The Washington herald., 1920-07-10
New York City
by o. o. MeIntyre

New York, July She 10 one OF
those Broadway wits with the run
ming hre chatter of . soda water
jerker. He furnishes bon-mots for
the privilege Of looking out the
window when the waiter brings the
bad news. Now that the Tenderioin
cafes have lost their after midnight
gaiety. he IL q familiar hgure at the
westchester road-houses.
His shirts and ties hit the entire
chromatic scale with . bang, indeed
he seems TO have his own private
spectrum. Despite the fact that his
past is as sordid As that OF the
hardened criminal, he once occupied
a chair In q fresh water college In
the Middle West.
A college graduate with severai
degrees, he came to New YORK with
good letters Of Introduction. How
he came to be one Of Broadways
birds of prey furnishes q remark
able chapter In the history OF the
gilded life of the White Way.
The man who told me the story
is the city editor of q large metro
politan paper and knows the facts.
| The fellow-call him Smith-left
his college position to do some
socioloRica work for a rich Man
hattanite who had endowed the
college where he was employed. 1t
was In the days before the legal
calcium had flooded the dark cor
ners and reform was only threat.
Smith used to drop into under
world haunts to study human So
| cial phenomena. One night In
| music hall In Bleecker street he was
| sitting at q beer-stained table lis
tenipg - a pair OF Dutch comedians
perpetrsting stale gags. A faded
young creature, with pitiable ef-
forts to show tinsel, dropped down
in a chair beside him and In
cracked voice started conversation.
She was really seeking a pur-
! chaser of beer and sandwiches.
Smith learned her story and he
talked to her Of better things She
was just ripe for such talk and
pursuing his advantage Smith in
i duced her to 20 to q country home,
privately endowed, for wantons.
l In the end Smith fell in love with
4 the girl, who. after dropping her
! dissipation, blossomed into a pret-
/ ty woman. They were married. A
few years later he found she had
| returned to her old haunts. He
made a desperate effort to save her
and failing they went down to the
depths hand hand. She finally
died and he became a hopeless para
site, finishing out the remaining 6
i DAYS of his misspent life as q cafe
clown.
Il Impudent young men in gold
braided coats line the curbs OF
Broadway inviting pedestrians to
become passengers in the yap wag-
ons leaving for Chinatown, Luna
and Coney lin just a few moments
They never leave until filled, but
once you have given them your
fare there Is nothing to do but
wait. Even the police seem to be
in with their rascality and some
times people have to wait an entire
afternoon after paying for the ride
There are always a few "decoy'
passengers who are paid to sit in
the wagons. The bally- hoos stand
out in front and call out to pass
ersby. The other day below the
Astor one was haranguing the
crowd and a we'll built young man
with a pretty girl walked along.
Come on" shouted the bally.
hoo" take your girl to Coney Isle
II she don't want to sit by you II
sit beside her.
Two minutes later men from the
corner drug store were pourins
cold water over the pale face of q
PROSTATE form at the curb. o yes
he wore a gold braided coat.
Five airplanes were flying over
Fifth avenue the other afternoon
The roar of the engines could bt
heard distinctly. I stood at a win,
dow and watched the people fol-
two blocks. Only three in my line
, of vision looked up and then only
few seconds.