The Washington herald., 1921-09-11
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|D|Ia|E|ByIRlsayS|

NEW YORK. Sept. 1o.-Karl X.
Kitchen 10 Gotham's perpetual Jour-
neying journalist. When he isn't
going one place he is another. II
he drops in on Paris. London or
Berlin they greet him as casually
as q next door neighbor. He comes
SO often they do not ngure he has
been away
On Broadway he Is . chronic first
nighter and midnight haunt or
giidsd. cafe is not officially opened
until Kitchen has paid his visit. All
Of which may sound suspiciously
like Kitchen Is the gay bouievar-
dier-ths blass man about town.
But II isn't SO.
Kitchen gets paid for prowlins
around. He reflects the gaiety Of
Manhattan for the New York sun
day World. He writes of the the
ater. the clubs aud the cafes and
their personalities In that knowing
way that makes him the accepted
oracle Of New York's gay White
Way. He also keeps Cleveland in
formed OF. Manhattan doings as cor
respondent of the Plain Dealer.
And when magazine editor
wants something strictly New York.
ish he telephones for Kitchen, for
he knows New York from Columbus
Circle to Herald Square as no other
man.
Kitchen also has the greatest col.
lection Of military hair brushes in
America Each Christmas and every
time Kitchen has q birthday Ray
mond Hitchcock sends him a set Of
military hair brushes. This has been
going on for ten years. which was
Just about the time that Kitchen
came to the realization that only
Hepner, the wig man. could do any
thing. g..
Karl Kitchen 10, like Richard
Harding Davis, silk stocking Jour
alist. He Is tho son of a wealthy
Cleveland banker and was tutored
abroad, spent much time in Euro.
pean universities and several Amer
lean colleses-yet when work was
forced upon him he chose a reporto-
rial Job on the Cleveland Plain
Dealer.
Then one day with . Wild yell he
broke out OF Cleveland and came to
New York where, hat in hand, he
visited the New York World with
his scrap book and has been there
ever since. He 10 as much a part
of the World as its giIded dome, al
though Kitchens dome isn't gilded,
II is nevertheless quite shiny ana
resplendent.
His Is tho ideal reportorial Job. He
goes where he pleases. writes what
he likes and gets paid Just like
those who really work. Not so long
ago Kitchen and his oficial Jester.
Tommy Gray, Broadway's best
known playwriting wit. were down
in Cuba Although Kitchen Is 81
years old he had never smoked un-
til someone lured him with a pure
Havana cigar. Since that time he
has been unusually restless and has
made cigars his hobby.
He came home and struck out for
Panama When he got back H.
called on the Worlds cashier and
two days later was beyond the
three-mile limit heading for France.
He visited England, italy, Switzer-
land and Germany and got back In
time to occupy a frst row seat az
the Follies. Just as an experiment ]
called UP the World In the midst of
this article to speak to Kitchen.
They thought he was in Hollywood,
Cal, but were not quite sure.
II Is my suspicion that he has
gone to Pittsburgh to sample the
famous Pittsburgh rat-tailed stogie.
Kitchen knows every man of impor-
tance In New York Intimately, from
Charles NJ. Schwab to Pierre, the Ia
nous head waiter. ; His theatrical
acquaintance Is colossal He has in
terviewed every stage celebrity of
Importance, not only in America, but
IN France. England and Australia.
An idea of just what sort Of q
cosmopolite Kitchen Is might be
gained from the fact that he once
entered Harry Pilcer's cafe in Paris
at midnight. All the world drifts
there. Bide Dudley. who was there,
tells me that every man and woman
In the room knew Kitchen and spoke
to him. He lives in handsome
bachelor apartment on Central Park
South and always brings me a sal
mon pink cravat from Paris. I like
him, too. -..