Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 14 August 1936 — Page 18

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peeks, N.Y, Angi 14. x would he sheer hypocrisy for me to pretend that I have taken no interest whatsoever in the details of the story about little Mary and her lambs. After all, I am well acquainted with some of the persons concerned. Once in 8 New York bar the young lady's escort said, “This is Miss Astor. Won't you sit down and have a cocktail?” I had three and remained at the teble for : almost five minutes. : By now it comes back very clear#1 ly, but at the time I took it all too i casually. To me the name Mary Astor meant very little. I merely had a vague notion that she had once been something or other in motion pictures. How was I to know

that I sat in the presence of the most famous diarist since Boswell?

chance will never: come again, and no quip fell from my lips entitling me to be listed in the little book as one of. the ten great .intelligences. If she had been kind enough to set down no more than “Tom bought three drinks for a man named: Heywood Broun,” readers might have suspected the worst and I, too, could have had my place in the headlines.

Some of the editors who respect no man’s privacy might even have run a front page photograph with the caption “Middle-aged wit mentioned by Mary in her diary.” Or maybe they wouldn't have said “wit.” But, at any rate, it would all have been perfectly terrible for my family and 1 would havesliked it fine. » ». »

Newspapers Cruel and Unfair 'M an old showoff, and people generally are more sensitive. All joking to one side, I think the newspapers haye been desperately cruel and unfair in the manner in which they have ridden various individuals who ‘are guilty of no crime whatsoever. don’t think it is a legitimate practice to allow a woman's passion for self-expression to embarrass, hideously in some cases, men of high artistic talent who really deserve honor wad consideration from the community. G. 8. K,, for instance, was once my assistant when I was a dramatic critic on the Tribune, and it’s nice to know that he’s getting along all right. And as I write 1 illustrate the underlying motivation behind the savage publicity and raillery which has been visited upon some of the principals in the Mary Astor story. The truth is we are just jealous. An extremely shy and diffident man has written a number of successful plays which we enjoyed.” And yet we are delighted to get something on him. We try to maximate our: own egos by ridiculing people who have more talent than we possess. This, of course, is not merely a modern failure. What was the name of that Athenian ‘who got slapped down becaiise people grew tired ot hearing him called “The Just”?

Dull Recital of Insignificant Events

O this extent newspaper editors may argue that they are following the line of least resistance and giving the public what it wants when they pander to a singularly idle curiosity about an event which is hardly epochal. But there must be some satiation point even in the appetite of a jealous public which likes to read about gex. I almost solemnly swear that I, as one average ader, could get along very contentedly with just one-twentieth of the stuff which has been printed about Mary Astor and her diary. And, strangely enough, the very editors who have been shouting most loudly that America is at the crossroads are the very ones to turn whole pages over to the dull recital of such insignificant events. as, “Had half a Scotch highball with Pred. Wew York is so exciting. The city gets in my blood.” Can't we all—I mean editors, newspaper writers and readers—sit down and reason? Roosevelt and Landon are meeting at Armageddon. John L. Lewis and William Green have chosen. the same battleground, Democracy is fighting for its life against Fascism in Spdin. Now, is it really true that the thing we are most interested in is a bit from a diary. which says, “Had two-thirds of a rum cocktail with a man named—. It is raining”?

BY Y OR aay.

YDE PARK, N. Y,, Thursday.—At 9:45 this morning Mrs, Morgenthau and I left in my car to go to ‘Woodstock, N. Y., an artists’ colony back of Kingston. We wanted to see the sketches for the murals which Mr. Charles Rosen is doing for the postoffice: at Beacon, N. Y. Any ope who knows Woodstock will agree, I think, that it is a charming place. It shows what good taste ahd imagination can do to create a delightful atmos- - phere. In the first place there are -a. number of attractive spots where you may stop and eat out of doors if ‘you wish. I can say nothing about the food, but I know .that if I could eat on a little terrace back of ‘a stone house which we saw, I would be satisfied ‘with :yery simple fare. -I have always loved the Catskill Mountains and here they. loom up very near at hand. In every direction there séemed to be attractive spots to paint. We saw one or two easels up and painters so engrossed that they did not even look. at passing cars. «We found our, artist’s house quite easily and spent » #& delightful time in his studio. The map, which is to go the length of the lobby, is not only ‘lovely in color, but interesting in design. The other paints {harmonize in color and give additional views. which ape uSdrieally interesting as well as scenically. From here we motored to Milton, which is just w the mid-Hudson bridge. We lunched with Mrs. ward Young, who has, for a long time, been a t influence in farm life in New York State: She ‘asked us to come over and talk over certaih mat.to farm women. ere k at the cottage in Hyde Park, [ some mail awaiting me. However, this my day. for gadding, and in a. little while Mrs.

ioomyaien, 1838, by United. Feature ardicate Inc.)

