Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 16 March 1938 — Page 9

From Indiana = Ernie Pyle

. Ernie Tracks Down a Gangster of The Films and Discovers a College Man Able to Speak Five Languages. |:

OLLYWOOD, March 16.—I know you have seen this fellow in the movies. You couldn't help it. Seems as if he’s in practically every movie you go to. * : He is usually a sort of assistant gangster, and is: mighty tough-looking. : His name. isn't on the theater marquees in. big {etters; ‘and you can’t pick him out in the film’s list bi layers. “All you'know is that he must have mighty : 2 ‘steady work, and he’s awfully good, . and you don’t: know who he is. So on this trip to Hollywood ‘I decided to make a point of finding

out. At the 20th Century-Fox stu-

dios I said: “I'm looking for a" fellow and I don't know his name. Seems to me he’s in about hglf the pictures made. He looks tough, and “usually plays a gangs And they said, “Oh, "you mean Harold: Huber.” “So we went out looking for Harold” Huber. . I wasn’t sure that Mr, Pyle Mr. Huber would turn out to be the found Harold Huber in. the barber shop having a shampoo and I said to the boy with me, "That's the guy, all right.”%

So we were jntroduced and I.told him I'd like to

write a piece about him.

Well, the upshot was that he asked me out to his-

house for iunch next day, since he was having a day off between pictures. Mrs. Huber met me at the door, and the three of us had lunch, served by their colored ‘maid, The Hubers-live in a Spanish-type house in Beverly _ Hilis. It has neither swimming pool; race track nor a + cliff fn the back yard. -But it does have a green patio, a badminton court, a grand piano, good books, and a lot of comfort.

Quit Law School for Stage

On the screen, Huber is. usually a thoroughgoing skunk. In real life he is cordial, nice-looking and full of good manners. He was born in New York City, his father is a prominent eye-doctor, his boyhood summers were spent at Brookline, Mass., he has two college degrees, he studied for the law, he can speak five languages, he Teads a lot, and I know he’s good to his wife. He quit law school to become an autor, He had small parts in five New York stage plays. Thé last one was a toughie part, and that brought him to Hollywood. He has worked in 55 pictures in less than five years. He works almost constanfly. Sometimes a studio will have to shoot around his parts until he gets through * at another studio. Although- wholly a gangster at first, he is now up to the point where he plays gangster about a third of the time, and comedy about two-thirds. He says “it’s a nife combination. It was my impression that practically all moviegoers: knew the Huber face, but had never quite caught the Huber name. But Huber says people come up to him on the street now and say, “Mr. Huber, can I have your autograph?” ‘They used to ask: for his autograph -and then look at. the name to see who' it wasl

My Diary By Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt

First Lady Sheds Escorts to Take Trip to San Francisco's Chinatown.

RESNO, Cal., Tuestiay—~We reached San Francisco about noon yesterday. It was fortunate for us that Mr. Paul Posz, the head of the bureau which had charge of my San Francisco lecture, came on hoard the. traim at Burlingame. It gave us an opportunity to discuss the plans for a very busy day. When we arrived at our hotel, we found a great deal ‘of mail, a great many flowers and a telephone which never stopped ringing for more than three minutes. Days such as yesterday are really very hectic. ‘Neither Miss Chaney, Mrs. Scheider nor I, had enough time to eat lunch. We had a glass of milk and graham crackers and then sallied fqrth at 1:45, leaving piles ‘of mail and telegrams unopened. Mr. George Creel, who is the United States Commissioner for the Golden Gate International Exposition, the Mayor and representatives of the Army, Navy and Marine Corps, us to Treasure Island, where I was to 3 assist in. the ceremonies incidental to the breaking of _ ground for the Federal Building. oe went - through the streets preceded and folowed by motorcycle police, in spite of my objection to noise. However, it did get us to our destination quickly. :

“Visit Nursery School

On the way home we visited a nursery school, conducted in the Chinese Y. M. C. A, for little Chi-nese-Americans. Characteristic arrangements of water and flowers, which only Oriental people seem to be able to produce, haye given their building great charm. The children seemed happy and the same regime is carried as in any other nursery school. All their mothers work, so this school is a real help.to them. We left the nursery school, shed all our protective formal escorts and wandered through Chinatown. The three of us visited one of the shops we had visited a previous trip, and later made our way ‘ into the business section of the city to see a-shop run . by Miss Chaney’s sisters. Back at the hotel, we had a number of visitors. I was a little troubled by ‘the prospect of speak-

a m—1 x ~~

~~. were ‘excellent. ‘On account of the -large number of * ¥ people still coming in, we had to wait quite a while 1 before going on the stage. However, 1 managed to + zet on-the platform without. too visible a case of stageJinent. After the lecture, we left immediately for

