Evening star., 1932-01-10
BY WINSTON CHURCHILL,


BY WINSTON CHURCHILL,
Mamous British Statesman and Former
Chancellor of the Exchequer in the BrltiSf
Government.
Some years ago q play at the Crane
Euignol in Paris called "At the Tele-
bhone" attracted much attention.
A husband, called away to the city
seaves his wife in their suburban nome
Every precaution is taken against burg
kars. There is the maid, who Will stay
In the kitchen. There is the door,
(Which is locked. There is the revolver
kn the drawer of the writing table and
aastly, of course, there is the appeal for
help by the telephone.
One by one the usefulness OF all these
kneasureS disappears. The servant is
Galled away. She leaves the front door
unlocked so she can return. She takes
mith her the key of the drawer in which
khe revolver is kept. Darkness comes
bn and in the final act the agonizeo
husband hears over the telephone his
kifes appeal for help while she is the
Victim of a murderous outrage.
An impressive effect is given Of doom
knarching forward, step by step, and OF
Avery human preventive slipping silent
~ out of the path.
Something OF, this impression rests
with me when I recall my recent eX"
beriences when I was run down by an
automobile in New York.
Fate Takes First Step.
I had finished dinner and was In
Edined to go to bed, but an old friend
rang up and suggested I should &c
round to his house. He was Bernard
Baruch. head of the War Industries
4yx.o 7 x1roS min
Aster of munitions. We made friends
over a long period of official cables on
Grave business and have preserved these
Relations through the years of peace.
AS the hour was little after half-past
&ine, I agreed.
I descended by elevator the 80 stories
(which separated my room from the
street level. Then it occurred to me
khat I did not know the exact number
In Fifth avenue of my friends house
z knew it was somewhere near HOO.
knew the aspect Of the house; I hao
been there by daylight on several occa-
bions. It was a house of five or six
stories. standing with one or two others
of similar construction, amid large
apartment buildings of more thar
Double the height. I thought 1t prob
able could pick 1t out from the win
6ows of the cab.
However, for certainty, I asked the
hall porter to look up the address. The
telephone book was produced, but II
had only Mr.. Baruch's city address anc
said nothing about his Fifth avenue
house Was there no Red Book giving
the occupants of all the residences ir
D street so fashionable as Fifth avenues
Apparently not. I therefore neither
knew the exact number of his house mol
his telephone number to find it out.
However, I trusted to be able to rec
bgnize the house. So I got into the
cab and started.
When I got near the eleven hun
Ureds I scanned the houses as we spet
past, but could not see any like thu
one I was seeking. They all seemed X
be tall buildings of IA or Is stories. Or
the left lay the dark expanse of Cen
tral Park.
Tries TO Retrace Trip.
At length we reached the twelv
hundreds, and it was certain I hat
overshot my mark. told the cabmal
TO turn round and go back slowly so
could scan every building.
At length saw house smaller thar
the rest and told the cabman to turn
in there to make inquiries. 1t occurred
TO me that, as we must be within {
hundred houses of Mr.. Baruch's address
and he was so prominent citizen, an!
of the porters Of the big apartment
houses would know which was hi
house. A London butler nearly alway!
knows who lives in the three or foul
houses on the right or left. The portel
of the apartment house at which I in.
Uuired recognized me at once and Saic
he had served in the South African War
He had no idea where Mr.. Barucf
hved, but eagerly produced the tele'
phone book, which could, as I have
stated, give no clue in my present quest
In order to stop opposite this house
we had had to wait until light sigma
changed, then turn round on to tht
opposite course, draw up at the pave
ment, and thereafter make a seconC
turn, again being very likely stopped
by a change in the light.
When this had happened three time
and we were frequently unlucky il
missing the green light I began to b.
little impatient.
We had now arrived, as I suppose, a
about the nine hundreds, and here wer
certainly houses much smaller than tn
others. So, instead of going through
this long ritual of the cab turning OF
TO the other side of the street with al
the delays of the lights and then re
turning again on to its general course
4 told the cabman to stop where he wa
on the Central Park side Of the ave
nue.; I would walk across the road my
self and inquire at the most nkel
fouse.
In England we frequently cross road
along which fast traffic Is moving u
both directions. I did not think tn
task set myself now either difficult o
rash. But at this moment habit Dlayet
sne a deadly trick.
Looks TO Left OF Road.
I no sooner got out Of the cab in tn
middle Of the road and told the drive
DO wait, when I instinctively turne
my eyes to the left, being a Londonel
dor traffic there keeps TO the left. Abou
200 yards away were the yellow head
Fights Of a swiftly-approaching car.
Thought I had just time to cross tn
koad before 1t arrived; and started {
DO so in the osseSsion-wholly un
&arranted-that my only dangers wer
From the left. The yellow lighted ca
drew near and increased my pace tc
ward the pavement, perhaps 20 fet
away
Suddenly, upon my right, I wa
aware Of something utterly unexpected
and boding mortal peril. I turned m
head sharply. Right upon me, scarcel
ats own length away, was what SCENE
q long dark car rushing forward at fu
Speed. There was one moment OF
world aglare, Of man aghast.
certainly thought quickly enoug
30 achieve the idea, II am going to /
sun down and probably killed" The
came the blow. I felt it on my fore
head and across my thighs But bt
sides the blow there was an impact,
Shock, a conclusion indescribably viz
9ent.
Many years ago, at Plug street /
Flanders a AZ shell burst in a corn
5of the little room in which we we
gathered for luncheon, reducing all
Gust and devastation. Thb shock W;
jof the same order as the shell explt
kion. In my case it blotted out ever.
thing except thought.
Mario Contasino, the owner of