Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 82, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 April 1913 — Tales of GOTHAM and other CITIES [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Tales of GOTHAM and other CITIES

Wins by Pen; Voice Loses; Refused a License

NEW YORK/—Harry Segal of 10? East 115th street Is living prdof of the accepted theory that most men who wield a fadle pen do not express their views so well orally and that the extemporaneous speaker is not always a literary success. Segal Is a plumber, and he did well In the written examination before the examining board of plumbers for his •ertificate of competency. But there were seven other candidates who did exactly as well as Segal; in fact, In the same language, which caused the board to Investigate. The result was that they and the commissioners of accounts, who took part in the investigation, believed fraud had been perpetrated by the eight whose answers to the questions were the same. It was decided that either some one had Impersonated Segal or else >he had a list of the questions asked him before the examination. The certifi-

cate granted to Segal was revoked. Segal was called on when the board first became suspicious to repeat orally some of the things he wrote in his firsit examination. First he was asked about certain words that appeared on his examination paper. Diameter appeared as “diametar” in the original examination, and on the oral try Segal spelled it “deamete.” Friction, which he got right the -first time, appeared the second time as “fricksen." Circulation he spelled “cerkoelsen.” Segal explained that his answers to questions were based on his reading books on the subject. An examiner of the examining board of plumb ers looked over the books, but could find nothing that related to the sub ject on which Segal was examined. Here are some of the questions put to Segal by the commissioners of accounts and his answers. “What is the action of a suction pump?* “It is known as a pump that takes water from the cellar to the top floor.” “What is a receptacle?" “It is like a receptic.” “What does impede mean?” “Impedes is a thing like—l can’t r* member.” “What is a pump?"— “I don’t remember.”