The Washington herald., 1920-03-25
New York City
B, o. o. McIntyre

ed the nttie cfBAfctto snop. VI SSS
the Turk over on Seventh avenue
the other evening. For several
years Joe has sat in his window
rolling and monograming cigarettes
for the rather sporty crowd of the
Tenderloin. Crowds eddied up to his
window and watched by the hour
with the usual curiosity OF the
New Yorker.
Joe is short and thin and his
swarthy skin Is scared by many
wrinkles He has a pair of small
keen black eyes. He knew all the
celebrities of the stage-both men
and women-and he delivered his
finished cigarettes in his great tan
roadster.
In the days before prohibition
came he would appear in the most
expensive cafes and buy the best
wines for all who would drink. And
on Broadway he had little trouble
soaring UP a crowd. He lived at
one of the most exclusive hotels.
where turbaned servants attended
his wants.
At the race tracks he would bet
as high as $4,000 on a race and II
he lost he would merely light q
fresh cigarette and inhale deeply.
The name of Joe the Turk has been
associated with some of the towns
best known spendthrifts. He was
one of them.
There were stories that he was
the son of a rich Sheik but had
quarreled with his parents and set
out for America where he began
making cigarettes for living.
Then, too, queer stories have been
floating around the underworld that
Joe the Turk was a '-fence," q re-
ceiver OF valuable diamonds.
He was known. to be receiver
of one famous diamond but he
proved his innocence In the matter.
But he was never entirely free of
suspicion. Then a big robbery was
pulled of in one OF the hotels. The
trail led to the shop of Joe the
Turk.
The police came. Joe bowed them
In politely. He even offered them
cigarettes. And when they had
searched everywhere without find-
ing anything OF value they start
ed to go. Joe stopped them. He
inc the board on which he rolled
his cigarettes. They did. Eureka!
A secret little drawer revealed
dozens of sparkling stones. They
took Joe to headquarters and called
in a diamond expert. He looked at
them and snorted with contempt.
All were paste. Joe the Turk just
puffed his cigarette but never
smiled. I'VE will get him yet" say
the police.
He was a prim little man in
gold-rimmed spectacles and sat
quietly in a corner seat in an ex-
press subway. He wore a white
linen tie. had a comb in his vest
pocket and his shoes were we'll
shined. He seemed at peace with
the world reading an evening
newspaper. Suddenly he jumped
up with a yell. tore out a page of
the paper. hurled II to the floor
and stamped on it in a violent
rage. At the next station he got
off. Another passenger picked up
the offending page. 1t showed a
group of New York society women
lolling on the Palm Beach sands
in bathing suits.
There is man in New York
who gets his recreation riding on
recognizing right out loud the
painters of canvases in the shop
windows. The other day in his
enthusiasm he grabbed a woman
by the arm and shouted: That's a
Corot" She was going to have
him arrested for insulting her un-
til he explained his burst of en-
thusiasm.
1t has developed that one of the
largest department stores in town
has a secret entrance for the rich.
The department store deals in a
cheaper class of merchandise but it
is in a conspicuous neighborhood,
greatly frequented by shoppers.
There is a canopied entrance where
limousines may draw up and the
occupants enter the store without
being seen by the hoi-polIoi. Snop-
bish, of course. But the manage
ment finds that il pays.
Across from the Winter Garden a
little doughnut shop has opened
and is doing a thriving business.
Only doughnuts and coffee are sold.
A white clad doughnut expert
stands in the window and drops
the doughnuts into a vat of grease
from a machine. The doughnuts
have been popular at Coney Island
and Broadway. which n a glorified
Coney Island, will fairly eat 'em up.
They tell of a newspaper report
er down town, a mild hammered
young fellow. who was introduced
to his first sip of moonshine whis-
key made on Third avenue. After
he had downed the drink he put on
his hat and coat and picked up his
cane. where you going" asked
a friend. 90" he said carelessly,
I'm going over to the Central Park
Zoo and spit in a, lions face"