The Lexington advertiser. [volume] (Lexington, Miss.) 1904-1985, 1947-10-30

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Butch is gone. The Little Flower,
The Hat and other sobriquets SO at
~fectionately bestowed upon him by
fascinated admirers are now poig-
nant memories. AS | write this col
umn | can look across above the
typewriter and see a picture which
has been hanging on the wall for
quite awhile. 1t is one of myself
shaking hands with Mayor La Guar
dia. For years | have been proud of
it. Now | will be so even more.
There is a story behind this pic
ture. 1t typifies, l think, a lot of what
was fine in the little mayors life.
So / will tell it now. In 1899 l
was working for the Dallas News
and had come to New York on a va
cation-or so / thought. One day in
my hotel room, the phone rang, and
it was Bob Dorman, head of Acme
Newspictures, asking me if / was
ready to be photographed with
Mayor La Guardia. Mumbling some
thing about Jaw quit your kiddin' or
have the next one on the house" ]
was about to hang up when Bob said
seriously that it was an assignment
from my boss. Well, that was differ
ent, / said. hoping the old editor
hadn't added jumping off the En-
pire State Building for dear old
photographs sake. "And he wants
you to interview the Mayor and in
vite him to Texas. Well shoot the
picture" Bob added.
All this didn't seem so bad, how
ever-that is until Bob Dorman told
me they did have an appointment
with the mayor. Well, l would gladly
wait until they did, I good-naturedly
put in. But that was not the point.
Would ! help them get the appoint
ment. They had tried, but SO far,
nc luck. Again / thought somebody
was crazy. Me help? The mayor
didn't know any more about me than
a last-year's Texas toadstool. Again
Bob reminded me that it was an as
signment from the boss. 0. K, l
would come down and see what /
could debut / surely had no idea
what It would be.
People at Acme telephoned for
hours, called friends. tried to wheed-
lie secretaries. Then ! tried. Same
luck. No answer from Hizzoner. Not
even a conversation with him. Frank
inertia. the veteran fotog who had
been assigned to 60 with me. looked
at me with a lackluster eye-with a
bud-you're-outta-lu luck gaze. 1t did
begin to look hopeless. Some n
suggested substituting Grover Wha-
len. / could just see my editors face
when ! got back. No, / said, 1t would
have to be Mr.. La Guardia.
/ asked Frank inertia if he vas
game on going to the summe city
hall and trying it cold. He said he
was. So bought some roses from a
flower shop-it seemed a good idea
to present him with Texas roses and
/ at least hoped these were from
Texas-and out we went. Inside the
city hall, we went to work on the
body guards and secretaries. Each Of
us managed to loosen up one each OF
them. So Frank set up his camera
in an ante room by which the mayor
must pass when he came out of the
main conference room and / station
ed myself somewhat bravely in the
hall to wait 1t seemer like ages
and it must have been at least an
hour. They were having a protest
meeting about the disposal of city
garbage and things went along fair
ly well until an irate Bronx resident
arose and in a loud voice to the
mayor referred to the garbage as
s'yours and mine"l, doubtless being
conscious of the slogan on city
trucks. Butch promptly had him
"thrown out" of the meeting, amid
hearty laughter.
Finally out he came. I could hardly
believe it, the Little Flower and his
bodyguards stalking down the hall
which seemed like a mile long. /
steadied myself against the wall and
Frank frightened his fingers around
his camera. Just as the mayor got
near me, I stepped out into his path.