Of
violent crime waves. Today New
York, with q vacillating mayor and
alibi-ing police chief, Is in the grip
OF a reign of terror, the like of
which was never known before, and
there Is no talk whatsoever of a
crime wave.
Perhaps headline writers have
tired Of that old familiar line;
City in Grip OF Crime Wave" At
any rate fifty murders since October
have failed to arouse the mildest
journalistic splash. F'ootpads OPP
crate in the busiest sections with
: out hindrance. A home-going citi-
zen was shot and killed the other
evening early across from three
big hotels that were bustling with
life. He was robbed of a dime.
The police and the headquarters
reporters are at war. The police
have refused to report crimes to the
press, but the reporters. ferret them
out just the same and the cry is
made that newspapermen are en-
couraging crime by bringing GRIM
inals to the city from all corners of
the globe.
OF course the charge is silly. The
underworld mas its own way of dis
seminating information. II the city
has an incompetent police force. the
cry goes out. to other cities and the
crooks come on the run. That
seems to be the answer for condi-
tions in New York.
Eighty per cent of New York's
criminals are drug addicts. so the
records show. Consequently they
are desperate. A man befogged by
drugs does not function normally.
when he goes out to rob he also
goes out to Kill, IL he meets op-
position.
Unemployment has little to do
with present conditions. Because a
man is out of work 1t does not fol-
low that he turns to crime. New
York is simply overrun with des-
perate crooks. The police force has
proved unable to cope with them, so
the city Is at their mercy.
Canary birds are selling In. the
Fifth avenue shops for $50 each. The
canary Is about the only pet New
Yorker can keep In the crowded
small apartment. and the dealers
have been having a run on them.
Because people are lonely in New
York the demand for pets is very
heavy. White mice have a big sale.
and there are forty-seven dog shops
in the Borough of Manhattan.
He walked unsteadily to the
Broadway curb and hailed a taxi
As the driver opened the door, he
mumbled: Hunerd six swa stree"
The driver asked him to repeat 1t.
Il said Hunerd six swa street."
Still the driver was puzzled. and a
lounger at the curb stepped up and
said: "He means 18TH street.
The fare turned and yelled:
Thanks, you durn elocutionistw
SILK house robes are in great de-
mand, so the New York haberdash-
ers report. Men who formerly en-
tertained with a stag dinner at the
cafes now give the dinner in their
apartment. Silk house robes for the
host have supplanted the dinner
suit. The pioneer in this new
fashion is a rich young bachelor.
Recently when his male guests ar
rived at his chambers they found
him in gay silk pajamas, brocaded
chevalier house shoes and a marvel
Gus house robe. He explained that
he was among friends and wanted
to be comfortable. Now at all the
stag dinners the host is similarly
garbed.