Evening star., 1941-10-19

back as Miss Parker began to talk and
leveled his camera for another shot.
Bursting through the throng like an over
sized torpedo, Henderson seized the Of
fender by the coat collar. After wrestling
for minute or two he got the upper
hand and dragged the hapless photogra-
pher down the stairs, through the hall
and plummeted him out the front door,
firing his camera after him.
Primarily it was his sense of fair play
that was outraged in this incident. He
gets red-in-the-face furious with people
who try to break the rules. When he dis
covered little later that Communists
had infltrated into the group working
for the Spanish Loyalists he did not
hesitate TO speak out, denouncing their
undercover tactics and putting all OF his
considerable energy behind a new and
purged organization.
He has a particular aversion for celeb
rity-hunters or favor seekers who physi-
cally hang onto his arm or drape them
selves over his shoulder. Henderson
attended the recent convention of Young
Democrats at Louisville, KY, paying his
own expenses and making one of the
most fortnight speeches on the program.
While in Louisville an incident occurred
that illustrates this aversion.
Can Be Belligerent.
A Young Democrat, little the worse
for Kentucky's proud whisky, grabbed
Henderson and wanted to argue. Hen
derson's remonstrances were in vain. The
nuisance still clung.
Listen" said Henderson. his wrath
smouldering beneath the calm tone of
his voice, I'm going to count up to 10
and if you don't let me go before that
I'm going to sock you as hard as
can"
Counting deliberately. he got up to
eight and at that point friends of the
nuisance came to his rescue. Not all
such episodes end bloodlessly. On one
vacation visit of a week in New York
he is said to have got into four fist
fights, with two taXicab drivers truck
driver and a spectator at a football
game.
Henderson is completely informal,
without any side whatsoever. At the
Democratic convention last year in Chi
cago he turned up in the role of casual
observer His room in the Stevens Ho-
tel was in a lake-front wing directly
opposite the rooms occupied by the Post
Dispatch staff. At intervals they would
shout, across and he would oblgingly
raise his window to shout back the
latest information he had garnered. or,
better still, come over to Post-Dispatch
headquarters With the Missouri poll
ticians who foregathered in the POST
Dispatch suite, he was perfectly at home.
The way he got the money to go to
the convention, on his own, shows the
Henderson astutenesS. At a Press Club
dinner six months before nearly a dozen
candidates had taken part in a political
roundup. McNutt, Dewey, Wallace, a
whole collection of hopefuls appeared.
Henderson buttonholed innumerable
newspaper friends with sporting Wopo-
sition. He would bet that neither the
Republican nor the Democratic candidate
was present. OF course, he got takers.
Out of those dinner bets he collected
about $500. enough for the Chicago trip.
Live in Modest Home
Until a few months ago, when the
publicity connected with his job became
little too overwhelming, Henderson had
his name in the telephone book like any
other citizen. Because of the unending
pleas that followed him even at home,
he was forced to the anonymity of an
unlisted number
The Hendersons live in modest town
house in the Northwest section, not too
far from his Office. Mrs Henderson the
former Myrtle Hamm, has learned to
understand her impetuous husband.
While she shares his interest in many
liberal causes, she devotes not a little
of her time to their three children,
Myrtle Beebe (after that loyal grand
mother, Lyn and Leon, jr.
Summers the Hendersons migrate to
Chesapeake, near Annapolis, where they
overflow small summer bungalow. Here
the whole family runs wild. On those
rare occasions when he can escape from
the Capital, Henderson establishes him.
self in rowboat with a stock of beer
and fishing pole and sings hymns.
Tremendous Capacity for Work.
Henderson's capacity for work Is
legendary. Before he went with the
Russell Sage Foundation he was en-
ployed for two years by Gov. Clifford
Pinchot of Pennsylvania as odd-job
man, his first task being to lop off use
less off1ceholders. 1t is said that when
1aFt E,,a
to take his place.
Customarily he is at his office by 7 or
730 in the morning, and when his Sec
retaries arrive at 9 he has a days work
mapped out for them. Two years ago
when he was executive secretary of the
Temporary National Economic Com
mittee, he worked himself into break
down that meant several weeks at
Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.
Later, when he was member of the
Securities and Exchange Commission, he
went ahead independently to work on
the price problem that would grow out
defense spending. Getting no encour-
agement from any one in Government,
he went of on Caribbean holiday.
This gave him an opportunity to meet
Harry Hopkins on his way back from
England, in Puerto Rico and impress
on him the explosive danger inherent
in spiralling prices.
Particularly since the House Banking
and Currency Committee has been hold
ing hearings on the administration price
control bill, it has been necessary to get
down to the Office early Most of his