The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1922-09-09
JOHN D. ENIGMA
TO NEICHBORS
Richest Man Rarely Seen in Tar
rytoWn and is Guarded From
All Questioners.
GIVES CAMERAMEN A CHANCE
Recently He Let Photographers Shoot
Him to Hearts Content, but Re-
porters Still Are Barred
Stories About Dimes.

Tarrytown, N. Y.-Is John D. Rookie
Teller, passing the Indian summer o.
his life on his vast estate in the Pc
cantico hills, at last letting down the
barriers he has always raised against
photographers and reporters?
This is a question which has beer
interesting the newspaper profession
ever since the worlds richest man, or
q recent Sunday, permitted camera
men to snap him to their hearts con
tent after they had consented to fol
low him into church for service
Mr.. Rockefeller, who bears the repu
tation of being one Of the most cam.
era-shy men in America, may be be
coming more lenient In his attitude
toward photographers, but as yet he
has given no indication of taking re-
porters into his confidence.
An effort to interview Mr.. Rookie
teller on the recent occasion Of his
eighty-fourth birthday anniversary
made, as usual, through third party
representing the household-brought
the response Impossible" AS no re-
porters as yet have succeeded in
storming the well-guarded gates OF the
goes uninterviewed.
Enigma to Fellow Townsmen.
Even to his townsmen the little
man, slight of frame, who appears In
midsummer in leather waistcoat, over
coat and muffler, is very much Of an
enigma.
Tarrytown points out to each visi-
tor the home Of John D. Rockefeller,
urges the visitor to go up and see
where Rockefeller lives, talks con-
stantly about Rockefeller-but rarely
sees him itself.
Very seldom do Tarrytowners get
inside the gates which guard the big
home back in the hills. Once In a
while they see John D. come down
town and sit in his machine while
chauffeur goes into a bank or a store
but Tarrytown almost never talks to
its richest citizen. He comes and
gOes-there is excitement while he is
downtown, and discussion afterward.
And that is all of Tarrytown's claim
on its most famous citizen.
Ever since the oil king celebrated
his eigth-fourth anniversary larry
Town has been seething over the ques-
ton of who is it's oldest citizen. There
IS no question as to the most famous.
An ancient who sits in front of the
Dig hardware store just around the
corner from. the station comedies first
place to John d. The ancient admits
he is only eighty-three. But an Italian
las asserted his grandfather is eighty
tight, and there is a farmer who lays
,laim to ninety. Still, even in the
ace of odds Tarrytown stands loyalty
behind It's prominent citizen and an
LOUNGES to the world that its oldest
.itizen today is none other than the
nan who made Oil famous.
But the town maintains that Mr.. |
Rockefeller is still a youngster in |
pirit.
amy man who plays golf as fire.
Luently as he does" began one citi-
en-, when he was interrupted with a
question as to whether John DIS pri-
ate links were regular size.
Certainly, but John D. goes around
lowly," replied the citizen, but an
Their Tarrytowner broke In with
email.
1T is not. It is only about four
oles of q normal course. And John
}. takes three hours to make two Of
m"
Last but not least, in TarrytOwn's
lewpoint toward It's leading citizen 10
le tradition of the dimes, the day Of
avs for the boys and girls. Spasmod-
ally John D. Rockefeller gives 10
ent pieces away to children. How
Id 1t startf
Stories About Dimes. !,
Three stories are current:
Number Three boys, many
.ars ago, walked up the hill, climbed .
10 stone wall, went up to the porch
I'd saw Mr. Rockefeller. They asked
m for a dime apiece-and got 1t.
nee then, it is said, the Oil magnate :
Is held his yearly party.
Number PA boy was standing
when the Rockefeller ma
inc drove up. A package dropped
t. The boy picked 1t up and handed
to Mr.. Rockefeller personally. The (
y got a dime and John D. Rookie !
Ter got an inspiration which he has 1
lowed ever since.
Number "a lad was lost. He
ndered onto the Rockefeller mys-
y links. The oil king saw him. he
TX him into the house, gave him q
ne and sent him home. And the
cent party sprang from that.
Whatever the cause, "dime day" has 3
come to the youth Of Tarrytown =
Y apart, ranking with Christmas (