New Books

ree PUBLIC LIBRARY PRESENTS—

. Karpis \arrest.

ie fig,

(Chapter Five)

BY JEAN BREESE As Told to Fred Russell, Nashyille Banner Staff Writer

NEw YORK, Aug. 14.—At dawn, the day after Alvin

Karpis’ capture, Tom jumped off the bed and stood

at the window. The milkman was coming up the walk.

Tom whispered to me that it was a G-man. I looked out the window, saw it was our milkman, convinced Tom of it by showing him the milk wagon standing in front. Finally he fell back on the bed from exhaustion.and slept several hours. I had to awaken him 80 that he might keep an appointment with his dentist. Sone time during the day after he returned from the dentists office, he read more in the papers about the

This brought about a repetition of the

previous night. In fact, it was worse.

This outburst was extremely agitated by a hemor-

rhage which had resulted from a tooth extraction that day. He bled constantly for the next few days and his physical condition became so alarming that the dentist, Dr. Berto Olson, 6331 Hollywood-blvd, took Tom to a

laboratory - for a blood analysis.

analysis showed an element lacking in his blood which is necessary to coagulation. This condition needs treat-

ment now,

During the next few. days, he showed no improvement, mentally or physically. He was in bed most of the time, weak, sick and mentally depressed. However, he rallied on Thursday, Mdy'7, and went to Dr. Solier, also of 6331 Holly-wood-blvd, for some mechanical work on his teeth. I waited for him in the lobby of the office building... As he stepped off the elevator, several men were in the lobby reading the building directory. Newsboys were crying extras about the capture of William Mahan in San Francisco and Harry Campbell in Toledo. “Mahan and Campbell captured! Robinson now Public Enemy No. 1} the newsboys yelled. 8 o » M walked directly toward me. He looked at me: in the most appealing, helpless way. He indicated to me with a nod of the head that the men around the building directory were G-men. I made no reply, but took him by the arm and led him. out of the building, passing directly by these men.

a taxi and told the driver to take us to Glendale. I tried to allay Tom's fears, but he had cracked up. He was wilder than I had ever seen him. He watched the cars following the taxi. He was geriain that officers were after im E ‘

“I'm in for it now!” he said. I sought to suppress him by putting my hand over his mouth, but he knocked it away. “Get away, I don’t. care who hears me!” he shouted. “They're going to kill me anyway.” Fortunately the window was closed and the cab driver -heard none of Tom's ravings. I am still amazed, though, how: his wild actions escaped’ the attention of passers-by and people ‘in other cars. Tom noticed that behind us a tan Ford sedan had been following. They turned two corners with us. He insisted it was a carload of G-men and they were hounding him. To my surprise, he

“ whipped a gun out of his pocket,

opened the door of the: cab and was ready to step into the street to fire on this car. Naturally,” in the excitement I did not know exactly where we were at this time, but I believe it was near the entrance to Griffith Park.

The report of that

We bought a newspaper, hailed

GRABBED Tom by the arm

and pulled him back, slamming

the door. The cab driver glanced around for a second, but -evi-

dently was too busy watching the road to notice what was going on. He did not see the gun in Tom's hand.

