Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-27
BY BEN McKELWAY.

MER1CA as land of opportunists can
N be demonstrated more strikingly than
~ by briefly sketching for a few genera
N tions the history of the we'll known
Gettit family.
Little is known of the first Gettit except that
he came over. accidentally, in the Mayfiower.
He had organized in England a one-man stock
company and was selling stock among the pill
grims in the Plymouth Rock Development Cor
poration when the ship sailed without giving
him time to go ashore, the captain having de-
tanned him in irons in the hold There he
seems to have dropped from sight. as did his
immediate descendants. until the birth, in 1900,
of l. Gettit.
Young Gettit, growing up with America,
sought means of earning honest living.
but it is recalled by historians that he had
reached middle age before inventing what
afterward became known as the Gold Brick"
Obtaining brick, bar, of pure god he Of
fered to sell it at price far below the recog-
nized value of such products Needless to say
he found ready market. 1t should be under
stood. however. that Gettit never sold the orgi
nal brick or bar Of pure gold, but substituted
just before the contamination of the sales
duplicate brick bar OF some base metal
thinly coated with gold. This remarkably
clever device enabled him to build huge for
tune. He was unable to pass 1t on to his son,
cred around him one night took it from him
just before tightening the moose.
1. Gettit. I'd. although adniring his fathers
work, never pursued it. He often related to
close friends that he considered it crude. He
found a comfortable living, however, in his
ability so to shuttle the cards that after long
nights play he found himself with four aces
to bet against four kings, three Pushes, a full
house and a straight. His hand unfortunately
slipped one evening and a fifth ace dropped
from his cuff, and he was forced thereafter to
discontinue the practice Of his chosen profess
sion because OF the loss of three fingers from
his right hand. the bullet having gone slightly
wild.
Nevertheless, I. Getttt, Cd, originated the
socalled shell game" wherein he invited the
curious to make small wagers with him that
they could guess under which Of three English
walnut shells, split in halves, he had placed
pea. He was able to outguess them for the most
part, possibly because he became adept at con-
ceaing the pea between the fingers OF his left
hand as he shuffed the shells. Although &C.
cumulattng a fortune in this manner he fol-
lowed with interest the development Of the
Middle Western Oil fields and dropped the shell
game to sell gilt-edged oil stock. His success
was marked, and readers doubtless recall his
recent death in Leavenworth, Kan.
\ X X X
But it is with ]. Gettit, Sd, that this article
is chiefly concerned. For the sake Of brevity
our hero hereafter will be referred to simply as
DIR. Gettit, for he paid good cash. to the amount
Of 1915, for a medical degree and certainly is
worthy OF the title. u %
DR.. Gettit made 1t a point in his youth to
study the distinguished careers Of his honorable
forbears. And 1t is only one Of the many trib-
utes to his intelligence that at an early age he
reached the conclusion that his ancestors over
looked what is sometimes a bothersome detail
namely. the law. DIR. Gettit firmly resolved to
stay within the law, and that explains. in part,