New Britain herald., 1930-10-16


 Mystery House" at 39th street on 9th avenue is in the last lap of its historic stand against progress all around it. For years it has been d jarring note in the architectural en- scmble. On tax records it is the Wendell mansion, down. -at-heel four r-storied structure of the early 5C's.
 Adjoining it northward IS the $5,- 000,0O0 vacant yard with it's plain high board fence, used for years as playground for a toothless and asthmatic poodle. The sole occupant Of the house today is Miss Ella Wendell. survivor of the family that founded it's fortune with Jacob Astor ia the fur trade.
 The recent passing of the eldest Wendell sister, a lady of s7, leaves the remaining sister with a fortune or s200, 100000. The bleak mansion has 22 rooms. only three, however are said to be used by the owner and two venerable servants. About the place hangs the musty sugges- tion of a crypt
 The windows are mostly curtain less. dilapidated shutters flap in the winds, and the only illumination is from one or two flickering blobs | from wall gas jets. It has the same cloying atmosphere so frequently used by fictionists for the locale of cb b,,II I e{ trf fI,N Nf ar English mystery novel,
 Strangers to New York who ride in sight seeing buses have the gloomy pile pointed out while the megaphonist shouts: "Shh-h -h-h! We pass Manhattan's Mystery Man sion! The five million dollar dog yard. No one ever goes in. Or no one ever comes out. Two old ladies just sit and rock in the dark"
 The ballyhoo is, of course. an ex- aggeration. The Wendell sisters have always been alert and cultured women who simply have no interest in modernity. Each preferred to live in the past. Their fathers busi- ness maxim was to buy real estate but never sell. The children were loyal to the trust.
 The Fifth avenue house and lot are said tc represent an original in- vestment In excess of Sl00,0O0. The lot alone is now worth many mil lions so the Wendell vision was not myopic. When the house comes down. the last touch of Victorianism on the avenue goes the way of the puff sleeve. And it's about time.
 The backgammon craze fingers. In it's infancy 25 years ago it was later obscured by such rowdy par Tor pastimes as parchesi and croki- nole But one aristocratic club has had backgammon room tor years. Backgammon is derived from the Saxon bac, back, and gamone game, game in which the player is set back. Chaucer loved it. An espe- | cially designed board and dice are used.
 Miss Evangeline Booth of the Salvation Army lives aloofly in d | SWiss-like chalet with two secre- taries and two dogs at Hartsdale on the Hudson. Neighbors see her only on her morning gallop. The rest of her time is at her office in town, where she works until late. | They say Howard Thurston, the magician, is constantly manipulating a coin in his hand as he walks or sits in cafe or theater, to keep | muscles in perfect trim.
 Recently Elwood, the magician wrote in he had given up trouping. | Tor years he toured tank towns with his hypnotic-magical eXhibi- tions. But this form of entertain nlent no longer attracts. And those of us who remember Prof. Boone's hair-raising lickety-split blind-fold- | eG drive down Main street for the l hidden key heave a wistful sigh.