The guardian. [volume] (Boston, Mass.) 1901-1960, 1940-03-30
LEM
Grace Capitol of the Nation"
BvFLOYD G. SNELSON
By FLOYD G. sNELsON

with Minnie -Snookum Russell and
ork of Miami pulled in town, bus, bag
and baggage with the popular singer
Hannah Sylvester they opened at
the Savoy Thursday DR.. Doug
! Speaks, MD, is receiving congrats
from his many friends at 1873 w. 1876
Street.
Fletcher Allen, sax player; Herman
Chittison, piano; Jow Haymon, sax.
and Spired arrived Saturday from
Cairo, Egypt via the Italian Line;-
James A. ((Bill-board) Jackson who
is recuperating after motor accident
at Jarkersburg, W. Va, had guests:
Fred De Menez, Dave Sullivan, Cattle
rine Hill and Mike Banner; Bahai's
New Years eve dinner was held at the
Woodward Hotel Thursday eve. e.
Among those present were Atty. and
Mrs. Dodge, Mrs. Noisette and daugh-
ter, ]. A. Rogers, Mr.. and Mrs. Beck
hold, Bruce Wendell, Juanita Hall.
The group sponsors fellowship and
goodwill between all racial groups
irrespective of race, color or creed;
Atty. Harold (Tippy) Tyler is back
in town from Buffalo;-Aida ((Brick-
top) Smith who spent month in the
Bahamas at the Isle of Whale Cav,
guest of Mrs. Betty Cairstairs, noted
motorboat racer, who owns eight
islands. She is great benefactor of
our people of the islands. "Brick"
flew to Miami by plane and was guest
at the Columbus Hotel one of the
finest ofay hostelries continuing her
trip via Eastern Air Lines;-
The honeychile Muriel Kellogg, who
has been the heart-futter of many a
CAV Lothario is now the wife of Wise
Ellis, and that's no rumor-right from
her mater Grace-who is almost
heartbroken in the loss of her only
child; -Grayce Hazard seen canter-
ing at the Fort Lee Bride PATH
Theresa Gentry and Harry Brooks
mentioning at Charlottesville, Va
JUST A CARBON COPY
(Story, p. 4-M.T.S.)
New York City, March 18, 1910
Mr.. Walter Winchell, CO Daily Mirror
245 East 44th Street, New York City
Dear Mr.. Winchell:
| am a regular reader of your
column in the Mirror and l greatly
admire your artistic ability and skill
in styling your comment and news
items. In fact, I have noticed your
. columning for many years, from its
beginning when you wrote for the
Daily News.
Did you ever consider that the first
newman who started that "dot and
, dash" type and style of writing was
a colored man, who is close friend of
mine-Floyd G. Snelson, who is a
writer now with the W.PA.
Snelson was the first writer, colored
or white, who adopted the system in
{ writing the personal and private lives
of prominent people. He named his
column "The Three Moral Monkeys
see nothing, hear nothing, say moth
ing-and carried a cut of the three
simians, which was currently popular
through being cast into a mantlepiece
ornament.
This was the big feature of his tab
loid magazine, The Tattler, which
achieved national reputation among
sepians. Snelson published the sheet
here in Harlem, in 1922, the same year
your column appeared in the Daily
News, l believe.
The Tattler made its first bow when
SnelsOn was a waiter at the Royal
Poinciana Hotel, Palm Beach, Fla. It
gave the eavesdropping news of the
colored employees there and carried
the baseball programs of the colored
, teams playing there for the amuse-
ment of the wealthy sojourners at
the Palm Beach society colony. His
sheet was read by such noteables as
the late former-Mayor Hylan, Hon
Grover A. Whalen, the Stotesburys
Replogles, Munns, Widners, Huttons
Donahues, Platts and the like These
wealthy folk gave Snelson generous
"tips" and were greatly amused about
the sparkling stuff in romance, love
and affection, and timely advice that
he printed in The Tattler. Copies OF
the sheet may be found in the Schom-
! burg collection at the West 135th
Street public library, in Harlem.
> The Tattler-man came to New York
, with healthy bankroll and, together
with other walters at the Poiciana who
pooled their funds, published the sheet
which was circulated all over the
, country, by hotel walters who acted
as correspondence Present
Magistrate Charles f. TOney served
as attorney for the mag. and handled
the deluge of libel suits with nary a
settlement made during the life of the
, sheet.
An innovation was added when
Snelson came to New York. He
printed pictures of all the beautiful
girls, stage, strip teasers, and gals
who sang in the cabarets-they used
to raise their skirts above the knees
to show their expensive lingerie, then
considered astonishing and immoral
but Snelson ignored the plants of the
morals and kept his mag. tuned to
what was called an indecent note.
His spicy news was an immediate hit,
in fact a sensation. He staged his
biggest event by tossing a ball in
Harlem, with "Miss Tattler" strutting
in fashion parade, with black cat
painted on her naked back.
Snelson is a pioneer in gossiping,
regardless of color limitations. As a
columnist, myself, thought you
might appreciate this information.
Very truly yours.