New: Books Today

Public Library- -Presents—

a who are interested in the present Sino-Jap- : 'T anese conflict will welcome a book by a man as well informed on conditions in the Far East as C Crow, author of “400 Million Customers,” whose 28 a. hewspaperman and publisher in Toyko and has given him an excellent opportunity to s study. conditions in the two countries. I SPEAK FOR - THE CHINESE (Harper) emphasizes the political and economic background of the two countries in explaining the causes of the war and prophesying the future policies: of Japan. The author leaves a question for “2s readers at the end of the book; Suppose that Ja-

man I had in mind. But we finally

‘ing ‘in the civic auditorium, but the arrangements

By NEA Sorvics

HE most profitable business” in.any city” where it flourishes—that’s the numbers racket. The ‘game that makes its operators fabulously rich from the pennies of the poor——that’s the numbers racket. A greedy octopus which spreads its ‘ tentacles into every nook of a city—its. slums, foreign district, ‘office buildings, even the housewife’s kitchen— Which collects more than $1, 000,000 a day and keeps

half of it as profit— -

Which devours: pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters. and

dollars into a gigantic maw from which only a few get back to-original owners— . Which gives the sucker one chance in 1000 to win,

but pays only 600 to-1- or: -

less if he does’ win— Which spawns violence, deceit, murders, official corruption, and poverty— - * That’s the numbers racket as it exists today in the United States. That's: the “harmless” game which began in the Harlem district of New York and grew into a gigantic $300,000,000-a-year “business” which: makes so mich money that it dwarfs the: profit percentage of the most successful corporation by comparison. .» ” ”

O learn the truth about this amazing off-shoot of the American gambling business, NEA Service made a nation-wide survey. The object was to determine, if possible, the approximate scope of the numbers, or policy, racket; how much money is spent on:it, how many people play it, and

what has been the effect .on the . everyday life of the Cities in which"

it flourishes?

The survey was designed to

learn whether cold facts and reliable ° “estimates, . furnished by newspaper editors and their staff experts, would bear aut. the reports that the policy racket had grown to gargantuan proportions. They did, and more. The survey was made in cities of all sizes and political ‘complexions—from New York, Philadelphia, Boston and Cleveland with their teeming millions, to smaller inland cities such as Evansville, Ind.; Flint, Mich.; Canton, O.; Roanoke, Va.,, and Knoxville,

‘Tenn.

Here are some of the facts revealed by the survey: That an estimate of $1,000,000 gross “take” per day by policy racketeers is ultraconservative. New York alone reported a daily play of $300,000 on numbers, Boston $250,000, Washington §$100,000, Atlanta -and Cleveland $50, 000 each, + = s = 8 ; HAT, of the $1,000,000 in gross daily receipts, the oper-

ators keep at least 50 per cent, .

or $500,000 as profit. Astounding, isn’t it, in view of the fact that the biggest money-making, billiondollar corporations are content with a profit of 10 per cent or even less? That approximately 2,000,000 persons buy policy numbers every day with dollars, half-dollars, quarters, dimes, nickels—even pennies. And that, under the game

‘as it is currently played, only one

out of every 1000 of them can hope to get anything back for his money. That between 75,000. and 100,000 persons make their living out of the racket, precarious though it be for some of the smaller fry such as the “runners” and ‘“collectors” who contact the suckers and have to depend on getting their wages from a percentage of the amount they collect. That the higher-ups' in the racket bank millions of dollars a year on which they don’t pay income tax. Out of their $500,000-per-day ‘take, everything is clear profit: except for the money they spend for lawyers, and “protection” safe operation of their games. : 8 ® = : ~ACTS gleaned from:the survey of the racket in a:few representative cities include: New York—$300,000 played daily, of which $150,000 is profit. Including the Italian and other foreign numbers games, ahout. a half million persons buy. policy. slips daily, and about 25,000 Jpersans

Side: Glances—By Clo rk -

costs if needed to .insure

" are employed: by. the racket, directly or indirectly. Boston—$250,000 played daily, with $200,000 as profit (the odds ‘are longer against.the. sucker in Boston). Virtually the ' entire

