Evening star., 1936-05-24
Career of Sam Gumpertz
Started in Washington
Circus Manager, Skilled Raconteur, Rates
Morgan-Midget Story Best Press
Agent Stunt in History.

VelOpeQ over nlgnC lnJO uauonhi
story-and then into an international
yarn. It was carried on the front pages
of LIE Temps, in Paris. the Daily Mail
in London, and Der Tagblatt in Berlin.
Naturally, it hit the front pages OF
every newspaper in America-and 1t
was illustrated. Some 80 famous car
toonists used 1t as material.
In the words of an eminent psychol-
ogist, the midget story was "a
naturar'-and yet Frank Braden,
originator of the idea, dismisses the
gag with the dictum, 1T just hap
pened."
As Mr.. Braden, who wears an An
napolis class ring-perhaps the only
press agent to have such distinction
records the event for posterity, ne
says: ut was an accident, a fiuke, q
fabulous and incredible incident in
the American scene-yet 1t was
planned. Planned in detail-and then
dropped.
"Why?"
Well, hear the former Annapolis
man and the Army officer who served
in the World War spin his own yarn:
Don't get us wrong" he warns. "A
press agent who could mislay an idea
like the placing of Lya Graf, tiny
German grand dame. in the lap OF
j. Pierpont Morgan. would lose bull
fiddle on an ice rink.
Twas an afternoon at the close OF
Nav. 1888, and the grill room in the
National Press Club was comfortably
filled with newspaper men and visiting
firemen, such as l.
Every one was laughing over the
juicy page l morsel Of the day-testi-
mony before the Senate Investigating
Committee to the effect that j. P.
Morgan & Co. had paid no income tax
the preceding year.
INTRODUCED to several newspaper
men as the press agent handling
Washington for the circus imminent
engagement, some one made wise
crack: You should get Morgan under
the big top-when he gets through
WIFI lIlG StIldJc ClAIuo.
Discussion took over possible gags
to ballyhoo the show. featuring Mr..
Morgan as the No. l boy, the un-
willing hero, the reluctant leading man
in a mass movement of the citizenry
toward the big top, due in the city a
day or so later.
AT that time, newspaper desk men
and news cameramen regarded news
photograph of j. P. Morgan as a top
achievement. The great flnancier was
credited with having wrapped a cane
around a camera on shipboard not
long before. Shooting ]. p was job
entailing ingenuity and courage. The
New York boys who had borne the
brunt of the attack in their city knew
how tough the task was. The Wash
ington boys, however, had different
attitude:
"'How about Major Mite greeting
Morgan as he enters the committee
room one of them suggested. Major
Mite claims to be the worlds smallest
man, is about % years old and towers
O41db Ald4ly 41ltAACc ONCl Ills SA1huOW
Better than that" I interposed,
we've got Lya Graf with the circus
this year. She's lovely midget lady
and ideal for any stunt, as she looks
the part, talks we'll, and has poise.
Il recall especially that word 'poise.
I liked it, and 1t did describe Lya. She
was never in a spot where she was
minus her savoir faire, her pint-size
savoir faire.
Now that was an idea-to have Lya
Graf photographed with the great ].
P. Morgan-and fell for it.
"Morgan's staff and guards will
chase you a mile" an old-timer said.
Two days later. Lya Graf-tiny
star Of the side-show-went tripping
along the corridor in the Senate Of
flee Building. She was with her sis
ter, an attractive German girl of nor
NAL size. and German couple.
Lya had expressed desire to see
the White House and was told she
had to get tickets at the Senate Of
flee Building; which accounted for
her presence there.
T TNSUSPECTINGLY, Lya's clinking
dime-size heels beat there a rem
devious with Fame, or notoriety, or
what? Anyway, she had a date with
John Pierpont Morgan-and neither
one Of them knew it."
Frank Braden likes to let little Lya
Graf tell the rest of the story, as
she was the real eyewitness. Here
is the way she recounted her exper-
fence to Clyde ingalls,, the side-show
manager, and to Braden-and this
is the first time it has ever been set
down In print:
LAS I approached the room where
the Senate Investigating Committee
was in session." Lya says, "a big man
in brown suit grabbed me. He said:
I want you to meet the richest man
In the world
This man led me to Mr.. Morgan.
The strange man lifted me-ne start
ed to lift me-when Mr.. Morgan
leaned over and helped me get in his
lap. He smiled, and said: I've got
little granddaughter at home about
your size Then he asked me where
7 lived. told him: In a tent and on
trains-I'm with the circus. -"
At this point, Lya Graf slipped
she was not pushed-off the financier's
lap; but. as she tells the story, the
strange man came and helped her
back in Mr.. Morgan's lap. Then the
picture was taken-the picture that
constitutes the greatest publicity stunt
ever pulled.
AS Sam Gumpertz thinks it over.
he claims this is the ace of publicity
stunts-and he says it is likely to
live forever. Only last week the New
York newspapers recalled the fact.
and Is has way of constantly pop-
ping up.
Frank Braden, of course, doped it
all out, even If fate itself stepped in
and took it away from him.
Anyway, it goes down in circus his
tory as a honey-and circus lore is
replete with fancy how-de-does In