The Washington herald., 1921-07-14
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NEW YORK. July ls,-East side
"spieis" have died with prohibition
The colorful little handbiils-tbrov.
awsys. the East Side calls them
announcing grand balls ana recep-
tions'' are seen no more. Th.s.
dances were treasured events
around Houston, Grand and DELANEY
streets.
Hallowed memories indeed, Who
can forget the second annual dance
given by those we'll known friend.
Greaser Mccloskey and Poke Cohen
at New Moon Hall. gents rs cents
and ladies Is cents?''
And also the special event Of tn.
season-the grand reception of the
Danny Einstein Association. young
Grino, moor manager. Every time
the bell rings, it's a new keg. Wear
your brightest red tie, boysw
Young toughs. ready for bat,Ie
and with their hair smelling a,
cheap pommade. arrived earlv and
remained until dawn. Tbe 1jrI.
from the shirt-waist factorie. ana
toilers In the lofts came. Flights
were numerous.
At midnight, the tin bo
gamblers. flush with money. cane
from uptown with their women ~
brighter dress and obvious profes-
sion. Summers sat in the boxes ana
singing walters passed in and ont
the crowds with foaming glasses of
Deer at hve cents a COPY"
Men gyrated in a steam of perspi-
ration r win their ladies who chewed
gum. IT was a picturesque crowd.
ever ready with its fist-hard drink
ing ana hard living, yet good
insured easy going and pliable.
wlhulhg IN and out among the
dancers, slow and suave like sleek
vultures, were the young cadets
They came not for pleasure but for
profit.
The Missing Girls" column WAS
recruited from these East Side
spiels. The young blandfaced immi-
grant girls were the easiest prey.
The piano player was always a
drawing card. He ran TO type-a
doughfaced, long haired youth with
the eternal cigarette hanging from
In the back of the dance halls
was the beer bar, Between dances
the. patrons. men and women, lined
pj at the brass rail waiting some
spendthrifts cry: set M the
house" The dances were fostered
by the ward heeiers. who saw in
them a way to promote political
fraternity and to line UP votes. Pic
turesque as they were. their pass
ing is a step forward In the social
life of the East Side.
The late Vernon Castle used to
enliven things at the nocturnal
haunts when he and Irene paid them
visit by sitting in at the trap
drummer's seat. Castle was an ac-
complished jazz drummer and
slapped a nasty cowbell. Now-at
what few nocturnal haunts that are
left out of the wreckage-Waliace
Reid, the screen actor, is appearing
as a saxophone player. He. too.
blares a wicked minor. 1 doubt H
are are any men who do not nurse
phone.
A worn out little old lady in a
dress half green with age started
to cross Fifth avenue at Forty-sev-
enth street. Several times she was
frightened back by the heavy traffic.
The trafic policeman left his post
and came to her rescue. When he
had deposited her on the opposite
side, he lifted his cap and patted
her ahectionately on the arm. A
woman in the house on the corner
watched the incident from a win
dow. And that evening the police
man got a substantial check signed
by the former Miss Helen Gould.
In the unregenerate days when l
attended a private schhool, there
was a professor who had a habit OF
picking up crumpled paper to throw
in a stove. One day we filled one
with powder. He tossed II in and 1t
exploded. Good joke, boys" he said.
rubbing his hands together and
beaming He had lunch with me the
other day and revealed some pow
der marks on his hand from that ex-
perience After all. there are a lot
of college professors who belong to
the Good Sports Club.