‘working . population. of * the ‘city

plays ‘the game one way :or another, and 20,000 persons. operate it. | - Washington, | | AC. — $100,000 played daily, $75,000 profit. More than 85,000: persons buy numbers. Columbus, O.-About 80,000 persons buy $30,000. worth of slips daily from operators who make

about’ half of that amount. in

pref, ® 8» .8 “HE survey showed that the racket flourishes chiefly in the East and Middle West where the large industrial populations are prime pickings: for . the racketeers. San Francisco, - Los Angeles, Seattle, Cheyenne, Albuquerque, Reno, Salt Lake City,-Tacoma and other Western cities report they had no numbers rackets of any considerable size. . The. numbers: racket is. the adopted child of post-repeal mobsters. Nurtured on: bullets and blood, it has grown into a vicious,

ill-tempered brat which thrives on:

murder, treachery, corruption and the double-cross

But ‘the brat’s income is: enor- .

mous—a ‘million dollars per. day. That's why-it was adopted. That's why it is now held jealously by the gang overlords who need ¢ash to keep their mobs intact. and Tunctioning.

» » f Jor what is - this numbers

Pirst i all, it should be explained that there are almost as many different “numbers” games as- there are numbers ‘between 1 and 1000. For the most. part they operate on the same’ principle,

‘which is simple enough: _

The bettor may - choose and number of three digits—000 up to 999. He lays -cash on the line (almost any size bet will be accept-

ed) to, Back, up his belief. that be. the,

: Tucky

If he is not

chances are toro: fand. re

won’t be) he gets back nothing for his money. If he chooses - the Sieh, Buber is paid. off on e rhaps as h as 600 to 1. perhaps igh He will be paid off, that is, barring such contingencies ‘as staged: police raids ant opérators who welch when hard hit.

The lucky number is determined.

in any number of ways—treasury halance figures, stock. market transactions, bank clearances, race

track mutuels, butter and egg

market quotations, wheel devices, bird-cage dice contraptions or.

“drawings from a box.

82.8 2

Y far the most popular ew is . the use of race track mutuel

stock sale ‘totals or treasury balances, but newspapers: in: many cities quashed that practice -by. printing the figures only in round

- millions.

Supposing you want to place:a bet on the numbers. If you work in .an office building, a runner probably ‘goes ‘by ‘your door every day picking. up cash and giving receipt slips. If you are out on the street, ‘you more: ‘than likely can get a slip in some barber shop, pool. room or small: lunch counter. In many ‘cities, housewives can buy numbers by telephoning their grocers, who place their. bets with

‘4 “runner” and add the amount

to. the grocery bill.

Supposing you: choose the num-

ber. 047. On it you can bét any . ‘amount’ from a penny up to a -

Pennies, nickels, dimes ‘and visriers,; Teopnen’) in"

the coffers of the numbers racket barons help swell

the daily “take” to-more than:$1,000,000. The players, mostly persons of limited means, use’ hunches, verse’

Matter

Sofie. Indianapolis, Inds

‘numbers: of sermon . exis, dream books, charms and “lucky potions to select numbers in the hope of making’ a killing—while: operators: of / the Tumbers - Tackets reap a soem harvest. :

“started work ‘as a

ing. you. the - Then you' would be: expected. to

io)

_ Originating in smoky

and: back alleys ‘where policy “sales- e

Poolrooms men” collected nickels, dimes and: dollars for lucky numbers, as shown in the. posed picture above, the numbers racket now has emerged. ‘into

the open and flourishes in stores, ‘offices, factories and’ “home. But the: .

600-to-1. payoff is just as rare asin’ the old days. -

dollar—more: in some cities. The runner ‘gives ‘you ‘a ‘slip showing

the amount you have bet and the

to determine the winsing i : Bx -” Sia ow: you wait for the race re= sults and start’ figuring how, you came out. You add up all’ the win, place and show prices for all three horses in the first” three:

' races. It totals =$130.80.

. Fine! The figure’ immediately. preceding ‘the: decimal point is 0, and that’s. the first digit. in: your: number. “So, far, so good. Now you add up: all: the win, place and’ show figures for all three horses in the first five races. It totals $234.80. Swell, You've got the 0 and the! 4 in: your number... - “Then you ‘add up all the win,

- place ;and: show figures for all

Seven races at the track. It totals. $309.00. -

Pshaw! You’ ve lost. You: Beaded, a7 instead of a 9 in front of that last - decimal point. Your: dime .is' shot. But: remember, your: money. ‘would: have been: lost « just - as: irretrievably if the first total had been any number without. the, zero:

. before-the decimal.

