The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-07-11

One of the innovations for Miss New
 York in the summer sin" line this sea-
 son was the Elwell murder.
 Everybody you met, of course, talked about it. everybody had different the ory to advance; nearly every New Yorker you met knew Elwell at some time or
 other (to hear them tell iD, and each had something different to say about him.
 When I arrived in the big port just
 the day after the murder, the town was
 wild on the subject; and when some-
 body told me before I had even seen paper that Elwell, the Bridge King was dead-murdered by foul or fair means eff there is such a thng), burt ed out:
 Had all the trump cards and then he
 let somebody else make the grand slam"
 I didn't think it was such much" but afterward quite the cleverest
 woman l saw in New York compli- mented me by saying that she thought it was at least the most original thing she'd heard said about it.
 With the true newspaper instinct of the cut and dried scribe, I went out to ElwelPs house, No. PA West Seventieth street, and just 25,o00 other people had beat me to it. The streets were packed and jammed; policemen, the big. hand
 some New York kind, were on duty
 good and strong, and all that distin-
 guished the late MT. Elwells home from all other brown stone houses on that street was just hushed and awed atmosphere; squinting shutters and drawn windows, as if grimacing at the
 horrible tragedy which had been so lately enacted
 Surely it may be said, speaking in "bridge" terms in which the late Joseph Bowne ("Bob") Elwell was more than expert; this man-about-town, this lover of beautiful woman and fast horses and reckless gambling, when he got ready to "shuffle off this mortal coil" 'doubled' and 'redoubled" the bids of all homi- cidal and suicidal experts of New York's criminologists, and were it not such tragedy the "passing' of the Bridge King" would be more humorous than gruesome, for he continues to play the game dead just as he played it when alive.
 And don't you know that "the woman in gray" whom the housekeeper, Mrs. Marie Larsen, described as mud gutter blonde" is busy picking out some suitable present for Mrs. Larsen, some | stylish new summer poison or an early autumn bomb?
 Certainly, New York's police depart ment and detective agencies have been ! slow on the job Cat this writing there | death of ElwelD, and in regard | to the tardiness of the denouement, l heard a deliciusiy lovely story told by a clever New York man the other day in which he said that there was an ola newspaper reporter who died and went where all newspaper men are supposed to go Upon arrival he remarked to his looks like a big | fire boss-suppose I cover the story Given the assignment, he watched the blaze for 2,000 years and then approach ed the master of the fiery realm agaln.
 The master pondered moment and tben said: Now, I don't want to be disturbed every few thousand years 90 I'll give you job that will keep you busy for some time. Suppose you go up to New York and stick around there until the police clear up the Elwell mystery"
 Very happy with his new assign ment, the old reporter shambled oif'i Tt May Be Day and It May Be Forever"
 T happened to arrive in New York at he .tag end" of the home service ap- peal of the Salvation Army, and am 1elighted to bring the news back 10 nv ..home town" of the very high re- gard and the unqualified esteem in which the Salvation Army Is held Tn { New York.
 I was fortunate enough to attend the musical tea on the Waldorf roof, given Tor the benefit of the Salvation Army home service appeal by Mrs. ollVer Hartman and Mrs. Stanley Lyman otis. twolof New Yorks. Four Hundred who number their friends as well as heir good deeds by the hundreds
 Mrs. Hartman was beautiful Grace -arley of Louisville and since her mar .i,ee to one of the most widely known in the world, has yraced the position which she was called upon to fill as the wife or one ,f America's greatest financiers, with III the charm and grace for which the women of the south are famed.
 Beautiful of face and figure, ex- ,uisitely lovely in manner, Mrs. liar -iman was a charming and affaple nos .ess. surrounding herself with a DeVy ,f clever movie" stars, actresses, ar .ists and some of the four hundred all if whom were of great interest to me, 
 Mrs. Harriman's beautiful young face wears halo of snow-white hair above t and her expressive brown eyes and wonderful coloring make her indeed md in fact the noted beauty that she is.
 Mrs. Harriman's "hobby" is the Sal vation Army, and she said to me as we stood with Lieut.. Col. Margaret Bovill, of the women's social de- ,artment of the Salvation Army, who ,as a great many friends in Birmingham ind throughout the gulf division:
 q do not think any one Of us can do enough for these splendid people. love them; they meant great deal 10 us during the war but they mean much more now that the war Is over Col. Cornelius Vanderbilt has given us s nunificent check; Mrs. Astor. Mrs. orme Wilson and many others have been generous to a degree The coun- try is suffering from too many ap- oeals. and that has made 1t hard for the Salvation Army appeal. but five years from now. when money Is more plentiful and presidential election is 1 not on, the Army can get any amount t desires"
 The orchestra waited it's beautiful tones ,ver the big ballroom of the roof garden IS we werC talking and before I could hat further with Mrs Hartman she was ,laimed for dance for there was Bert .ytell the handsome "movie' star. fresh rom his triumphs in "The Right of Way" and "Alias Jimmy valentine.' yaiting while others whom Mrs. Harri- ran had invited to assist her and lovely Mrs. Otis. who looks and dances like a girl of sixteen and has the most mar 1 ,elous memory for names and faces l