The Wilmington morning star., 1945-09-06

with them as much as many of his read
ers. His articles serve the good purpose
of making people think.)
BY WEsTBROK PEGLER
Copyright, 1915, BY King Features Syndica .e)
NEW YORK,-Can they do that to
me? Can't sue somebody?
Can't I even report anybody to anybody?
This low-down, double-crossing new deal
Listen what they done me
Six months ago, anyway maybe seven or
eight, it comes to me to see party under
the bridge at midnight so down I 20 and he
gives low, musical bird-call, which is our
agreed signal, SO 1 flap the left ear counter
clock-wise, which is for his recognition and
then we go behand pillar and he whispers:
Jimmy Roosevelt borrowed $50, 900 from Joe
Schenck, the moving picture fellow, on six
months note, in Feb. 1940.'
With that he struck match like to light
cigarette and it gave off an enormous cloud
OF red and green striped smoke and he van
ished and my work began.
I called up people long distance and short
distance. I wrote letters to people. I went
down to Washington and asked people, went
down to the U. S. D. AS office in New York
and saw Boris Kostelanetz, the kid brother of
Andre, the musician, because Boris handled
LlAOSS 4AlCO11lc tdA LI1d1S VI JOS OCQ6nCk ana
the racket cases of Willie Bioff and Rumhouse
George Browne and the six Chicago hoodlums
of the movie union. I asked friend down
in Wall street did he know and he didn't but
he didn'r but he said why didn't just belly
up the manager Of the National City Bank on
Forty-Second street and pretend like had a
gun in my pocket and make hirne let me see
the note. I tried that but he wasn't in and,
anyway, it was the wrong branch.
Then broke whole arnful of high-priority
cold chisels (see expense accounD trying to
the vault one night
Here and Their I would get nod Of en-
couragernent, but it just wouldn't break.
Finally, thought of calling up Jimmy, him
self, because that time when he told his yer.
sion of his insurance business for magazine
piece, the title was I'm Glad You Asked Me-
and maybe he would come clean But had
tried that with his brother, Elliott, when
was working on the $4,000 bite on John Hart
ford of the A. and P. stores, and Elliott would.
MT react, although, the other day, when the
treasury gave out the report to the House
Ways and Means Committee confirming the
piece, he put up holler to be heard.
So decided to bypass Jimmy until had
the facts in hand and not take a chance of
soaring hen off the next. Anyway, it seems
that, unlike my old man who, in historic
newspaper exploit years ago. got a picture
Of a pretty girl that no other reporter could
get in weeks OF house-prowling, just by ring
ing the door-bell and asking for it, always
have to do things the hard way.
So kept on collecting telephone numbers
cigarette butts and old gum-wrappers which
filed away in the bomb-proof vault where
keep my clues, and kept on leaving cover.
up phone calls for people, giving my name as
McNulty and Goddard and working m,
wonderful brain to the very bone when, all
OF sudden, the phone she gave one of those
whammy rings like she do when she got very
expensive long distance coming up.
Hello" I exclaimed, and it turned out to
be friend in Hollywood, so he said, "Spelvin
this is Mack, and I hear you are after that
Jimmy Roosevelt note thing, so if you are
we'll, know Joe Schenck real we'll and l
think he would rather give it to you right than
maybe you should get it balled up so if you
want me to will ask him and see.''
For minute was going to say mo-" Fee
cause, as they used to say of Cap. Frank
Frisch when he was playing for McGraw, I
like to make easy ones look hard But then
thought WELL Pal you certainly have made
this one look like the Grippen case already
so why not relax and see it Schenck will give
out?"
So, inside Of an hour again she is ringing
the telephone long distance and it is Holly
wood some more and lady-voice says Mr.
Schenck is on the wire and the mugg he made
of me it should be unlawful especially in inter-
state commerce.
So, very politely, Mr.. Schenck, who ought
to have grudge against me for the way I
done in the Bioff-Browne thing which certain
ly didn't contribute to his happiness, well he
said he didn't bear me any grudge and yes
on Feb 9, 1910, Jimmy did borrow 1000
from him on six-months' personal note for
use in Jlmmy's moving picture business and
Mr. Schenck hung it up in the National City
Bank at 41st and Broadway, not the And
street branch and it went to default on the
due date and he paid it himself
Then he talked along and the more he talked
the more interest and principal Jimmy was
paying him back like $1O11.11, for interest,
on Aug l. 1910, and another thousand on Aug
D, 1871, and $4,000 on the principal and an
other thousand interest, on Feb. 3, 942, and
$500 more principal on March 10, 1912. and
$33,5OO on June "a and finally cleaned it up
on July 81, 1912, principal and interest, in full
to the cent.
To be sure, Mr.. Schenck had his guirnp in
at the very time when the touch was made
and you may make what you will Of that if
you feel sinister but the young fellow did pick
up his tab and I can't agree that it was any
special favor from the new deal to Mr.
Schenck, in return for this loan, to give him
a Jail sentence and a record on the tax
charges.
And while was at it threw Mr. Schenck