And what if you had won?: Well, you ‘would have had $60 coming to

. you. for your. dime at -600-to-1

odds. But could. you haves ‘ke t the. $602. Oh, no! P

2 ‘sn 2 Fer the runner would: get 10 :

per. cent commission for sellnumber. |

give him another 10 per cent us a | “tip.” ~ If you played. just a dime, you might ‘gét home with the #8 you: would dave Jeft.

oh |Jasper—By. Frank Owen

police activities against have been Jada

. The survey revealed that the

average size of bets in the num

‘bers game iota is 10, cents.

1 are, Of COUrse,. some bets. = Tot 85, even higher, but operiitors 4 + ~for the most part split such bets . among ;their fellows—to the long chance that' they hehe. , be hit for a staggering amount. : do the operators welch - % when hard hit? ty

: And . In nearly every case'it appeared

that operators -welched only as a

last resort. ‘They know-that their they are of the odds against their

winning, might stop. playing. even- . - tually if they were not: paid. when

they won. es. resulting from the O° numbers racket for.the most part seems to have been concentrated in

‘the large Eastern cities where the “ “take” is so tremendous: that:it: is - “considered worth Kifing t tol ac-

‘quire. » . 2 pis TEW YORK alone attributed 40 ‘murders to. the numbers

racket, ‘Philadelphia 15, Akron six, Boston : five, « Other “cities replied : that there "were : no. murders. that could be - directly connected with the racket although they involved, ‘persons .

Atlanta four.

connected: with the game.’ In 18 of 30 cities the games were

- operated quite’ peacefully; - either ‘all:under ‘one head or with: each . ‘rival ‘organization: holding. ie pg

9 and

¢ ‘making ‘no lore encroach: on that of other Toa

nd what. of police: efforts to

‘halt the racket? The ‘survey ine

dicated that in. most large clues: numbers sical,

nonexistent. "replies indicated

Most of the

| bt, t the lack of lice ‘ac-. |. Soul ae 1 “or | ered the anesthetic properties of

| tiie. ‘gas.

tivity resulted. from bribes

otner “fix” Wettiohs, but’ Jather

TIA WOMANS: VIEW ne ; g By: Mrs.. Walter Farguson |

SHOP

COTTON - a Se ad

CC — “APRONS

uncomprehending 8s

it B t. : ? : ‘meyer of the~-Walter G. Zoller Me-

‘Here is a typical “numbers slip” of the type which uses the .daily Treasury balance to deter‘mine the payoff number. The bettor plays No. 387, “boxed.” He puts up 30 cents—>5 cents on each

. .of the six combinations of nume

bers. which ean be formed from ‘the digits 3, 8 and 7. If one of

won, the |

- 4 hive’ x y 3h ims s cents, or $30. i :

from inability. to. assign. enough men to clean. Volt the ‘hundreds -of

small establishments where ' the numbers. slips. are sold.

. In some states; apparently, it

never has been’ definitely -estab- .

lished whether policy games are

. contrary to law. Police working

under the general antigambling statutes, have been unable to ob‘tain convictions in court;and have relaxed their efforts -for that reason. :

Care ls Advised in Using Anesthetics

By Science Service NHICAGO, March 16—A warning to dentists: advising care in ‘the. use ‘of procaine-epinephrine local anesthetics has been issued by University - of Chicago scientists

‘after. more than a year of experi-

mentation. - These anesthetics, . injected into the’ gums: to eliminate pain, are found to: cause marked rises in

‘| bléod pressure, sometimes toxic re- | actions :and may be dangerous to ‘| the ‘heart. Although widely used

in dental practice, there has heen ent research ' upon their

to | insuffici ‘dental and medical ‘use, ‘the: report

states.” “The research was by: ‘Drs. Paul P "Pickering and: Herbert P. Stein-

morial ‘Dental Clinic ‘and Dr. Amo B. Luckhardt, who. in 1823 discov-

Hibs REgECE]

8 Fa

pos,

Our =

By Anton Scherrer

Mailman, Poet and Now Histori: That's 'Howdy, Howdy' Fre The State Library's Best Custo:

