The Washington herald., 1920-08-16
Get-Rich-Q Quick Wallingtords Creator
Compares Him uith "Wizard" Ponzi;
Explains Why Latter "Can't Get Bu'

saw at once that waIIingford is
| quite as real to the man by whose
! pen he lives, and as much a part OF
| the household as the author him
| self, or as his youthful wife and Co.
worker. Lillian Chester.
Ills pinkily, sleekly. oblique per-
| sonaIlty seemed to pervade the gold
! and AVendar study. debating a
/ shade of resentment that his eIabo-
rate operations should be Hkened
10 the comparative piker goings-on
OF man who was unknown out
| side his own somewhat common
piace circle six months ago.
MT chester, who mentioned the
creature of his brain always as
Mr. Wallingford." explained:
/ Never Ran Into Danger.
Mr.. Wallingford never touched
AWNING which might land him in
jan. Either his schemes were i'm
/ sac the law. or else they were so
wen protected through his taking
money from some one who womb
not dare TO squeal. being equally
guilty with him, that he ran no
danger. ''0
Ponzis 'ballyhoo' however was
| an old, old, money-Coaxer which has
| Deeh worked again and again with
| nnode and method changed only =
| hit' 1t Is practically the same as
| the stock gambling ballyhoo which
! lahded hVe hundred and twenty per-
cent Miller in the pen. And twenty
years ago l remember a diamond
( selling. bonds maturing in rotation
o"lI! !hoo' worked in the middle
west, which sent several behind the
| bars" ''i'
Why Ponzi Failed.
According to what ratb.r.I
from the Chesters, George and In
/ liam. and from the peryadine nnr-
sonallty by which their opinions
were measured, these are some of
the reasons why get-rich-oIick
| Ponzi fell down
Failure to vision the end with the
beginning. ''' '''e
J FalIure to dig below surface psv-
choloGy of American public.
Failure to build buIwsrk of
co-Workers between himself and tho
poIIce-lack of a Blackie Daw
Failure of mentality, to weigh in
the heavy mark"
S'es a story.
Describing the difference between
Ionzl game and Mr.. .WaIlineford's
Mr. Chester cited story. "SnoiIinr
the Egyptians which was puhIishcd
ten years ago. and in which the
| notion schemer came lthe nearest
OF any time during his career TO
the 5O-per cent wizards baIIvhoo,
The story tells of a loan compsnv
or Wallingford. in reality a lottery
| of a board of various monov-mad
citizens; and the fixing things so
that they froze him out together
/ with about $4,000, shortly before
the police broke down the doors.
Mr. chester spoke of the similarity
between personalities Of his hero
and Ponzi, who is said to be suaye,
polished, generous, artistic and
poised. He declared himself to be
the first writer to so picture the
criminal type. He said:
Popular Theory Wrong.
The theory used to be that crooks
oegln crooking as soon as they
wake up think they most often
nave breakfast first. Besides, they're
usually agreeable and normal per
sons excepting for the one little
distorted angle. Without that geni-
ahty and lovable personality. I
uoh pelleve many crook schemes
would succeed.
never could understand public
admiration and affection for crook
types. Robin Hood, Arsene Lupin,
even Jesse James all come in for
thelr snare. L suppose it is because
narratives of their colorful lives
taxes People out of the hum drum
rut.
/ VIII Lose Popularity.
They say Ponzi is beloved in Bos-
ton. believe it., but also believe
ms popularity will. decrease day by
DAY" 1t is only the successful that
the public loves"
asked another question and fan
cled l heard laughter, rumbling up
from a pudgy. stomach through
heavy, pinkily groomed jowIs, agi-
tating diamond upon the huge
crest of J. Rufus as it passed. Mr..
Cfester's smile was like a shadow of
the laughter as he replied:
oh, certainly, II Mr.. Wallingford
had Eeen a real character he'd have
gone to the pen long ago. He never
In the world would have gotten
away with It, you know"