Smyrna times., 1935-08-15
SIDE LIGHTS OF
NEW YORK CITY
Told By L. L. Stevenson in
His Own Immical Way
of Doings in City
INTERESTING SKETCHES

INTERESTING SkETCHES
Something appealing about sew
enty-eight-year-old James E. Wash
burne's fight to come back. Six
years ago, he had 10 candy stores
and large factory. Today, he is
selling candy in Times Square with
q sign dangling from his neck. But
instead of mourning about what the
depression did to him, he is looking
to the future. The candy he sells
is his own invention and only his
wife and ne know the secret. 1t is
made from vegetables and is nom
fattening. The public likes it well
enough for his wife and him to
live-and to hope. In the future, he
sees advertising and the extension
of his business from Times Square
TO the nation. He got the idea for
the candy late last year and began
selling it at Christmas time. Not
until family friend happened to
run into him did his wife know
that he was peddling the product
of their home kitchen on the street.
He was ashamed to tell her. But
with the knowledge, she turned In
and helped him more than ever.
Eighteen years ago, Mr.. Wash
burne went into the candy business.
He had ideas both as to candy and
merchandising. That both were
sound was proved by the fact that
the one downtown store, in which
the start was made, grew to Is and
a factory. One of the stores was
on Fifth avenue. 1t occupied a
8 by Is foot space but the rent was
$4,000 a year. The receipts, how
ever, averaged $1,000 a day. The
Washburnes, besides a big town
apartment with an annual rental of
$4,700, had two New Jersey shore
summer homes and a farm. Three
months each year they took Flori-
da vacation. With an income of
$4,000 year such things did not
make much difference. But hard
times came. Candy business dropped
on at an alarming rate. One by
one, the stores closed. Finally,
there was one left on Sixth avenue
Then that Joined the others, and
there was no more income.
To meet obligations and to live,
Mr.. Washburne sold all his posses
isions except the farm which is
heavily mortgaged. His wife's jew
els, said to have been worth $780,
900, were also sold. Now they are
living in one-room apartment
which is also the candy factory.
Mr.. Washburne is sure he can come
back. He has the candy formula
and though seventy-eight, can still
dance a Jig.
Wolfe, whose ''Time and the River"
takes much time to read. Recently,
he was about to depart on Paris
vacation and arrived at a farewell
party an hour late. He explained
to his hostess that he had been de-
layed because he wanted to deliver
manuscript to his publisher but
when he got to the Office it was
closed. 1t would greatly oblige him
If his hostess would deliver the
manuscript the next day. She smil-
ingly consented and Wolfe went
downstairs. Soon there was great
clatter and by and by a taxi driver
came up with a big crate-with the
manuscript inside. Incidentally. the
taxi drivers name happens to be
Goodluck.
Libel laws haunt authors and
playwrights. Careful as they may
be In creating scene or a char
acter there may be some resem-
blance to an actual happening or
a living person and then comes a
case in court. Mark Twain's Col.
Mulberry Sellers in his "Gilded
Age" kept bobbing up here and
there after the book was published.
That the writer coined the name is
no defense. Playwrights have lost
suits because they named some viii
famous character and a righteous
person by that same name, un-
heard of previously, has brought
them into court. Ring Lardner
solved the problem by naming char
acters after his friends. In Eng
land, the laws are even more Sc
we're than in this country. De-
spite that fact, John van Bruyten,
!English playwright and novelist,
lwho plans to spend the summer
there finishing a new novel, seeming
Ily invites disaster by obtaining
names for his characters from tele-
Iphone books and directories Of the
lsection where the scenes In the book
lare laid.
Not long ago, Van Bruyten, who
wrote Flowers Of the Forest" in