The Washington herald., 1922-01-26
MTNTYRE WARNS
OF GREAT CITY'S
HUMAN JACKALS
"Sharpers" Leave Many
Bones to Whiten Along
Broadway.
BY o. o. M'INTYRE.

many WIN an ONerWnelnllng rusH.
And conversely in no other city are
the fruits SO bitter. The flaming
beacon draws the blackmaifer. the
sharpers and all the brood of hu-
man jackals out, Of the, shadows.
only the wary may dodge the pit
falls, I visited the alcoholic ward
OF a hospital the other day to see a
young man and his wife. His was
the success that New York stamps
as over night" He had come out
OF obscurity into the glare only a
year ago.
From slatternly boarding house
on West Fifty-seventh street he
found himself in the gray and pink
elegance of a mammoth hotel-with
electric buttons on every hand mag
ically to flash his wants. Then
the cleaners began to intrude. He
was fed on 'fiattery and invited
everywhere
In nine months they carried him
to the dizzy heights and let him
drop with a rush into an unreal
world of terrorizing dreams by
night and torturing phantasies by
day. Both he and his wife became
chronic inebriates.
Twice he was jockeyed into an
affaire du occur with scheming
women and paid the price. His wife.
too, was made the target for the
skilled shysters. Life became a
series Of parties - but they found
themselves paying the bills.
Breakfast was always preceded
by flock of morning fizzes, primed
with potent bootlegger's gin. He
told me that each smoked a dozen
cigarettes before arising to help
quiet the jangling nerves. And
they reached that point where in
flashes of sobriety they realized
that they were lost and plunged
deeper
They ran up enormous bills at
shops and hotels. Deputy sheriffs,
armed with summonses, camped on
their doorsteps. Old friends Stunned
them and they became figures in
the half world along Broadway. The
crash came. One afternoon an am
bulance backed up and carried them
away. each jabbering incoherent-
ly. The cleaners had left their
bones to whiten along the Great
White Way
He showed me a note which was
the only one he had received since
his downfall. 1t was from a drug
addict and said: Some good stuff
is coming in from South America
shortly" That was intended to be a
cheering message-a harbinger of
hope.
The muzzled fox that was turned
loose on Fifth avenue the other
week achieved one notable result 1t
got the fur dealer who ached for
first-page publicity in Jail for cruel
ty to animals. He got the pub
licity, but it was not Of the kind to
do him good, for the newspapers
went into his past with a vengeance,
and as a result his business has
suffered. Reporters are good fell
lows-but never try to fool them.
They've been fooled by experts.
At the exhibit of etchings in a
Brooklyn gallery there is a kindly
old man who takes a great interest
in showing visitors about. He car
ries with him a heavy magnifying
glass which he loans for those who
wish to inspect the etchings close
up. His whole interest in life CEN
ters about the collection. The other
day a visitor approached him and
was handed the magnifying glass.
He looked and then commented:
"Why didn't the fellow who drew
them make them palmer" The
kindly old attendant was i'll in bed
two days from the shock.
The old soak was walking up
Fifth avenue. His thoughts were
on other days-days when beer was
cents a pint and the height OF
extravaganza was to go to the La
fayette and pay so cents for a
pousse cafe. He stopped in front OF
the public library and lopked across
the street. Well" he sNliloqyized.
"as long as they keep building )
and 10-cent stores. there will al
ways be some one to paint the town
red"
The lantern hung sightseeing
busses that make their stands along
the Broadway curbs use cirl decoys
to bring passengers. No one wants
to be the first in the bus and wait
for il to fill up. Many OF these girls
arc attending colleges in New York
and they pick up extra money by
sitting in the busses and watching
the crowds 20 by while the red
faced barkers ballyhoo the wonders
of Chinatown and the Bowery.
Fifth Avenue millinery shop has
dainty delivery wagon fashioned
like one of its Partisan hat boxes.
1t is run by motor and the driver
is beautiful young brunette who
wears hat and costume trimmea
with fur. Sitting alongside her is
marmoset.
WHO'S WHOM