The Washington herald., 1920-03-13
New York City,
B, o. o. MeIntyre

B, o. o. McIntyre
New York. March lathe recent
blizzard gave the taxi-pirates a
chance to piliage the city. In most
cities taxicab drivers as q class are
hard working and self-respecting.
But in Manhattan they are beetle
browed crowd OF ruffians, East Side
gunmen and strong-armed men.
In every bank robbery. hold-up
or murder the police cry has not
been "Cherchez Ia femme" It Is
Look for the taxi bandit" A mur-
der trial is going on now In which
a taxi driver Is the defendant. His
car met a pretty woman at lonely
surburben station. Five hours later
the fare was found garroted In the
cab. ravaged, and stripped of her
jewels.
A Cuban merchant took a taxicab
the other day near the Waldorf. lie
was driven three blocks when a
dangerous looking fellow halted the
driver and asked to ride on the
front seat. This is against the law
in New York. But they drove into
Central Park stopped, beat up the
-
During the blizzard they charged
IS for a 81 trip and IL they were re-
fused used a black Jack. Charlie
Falls, the artist. had occasion to
use a taxi to a private dinner the
other night from his studio in Gra-
mercy Park. The distance was short
the charge was $40. Falls argued
awhile and then used a bit of jul
jitsu and drove the driver himself
to the hospital to get fixed up.
Charlie. in a temper. had pulled the
drivers ear loose.
One of the drivers diversions now
Is to ride OF with whatever change
is coming to the fare. The amount
Is usually 50 or 81 and not enough
for the fare to spend time in court
over. Wicked looking swarthy men
who look as though they had dirks
up their sleeves are in the majority
and one will also go to the aid OF
the other in a slugging, looting or
what not,
Fallen women, skilled in black
mail. are invariably the consorts OF
the taxi bandits. Hundreds OF these
black mailing cases never reach the
police because of the fear of motor
iety.
DR.. Berthold A. Baer Is an UNDER
takers press agent who has en-
livened New York as no other press
agent has in years. He writes
ckeerful advertisements in New
York newspapers about Broadway
funeral parlor in Pollyana style. He
not only robs the grave OF victory.
but covers IL over with a hardwood
floor suitable for dancing, and he
puts the balm in embalming.
DIR, Baer is studious-looking
man, who takes his work seriously.
A reporter called on him the other
day in his study" in the undertak-
ing parlor. The reporter compli-
mented him on his method of ex-
tracing the sting from the Grim
Reaper. And then he asked him to
tell his story.
There is not much 20 tell" he
said. II make those in the shadow
of the Great Shadow happy. But
first let me compliment you, young
man, on that cough of yours. 1t
will go far. Would you mind let
ting me feel your pulse? And your
middle thryoid, how
But the reporter was galloping
out the long hall to the street, not
even stopping to read DR.. Baer's
cheerful notices: Remember the
Influenza Epidemic" Ais Right
with the World" and Every Coffin
Has Satin Lining"
Up on the roof of an uptown hotel
they have a glass enclosed studio
for the opera singers who wish to
try out their golden voices daily.
In this way the singers can hit top
G without the man in the room un-
derneath rapping on the pipes and
yelling. ito "leave that cat alone"
Among those who use the studio are
Morgan Kingston. Allessandra Bonci.
Nine. Yvonne Gall. Anna Fitziu and
now and then Caruso comes up from
Forty-second street to add a few
igh-priced notes to the medley
With the Metropolitan and Chicago
Opera Company going full blast
New York is chock full of high
Rriced singers.
Helene Gammeltoft. the Danish
Mary Pickford. has arrived in New
York to take a whirI in the Ameri-
can movies. Eve Balfour. the Eng
lish Theda Bara, is in town also to
show a little British vamping and
it is whispered in the studios that
the American gelatine ladies are
getting mighty jealous and that
there may be a hair-pulling any
day. Getting $1,000 a week for. a
year and for about 10 weeks actual
work Is just a bit too soft not to
battle over II any interlopers try to
break into the charmed circle.