The New York herald., 1921-10-02
A Opened Letter
To Harry WitWer
THE LEATHER PUsHERs. By h

n. l.
To Mister H. C. WrTwER.
co Los Angeles Pressing Club.
Please forward.
DEAR WIT:
Well, Wit, If am not the first genu-
inc book reviewer to call you Wit
I'll bet / am the first of that coo-coo
clan to call you acitty. BY genuine
book reviewer I mean to the viz, q
paid UP member of the Fourth's Estate
| which really reads books and dashes
lice reporter that does story off the
Jacket and barters the review copy for
what is popularity dubbed the where
withal to buy a package Of smokes and
deck of paper matches.
In my frank and outspoken way,
Wit. 1 assure you have never met up
with a genuine reviewer who give you
the credit for Americas national trait
to the viz, wit and humor. How the
so ever don't lose no sleep over this.
Winning the esteemed enmity of these
literary ghouls who prey on accred-
tied authors books because they can't
write a book themselves is the great
est compliment you could have. II
them guys knows what's humor, then
General John Joseph Pershing has led
AID hn
But just to let you know what col
lege degreed literary critic talks about
behind your back, let me repeat what
one of the ilk informed me about you.
"Wit-wah! Wit-wah! Oh! Yes,
yes. I recall. Wit-wah is the, ah,
auth-aw who once mixed soda wat-aw
in Yonk-aws, is he not? Yes, yes. He
still mixes soda wat-aw. The, ah, nut
sundaes, so to speak, of mod-awn light
lit-aw- -too-ah! Yes, yes" Well, Wit.
at that this baby come pretty near
right. For bimbo that don't live on
my and your more denser populated
half portion of this planet Earth, I'd
say he was at least as close as Suzie
Lenglen was to winning a place in the
hearts of our country clubmen; ana
she lost, if you can believe what you
read in the papers, only by cough.
The writer has just sat up half the
night through, Wit, with your latest
child of the brain, THE Leather Push
ers." And the undersigned would beg
to state that THE Leather Pushers"
has got more laughs in it than the
Woolworth Building has steps.
Having been personal follower OF
your writings for many years, there
was one extra laugh in which you now
get a cordial's invitation to join. II
was that part where by what might be
niclSnamed innuendo you pose as fight
expert. Why, Wit, you amt no fight
expert. l know you picked Dempsey
TO beat Carpenter. but that was like
picking the politicians to run the coun-
try. Who was that farm bred. self
trained athlete you selected out of the
two possibilities to cop at Toledongh
OhighO? Probly you've forgot by now.
eh. Wit? We'll, Wit. my memories is
long When your selection dropped TO
the canvas, three of my dollars
dropped with him charged to your ac-
count. But / don't hold il against you,
Wit. I'll let bygones be bygones. Only
can't help thinking that at four q
per annum them three smac kers
would by now be growing up TO 1886
That was such lesson to me. Wit
that when you predicted Carpenter
didn't have a chanst AT the Thirty
Boyle's Acres I went against my own
better's judgment and ventured three
more on Dempsey to lose.
Lot
dae of yours which has been entitled
"The Leather Pushers" | would sup
pose because IL must he some editors
idea of what might be slang term for
the fighting gentry and not because
no dyed-in-the wool fightfan ever
called q fighter a leather pusher,
should make you a lot of jack. If the
hero, Kane Halliday. turns out to be
as popular with the book buyers as he
is with some or us book bummers |
would If / was in your shoes affec-
tionately refer to him as Sugar Kane
on the account of the sugar and etc. he
brings in. But. not to give no unaslSed
advice. you should have let a sport
ing's authority like Joe Villa who sets
the pace give you a more slanger
term IMAM itdtiltI pufnti lOf u lllle.
Wen, Wit, this being book review
and a opened letter ] suppose ] ought
to knock the public for row of troll
ley poles by telling what's in the book,
so that I'll spoil the story for the read
ers and they won't have to go and buy
one. But on seconds thought I'll Just
tell you what my beautiful and charm
ing wife and helpmeet said last night
when she commandeered that I drop
that book and turn out that light to
go TO that bed. She talks French like
Jeanne Harmon, your notable Charac-
ter of Fiction. on account Of our son
Jacques having had one lesson already
in the language of diplomacy out at
his school I'm the land Of the Flat
bush.
"Helosi" she exclaims. you are but
the leetle Of the fool. IT is you who
write so good like Monsieur Witwer.
For the why do you geeve away to the
public the plot Non, non. soni Go TO
show them the Gust -oom-ars the how
of which Mr.. Witwer does the writing.
Then. mon cher the what of which he
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