At this point the tan sedan went in the opposite direction. Tom was calmed down some. We proceeded to our house in Glendale, where I tried to implant in his mind that

‘he was placing me in an impos-

sible position, that he was bringing trouble on himself by his own actions and that he was putting me in jeopardy. Tom seemed to understand partially what I meant until he locked at his newspaper, which had’ the story of Mahan’s capture spread all over the front page, together with Tom’s rise to the position of Public Enemy No. 1. . The events of the last few days, the capture of Karpis, Camphen and Mahan, made Ton losé every semblance of self-control. fused to leave the house even to go into the yard. He never slept. He refused to eat. Day and night during those four days, he walked from window to window like. a caged lion. Every man that passed along the street in front of the house was a G-man to Tom. The world had raised its hand against him, he thought. And he ¢lung to me like a small boy. I began to think that the Ring

‘est thing I could do J iw: Tom.

to deliver him safel

thorities and to use 0 he means | th

at my command to bring about

his apprehension without the loss )

of his life. After all, Tom had a right to live. He had killed ‘no one. His was a social problem, I thought. The better side of his nature ‘deserved a chance to assert itself. Rightfully, he should not be fodder for G-men’s guns, yet I knew that if he ‘made one false move while being apprehended, he probably would be riddled with bul-

lets.

® a: ®

PELT—1 almost: Enew-thal his:

life . depended upon how I handled this situation. And I could no longer postpone a- decision. I had to act then. The pexs day might have been too ate Hour after hour in that Glendale bungalow I racked my ‘brain for the answer. I was frantic my-

self. For four days and four highs,

I never slept a wink.

In the black of the night, as |

paced the floor of the darkened house with Tom, it was all I coujd

LET'S EXPLORE YOUR MIND

BY DR. ALBERT EDWARD WIGGAM -

i 2

gif

5 BELIEVE WINEGSES, Wo 3 JE cle fleas AND FN) he

ANGER

- He re=:

Tom Robinson's: nideott in’ Indianapolis. Arrow. points to the room.where Mrs. Alice Speed Stoll was held prisoner by the kidnaper until his demand for .

Harry Campbell

£350,000

William Makan

ransom’ had | ‘been ‘met. building is'on'N. ‘Meridian-st, in an exclusive North ‘Side. residential district.

. do to control ‘myself. I wanted 10 :

cry out for help, for advice as to what to -do. And : all the time, two pictures ran through my mind.

. what life would a Fanch//\For a ube, en I

inevitably would come. ‘I realized that he needed something I could not give him-—-medical attention. The second picture was the “doubtful safety of his apprehension. If I'turned him up and he was ‘killed, I ‘was ‘a- murderess, more than a murderess. I would’ be a betrayer. The picture of him being shot down haunted me: Oh,

* the horror I endured. I never had . known there was human suffering

dike this. My: heart felt like it: would explode into "a thousand pieces. My brain whirled. - My ‘wonder now is how I.lived Shrough. it. . : Somehow, I summoned the courage to face the facts. I'decided

to turn him over, for his own sake |

‘and even ab the risk of his death and my future peace of mind. I

felt that he would be better dead

than without medical attention, if this had to continue. I was certain that onge: arrested and ‘taken hefore the proper authorities, they could take cognizance of Tom's mental condi~ tion’ and he would, therefore, have. the opportunity -of being treated

and if possible cured. of his mental ailment, whatever, it might be, *

It never ‘entered my ‘mind that"

the procedure would be any ‘Other than this, . - . nn ! : \N Monday morning, “May: 11, 1 told Tom I'had some shop- |. ping to do and: possibly would beaway all day. This act of deceps tion ‘ was galling. . He ‘had built - up confidence in.me,. and I think: that the cruelest act of inhuman-" ity is: the betrayal of ‘confidence. Underneath, though, I felt: that:

1 was doing the right: thing.

About 11; o'efosk, 1 called; 3,

Control Plans ‘Sllivan ne

(Mr. Sullivan writes tHiriée weekly.) ’ "BY MARK SULLIVAN ASHINGTON, ‘Aug. 14.—In the present maneuvers of the Administration about reduced- crops

by | . | dent and became a ar Aug. 24.

The federal government | AAA was to dictate for. Jor. anth farm how many potatoes could be raised and sold—each. farmer was ven, a

WEL the . ‘combiel Tw, néver Prevented the lanting of any ‘potatoes, for- it. is evened Def

This ‘apartment

‘in Los Angeles and asked for the

agent in charge, 1 placed ‘this call from a pay station in a Loe Angeles drug: store. ‘A’ woman's voice ‘answered and + T'was connected with John Bugas. : 31 ‘told him I ‘wanted to. speak to

* him concerning a fugitive. IT made “| an ‘appointment to meet him-at |.