OF all the people who use the State ~~ brary, Lewis E. Frazeur is by all o its best customer. Mr. Frazeur shows up 8 o'clock every morning, takes the same se in the reference room, and works: through until it’s time to-close up shop. "been doing this since last June and expects to it up for another year. By that time, he hop have his book written. It’s'a history of the Me

odist Episcopal Conferences of In- Lo diana, and he wants to have it ready by June 1939, in time for the 75th * Jubilee Anniversary of the Preachers’ Aid Society. - Before Mr. Frazeur turned his.torian he was a mail-carrier. He substitute in 1900 when the Postoffice was in the building now occupied by the American National Bank, and he . remembers that in his spare tine me. Sches he used to play ball with Frank % Hayworth in the vacant lot to the south where Levinson people now sell hats. For that matter, lot to the east of the P. O, was vacant, too, says Frazeur. : On Jan. 16, 1904, Mr. Fraseur gob the A Stockyards run. He worked it for 21 years. that ‘time he got to know everybody down there, he can’t say enough nice things about the people met—men like Sam Rauh, for instance, and Del son and Percy Johnson. Rhody Shiel, too. One ¢ while delivering mail at the Car and Foundry Mr. Frazeur greeted a man with “Howdy, Ho and it made such a noise reverberating through place that everybody came running to see wha trouble was. To this day Mr. Frazeur is known 8 “Howdy, Howdy,” and he has to watch himse everything, he says. For example, just the other again Mr. Frazeur greeted somebody in the Library, and everybody came running wondering the big noise was about. Mr. Frazeur was called: for it, but it won't 1 happen again, he says. For reason that Mr. Frazeur the State Li people are just about the nicest and most helpful the world.

Wrote Poem of 179 Stanzas

After Mr. Frazeur retired as a mail carrier, spent more time cultivating the muse of poetry. Prazeur said he wrote his first poem about a girl with whom he went to school. Since that, } h written more than 200 poems, most of which: to him on the old Stockyards run. April 14, 1912, his biggest day, however, That was the day Titanic went down, and it moved Mr. Frazeur write a poem consisting of 179 stanzas. Each sta had eight lines. Mr. Frazeur said that once: time he recited one-half of it, and it took him minutes to do it. Mr. Frazer allowed mé to see some of his p and the least I can do today is to tell you that st of it is mighty good. I liked the one called “W 1) Task?”—especially this stan

#So to my task I turn once To take from God's es store, A morsel for my daily food “A mite of wisdom, understood, “A bit of love that fills my “soul | : And make of these a living whole.”

- That's about all life\fs, said Mr. Frazeur ing the interview. = = :

Jane Jordan—

Foreign-Born Man Told to Wed He Loves Despite Parents’ W

EAR JANE JORDAN—I am 26 years old, of eign nationality. However, I was born in # country and feel that I am entitled to the adv : of the ordinary American youth. My paren! from the old country and they have not They expect that I should abide by all the old and traditions. I love my parents and respect: wishes, but they have selected a girl for me to =n which is customary with our people, and it so haj that I have selected another girl who is very ¢ sweet and has almost everything in common. me. My parents object to a marriage with this because she is of American nationality and they hs gone to the parents of the girl they selécted, of nationality, and made arrangements for a m between the two of us for some time this summ pate ts think I will learn to love the girl in time have great doubts. I have met her and taken

1 but I just do it to please my parents. FE

she is a nice girl. My parents threater to disow if: I marry against their wishes. Of course I want this to happen, but I don’t believe I ever Ww able to forget the girl I really love. I have told of my parent’s arrangements. She tries to be mistic about it, but I can see it is eating her he What would you advise? I want to do what's _.PUZ2Z] Answer—When in America, do as : the Ame do. In America a young man of 26 who 8 own. living is his own boss and can marry ; chooses. e idea of marrying a , Sif] 1 whom ne not love ply because she has been parents is abhorrent to him and completely for fo everything he believes in. ‘When your parents forsopk the old country ‘new land with improved living conditions, they curred the risk that their children would grow with new ideals, Now that it has happened they not wish to face the consequences; but they mus

" have gone to American: schools and learned Ami

habits .of thought. : If you have to part company with yo! ; order to marry as you choose, it is TI but 3.524 28 11166: Wit sSEIGRe Whom You done

EAR JANE JORDAN—I am one of many ' you advised to take back a worthl and father who has spent his money on an an. I can’t understand why you advise a mother to take a man back and give chance. Now truthfully, would you ee band 1iks that and fake ehances on the Sam all over? + A WORRIED Answer—Since I do not remember your ! ea why I suggested that you