Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1929-09-28
BY PAUL l.. WAKEFIELD

New York-When an individual
causes New York to pause and look
that's not news but when Manhat-
tan rouses her sophisticated self 70
the east professional interest,"
well editors seem 10 have q differ
ent idea about such things.
Ben Davis Allen, former Univer-
sity OF Texas. football star and
comic strip artist, causes New York
to turn and look daily. He has also
won f~lattering professional" atten-
ton from that not too easily
pleased maiden Miss Manhattan.
"Stookie,' for by that name he
was known when he was winning
touchdowns for II. u. and by that
he is known in Park Row. towers al
least a head above Commissioners
Grover Whalen's tallest minion who
directs traffic into the bottle neck Of
the financial district in Park Row.
AS "Stookie" strides through the
elbowing throngs Of the Row TO his
drawing board and comic charac-
ters at United Feature Syndicate in
the World Building he is the CEN
ter OF almost as much attention as
on Thanksgivings of a few falls
gone at Memorial Stadium in Aus
tin.
Breaks In
For the past two years Allen has
been breaking the stiff line Of re-
sistance in the field of comic strips
and sport cartoons. The very hui
man foibles and achievements OF
Malaria Mugs, the daughter Of an
Irish cop, has won favor wherever
it has appeared. Allen turned to
drawing after a varied career which
had to do with scouting for oil In
Texas, laying pipe line in Missis-
sippi, playing baseball in the South
ern League and hitting the high
places south Of Atlanta from one
job to another, change depending
on mood ard the schedule OF freight
trains. This everchanging diet Of
work and adventure vas shared
with Matt Newell, another Texan
who had played end on the Long
horn clever with him while, to
quote "Stookie" he was being edu-
Gated" One summer Allen says he
wandered as far away from his ma
tive open spaces" as California
where he served a hitch as a life
guard at Del Mar Beach.
Heading for South America with
an oil Job all tucked up and await
ing his arrival "Stookie" paused In
New York long enough to get a look
at Washington Square on a hazy
morning In November.
N. Y. Calls
This he said saved him from
making a decision about whether he
should listen to the whispering urge
somewhere in his system to do Gre
alive work. Seeing Washington
Square that morning told me that
following the trail Of oil in South
America was Just another way OF
prolonging the misery. And SO ]
cast my lot with the other millions,
got me one of those lock-bOx affairs
some call bachelor quarters and an
swered the call of art" A few turns
at drawing animated cartoons led
nowhere. In the meantime "Stookie"
had made a few friends among the
COPS who didn't have TO look up to
him when he engaged them In con
versation. He admits n Of these
friendships stood him in good at q
time when food was scarce and
Central Park wore a coat Of ice.
Malaria and Johnny Mugs are
more or less legitimate offsprings
from having their conception close
10 q blue uniform and a shield 1t
is not a strange thing that
"Stookie" Allen should be success
full as both a comic strip artist and
a daily sport cartoon illustrator. He
sees the humorous and the pathetic
sides Of the great city's life and he
i%nterprets 1t with a facile pen soft
ened by a blend Of wholesome hui
NOR born Of good craftsmanship.
His sport cartoon inclinations come
as a natural consequence from his
love OF football, baseball and SWIM
ming, all of which he excelled at
"Stookie Allen talks slow but
smiles quickly. His personality and
realness steals up on one and gets
underneath and before you realize
ii you are talking with him on an
old-friendship basis. That's the way
with his cartoon features They are