“2: o'clock : that. afternoon in: the cocktail room of the Biltmore Hotel. I gave him a full descrip-

“tion of’ myself and the clothes I -

‘wore, Probably the newspapers, nad they known- the facts, would - immediately - have christened me “the “Woman in Blue.” : - During the three hours that intervened between calling and ‘meeting Mr. ‘Burgas, 1 walked the streets of Los Angeles with. the, . eversreclirring conflict’ in my mind of whether I was doing the right or, wrong thing. I- ‘admit that at times I wavered, I thotght “of ;Tom as his normal self, happy and: smiling, and almost rushed ‘back’ home, Of course 1 was * thinking of his better side—a ‘side - that I:know: exists but could not: . manifest itself An his mentai con- | ait on, : “In view of this, there was only

one thing for me to do. 1 deter-.

Te he ambos. "clock - seated: just: Toungs of the |

by ‘Nashville Banner ne

Ed, TO Syndicate, Ine)

NEW YORK, Aug. 14.—Avoiding the ject of religion, which is the taboo of American journalism, though topic of ‘universal interest, I. believe _might abate the abuse of religious privil by gentlemen of the cloth who make use

the title of “Reverend” as an immunity from ‘| criticism. The present tiifie finds a number of | eal clerics in action, but the situation is not _ | There ‘were others at large. during | the prohibition era: who bulldozed

politicians, conducted strong-arm

raids at night, maintained a super-

. congress a short distance from the:

4) United States Capitol.

_ . The great difficulty is that once’ i ‘a man: has completed a course in: iE college which. qualifies him for the [i title (of Reverend, we instinctively |

| concede him 8 special standing in

the community and almost. revoke his privileges The course of study is not always such as would set a man apart from his fellow men as a superior human being in some ‘cases, would not seriously tax the ments of a. high-school student,’ although it might off ‘the high-school student’s intelligence. Thereafter, unless the man has been ¢ . by his ecclestiastical superiors, he may continue to (use the title of Reverend, with all the special consis eration which it confers, in'connection with activities ‘of ‘a nonreligious and highly provocative sort. . He may be entirely footloose, without a church or ré= sponsibility to any church authority, but his Is not impaired and he enjoys a status whith may not

Mr. Pegler

The Reverend Protected

V=r often his motives are entirely miliciois: ‘and against the peace of the community,

that he once completed a coufse of study protects him from candid treatment. oughly unscrupulous, he is stil Reverend and a prive ileged character. There have been such Reverend politicians among us. ‘Statesmanship and politics entail the most searching examination of past ac * personal life and motives and the man who runs for the highest office in the United. States is subject to violent, personal abuse, sometimes at the hands of the very men who protect themselves from retaliation k: by their cloth. lhe Jas that a man is footloose charge is not necessarily be held against his sine cerity, for Christ himself a ie formally. But in this ‘country, OF: ‘ganized, the ‘bad ones ag usually found among the footloose barnstormers, some of whom imitate ‘the - Sweaty showmanship of Billy Sunday. 4

” 8 on

Unfair to Decent Clergy

1:

and without a

0 distinction between them and notorious fakers,

If a man is going to play politics, his opponents -and critics should ‘be allowed to treat him as a

pion and examine his remarks as’ political states men

Merry-Go-Round

-BY DREW PEARSON AND ROBERT S. ALLEN ASHINGTON,, Aug. 14—The" chairman of national committee, ‘Republican or ‘Dem always is on the hot spot, whether it be Jim Par Walter Brown or Will Hays, And now Chairman Jt D. M. Hamilton is sitting there, : Hamilton's trouble is coming from right inside ) Republican Party. And though nothing is being & a - publicly, it is causing some of the higher-ups a: Worty, ~ Hamilton is getting it from progressive ‘Republican, Jenders on one side, from oid Guary: Republicans T the other, : Some of Landon’s best friends and stanchest s - porters are progressives of the William Allen 'W class, none too keen about Hamilton. They get with him on the surface, but keep their fingers c underneath the table. They can’t forget the fact he was a pet pupil of Dave Mulvane, who was to’

if Serahonk, : ported to have put in a quiet oar to prevent E Sons appointment as national chairman, .

a ® YHIEF, JUSTICE HUGHES has & hard time “ting any privacy, even in the summer. His

“one who has seen his picture.

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