The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1938-04-06

Bin COrum land Of this
Big Red Barn.
The "Katy" missouri, Kan
sas and Texas runs through
Otterville and a couple of stops
further up the line you come
to Sedalia, and that's the
"Queen City Of the Prairies." A
lot of folks of whom you've
heard come out Of Sedalia.
Jack Oakie, of the screen and
radio, is one. But Sedalia didn't
have to depend on Jack for its
place in the motion picture sun.
Long before the days of the
talking film, Pearl White had
gained fame in THE Perils of
Pauline" and there was a time
when Miss White was one Of
the Queen City's very best num-
berS.
Some Of you older clients may
also recall the scratched and
Pickering screen comedie S
which Sidney Drew played with
his wife, Mrs. Drew, at least
that Mrs. Drew, was, before her
marriage, the talented Lucille
McVey, Of Sedalia.
ALSO JOAN CRAWFORD
A fellow learns lot of things
too late in life and while the
writer was living in a rooming
house across from Stephens
College in Columbia, Mo-, it de-
velops that a young lady now
known as Joan Crawford was
playing drop the handkerchief
on the campus. And me a
drop-the- handkerchief dropper
Of the old school, at that.
We developed some pretty
well known figures in sport
around that section, though I
must admit one Of the best Of
'em did his road work around
q pool table. He was RED
John" Layton, the Willie Hoppe
Of the Missouri Valley.
Not even Bob Ripley has to
believe it, but the first bet ever
made in my life I won three
dollars on Layton at 100 to /.
He was playing Frank Taberski
and Frank needed only a few
points to run out, when Uncle
Abe" Hughes, of our town, pop
ped off that he would lay 100
to /.
A pal of mine talked me into
putting up the buck, which I
did with reluctance and deep
misgiving, that being chunk
with me at the time. We called
"Uncle Abe's" hand for two
whole dollars worth. Layton
came along to win. The old
gentleman paid off, and was
practically ruined.
TRYING TO BEAT LONG SHOTS
I've been trying to beat long
shots ever since.
Among the prize fighters from
out our way was Jeff Clark, the
Joplin Ghost, which is by way Of
being Mr.. Bow Tie Jim" Bron-
sons town. Mr.. Bow Tie Jim"
had a quiet little family place
down there in the lead and zinc
belt befo' de wah. So did vir.
tually every other business man
in town on his side Of the street.
A man could walk himself to
death walking through swing
ing doors in Joplin in thos.
days and never have to enter
the same one twice.
Joplin was wetter than the
Johnstown flood, in other words,
while the nearby States and
territories were, legally, as dry
as the dust of the ages. Which
Is why in his youth Mr.. Sher-
man Billingsley, the impresario
of the Stork Club, was accus-
toned to make an occasional
stop in Joplin.
WORE HUGE RALNCOAT
In those days Mr.. B., who
must have been all Of 16, wore
q huge raincoat that covered
him from head to foot. Come
rain, shine. cold or warm, he
stuck to that raincoat, parad-
ing through the streets looking
slightly like a young man who
had been favored with a cast
off garment by his grandpappy.
But it was tailor-made gar
ment, for all its appearance,
and it had more pockets in it
than there are in a Potable pool
parlor. There was method in
the seeming madness Of this
energetic young man from the
Indian Territory, even when he
was near to smother1ng inside
his tent-like cape.
For, you see, young BillingSley
had a lot of friends back home
among the Indians and even in
his youth, he was not one to see
O friend going around with his
tongue hanging out. A charac-
teristic to which he has lived
up nobly in his more mature