The Wilmington morning star., 1947-07-17
AsPeglerSeesh
BY WEsTBROOK PEGLER

NEW 4O4b1A, Ooy
cussion of the peculiar relationship between
me phase of our journalism and the under
world of the entertainment trades, l re-er
now to a tribute to a departed pal written
by Ed Sullivan, the chief pundlt OF lhe New
York Daily News in this realm, when ne was
similarly employed by the late New 1orh
Graphic in June, 1929.
At that time, Frank MARROW had been muir
dered in the traditional way. He was a New
York gangster and bootlegger of the prohibit
ton era. He had operated prize fighters in
GLIDING Johnny Wilson. for a time the middle
weight champion. slot machines and night
clubs. in New York and Boston. The most
notorious of these was the Silver Slipper in
New York which was the professional cradle
Of some. O. the most distinguished radio, ar
fists Of the present day. He had owned a
few race horses and raced them and was a
heavy bettor. He had deserted his wife. His
reputation was bad except among those who
admire racketeers. On June "a NARROW was
found dying at the gate of a cemetery with
three bullets in his head.
Sullivan admired him rapturously. So he
wrote: Along Broadway they are selling ex-
t. as telling of Frank MarloW'5 death, and yet
some Of us almost expect to see his fine eyes
cr;nkle in a pleased smile and to hear his
CHEEKY hello, pardner, a salutation that was
not paralleled on Broadway fol- pure warmth
of feeling. To some, Frank NARROW was a
racketeer, beyond the pale Of society. To
US. who rejoiced in his friendship, he was
an eager, iQpulsive, loyal friend. To sit at a
table in a night club, to watch his eyes
sparkle with pleasure, to hear him gently
teasing the little blonde-haired girl with whom
he was head over heels in love, to observe
the solicitude with which he looked after each
one of his guests"
A news clipping Of about the same da.e
reports that Marlow's wife at their small,
suburban home, stated that he had been home
only twice in 10 years.
He belonged, by preference to the a~ristoc-
racy of the rackets," his eulogist continues,
land yet he had qualities Of mind and emo
ton that set him apart from the ordinary
iun OF us. In danger he had sharpened his
sense OF loyalty to a fine edge; in stress he
had learned that of all earthly things, friend
ship IS the most highly priced and carefully
protected. He had detected the futility of
sham and pose. Perhaps his talents and cour-
age could have been turned to better account
but loyalty, thoughtfulness, gentleness are
priced wherever they are found. The head
lines shrek that he knew Rothstein, that he
was an intimate of Capone. Our hearts tell
us that we have lost a friend and whole
souled comrade, a pardner, in the complete
sense OF the word, an ace"
Money" however, meant very little to
MIN" Sullivan wrote, though a little of it, Of
course. might have meant much to the wife
OF this loyal, merry, generous, Whole-souled
comrade, land girls meant even less, except
the lovely little toe-dancer he adored."
Mr.. Sullivan closed on the conventional
"2reen-be-the-sod-above-yez' note.
Goodbye, Frank, and God bless you,' he
sobbei after one of the most brutal racke-
teers OF his time in New York. And his adula-
ton continues down to the present for only
inc other day he fell to recalling a brave
moment when NARROW slapped the late Linky
Mitchell across the mouth for sWe airing IN
the presence Of the ladies IN the Silver Slip
per. This essay reveals not only a prideful
intimacy with many OF the worst gangsters
OF the prohibition time but a wistful envy Of
the toughness OF hoodlums generally.
Lately, Sullivan has evinced a strong in
terest in Frank Sinatra, whose public rela-
tons suffered sharply through last winters
incidents. Plans had been made to present
hlm IN a pretentious movie in the role of a
sanity priest and there were some who
thought this selection slightly inappropriate.
He had been hired, moreover, to sing on the
air for $500 a week in the fall and Cor this
work as well, his "character'' could stand
rehabilitation through praiseful publicity,
Which Sullivan has been providing. Such serv-
ice is invaluable, Of course.
Inasmuch as the tolerance and youth rack
cts were belated interests Of the pied piper
OF the bobby sox, and were exploited by more
or less communistic political fronts, Mr.. Sui
ilvan'c assumption that the news of Sinatra's
winter activities was published only to de.
molisn him is inadmissable. 1t may indicate,
however, the quality of his training and OF
his ethics as a journalist, as though they had
not entirely revealed themselves in the Mar
low eulogy. The incidents involving Sinatra
Just happened to- be news. That they were
o'scredltable, If they were, enhanced their
There is another line for guidance IN Sulli-
vans comments on the case Of Henry LUIS
tl1, a racketeer, profiteer and tax-dodger who
operated the Longchamps restaurants and
WHO frequents the sort of resorts in which
Sullivan finds his social life and peers.
Oct. 80, 1916, Sullivan seems a little scanda-
lized because the case Of Mr.. Lustig has
been postponed again.
Nov. 2, he reports that government and
local. politicians are ~exerting strong pres
sure" On the state liquor authority TO save
that Lustig might even get the medal of
merit for his 81, 1872, 900 swind1e.
On Nov. IA, Sullivan publishes a long letter
from Allen Lustig, explaining how necessary
it was that they keep the license so that
they could make restitution to the govern
ment.
1T would aid us tremendously if you would
aid us the letter says.
lie promptly began to aid. The same day
lie wrote that the liquor authority's charges
were technical and trivial. On Dec. Z he
wrote that the revocation Of the license, ac-
cordine to law, doesn't make sense and
won't stand up" On March 3, he quoted IN
Unidentified owner of a night club, who might
be another Of his heroes of the NARROW type.
who said this was "persecution."
Quotations