The Omaha morning bee., 1924-05-03
New York
DAY by Day.
BY o. O. M'INTYRE.

New York, May "A shuffling
figure of tho underworld with a drag
ring leg and a withered arm appears
ar police headquarters twice week
lie IL expiating a past In such way
that even calloused criminal hunters
arc heartened.
y A year ago he was one OF the brood
Of Broadway jewelers. whose little
sbops are "fences"-a hole In the wall
for thieves loot. lie participated IN
n $3.50. 900 Jewel robbery. In that he
received the plunder and hid IT In his
safe.
Ths keenest sIeuths were on the
chase but they found only blind al
avs. The jeweler was going home
-, night. There was a thump at the
. nase Of the brain and he sagged TO
the sidewalk. the victim OF a
paralytic stroke.
while he was In the hospital an
assistant opened the safe and stole
the Jewels. When the jeweler re-
cotered sufficiently to discover his
loss he made underground overtures
to headquarters to return the Jeweis
in exchange for what ne called
peace OF mind"
He was given chance. Bit by
hit he has made good. More than
1900 900 worth of the various Jew
els have been returned. He exacted
a promise that he should not be
shadowed and the police have kept
their word. They refuse to tell where
he lives. They only say uptown
The underworld received word
from the jeweler that the doctor had
given him a short time to llve-nine
months at most. Il want TO go out
SQUARE" he wrote, and l am going
To clean up my last job. II those |
have stood by don't stand by me
won't squeal but somebody Is going
out with me-"
The denizens knew him as man
Of yhis word-one who would turn
killer IL necessary. The jewelry had
been broken UP and distributed TO
various other fences" but piece by
niece 1t is being recovered and taken
To headquarters.
Nothing takes the average man
back to the Stone Bruise Ago SO
much as an old.fashIoned cookie.
Hyhere is little cookie shop on
street that does =
thriving business. Children of this
generation do not patronize IT. But
its customers are mostly men past
middle age who 20 there to buy a
paper poke Of cookies and perhaps
eo. to their homes to MUNICH them and
dream Of the days when the world
was young.
The speakeasy has found lodge
ulent in many big skyscrapers down
town. On the glass door may be a
sfxn in gold letters reading: John
Jones, Cement Contractor" Inside a
clerk or 20 carries on what looks ss
though II might be legitimate busi-
pegs. but there Is another door always
locked which may only be entered by
signal raps.
eRaln" started flood Of plays de-
picting primitive. unvarnished life In
the troics. Only one other-"White
Careo"--has caught on. As result
n theatrical costumer has window
flied with South Sea island costumes
with a sign reading: Tropical cos
tunes at less than one.thIrd the orig
inaI cost" ~ has also been disoov-
cred that there is only one Hawaiian
orchestra in town. Six years ago one
musical agency had 81 playing nj
various resorts.
II is only e. minutes by motor from
Fofty.second street TO q village that
offers tho peace Of an isolated village
that might be thousands OF miles
miles away. There is the humble
? wooden church and the little country
! slero where ioungers gather and chaff
from group to group There
are old men rocking out their last
days on ivy clad porc1es. Silver
Haired women quietly knitting at
front room windows. Chickens peck
about in the road. " is the one spot
,&tr New York not dcspoied Of small
tohsp atmosphere by the automobile.
Copyright. 1920