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The Era -- Day By Day

LizzieMaine

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One hundred and fifty seven British sailors were killed when German U-Boats torpedoed the destroyer Daring. The British Admiralty confirms the loss of the ship, which occured at an undisclosed time at an undisclosed location, with only five members of its crew known to survive. The Daring is the sixth British destroyer lost since the start of the war, and the twenty-fifth British vessel in total. The confirmation of the Daring's fate comes as German authorities claim to have destroyed thirty-two ships in just the past six days, and that the Daring was sunk during an attack on four convoys.

Reports from Finland claim that an entire Russian division of 18,000 men was killed or taken prisoner fifteen miles from the Russian frontier northeast of Lake Lagoda near Syskyjarvi. The Finnish reports do not comment on Russian claims that Red Army forces continue their advances thru the Mannherheim Line, and that Soviet troops have "isolated" a key Finnish fortification at Kovisto.

The wife of convicted abortionist Dr. Henry Blank testified today that Dr. Abraham Ditchick tried to prevent her husband from testifiying before Assistant Attorney General John H. Amen about his involvement with a Brooklyn abortion ring. Mrs. Sydney Blank took the stand today in Dr. Ditchick's trial in Brooklyn Supreme Court to state that the two men met last summer at a lodge in the Catskills to discuss the situation, and that she was present when Dr. Ditchick told her husband that he should keep quiet. Mrs. Blank testified that Dr. Ditchick told her husband that County Judge George Martin had been convicted of accepting a bribe in an abortion case from Dr. Louis Duke, that Assistant Attorney General Sol Ullman, also under indictment, would be freed, and that Amen would have to "depend on the same witnesses" thruout his investigation. Dr. Blank, stated his wife, was primarily interested in preserving his own medical license, and the discussion between the two men "nearly came to fisticuffs." Mrs. Blank told reporters that whatever her husband has done is all right with her, and that she is "sticking by him."

Earlier, Dr. Blank testified that he had paid Dr. Ditchick almost $15,000 out of the fear that he would lose his medical license if Ditchick turned him over to the Medical Grievance Board. Dr. Blank stated that Mr. Ullman was Dr. Ditchick's "man on the Medical Grievance Board, " and further stated that Dr. Ditchick had urged him not to worry about Mr. Amen, because "Amen would be taken care of." Dr. Blank is currently serving a sentence at Sing Sing Prison after being convicted of performing an illegal abortion, but insists he did no such thing, stating instead that he had performed about three hundred "therapeutic abortions," which, he argued, are not illegal. Dr. Blank currently has an appeal pending before the Brooklyn Appellate Division, and is seeking reinstatement of his medical license, which was automatically revoked upon his conviction.

A university-trained psychologist who earned a comfortable living giving "Crime Does Not Pay" lectures was brought into court today on a stretcher to be sentenced on his fourth forgery conviction. Joseph Gordon of 108 Myrtle Avenue had pleaded guilty to passing a bad check for $22.50 for 85 cents worth of food at a DeKalb Avenue grocery store, and could have faced a life prison sentence as a habitual offender. But Judge Franklin Taylor refused to impose that sentence, noting the triviality of the crime, which involved no violence, and allowed Gordon -- whose lectures were once heard over fifty radio stations -- to plead guilty to a petty larceny charge instead of third-degree forgery.

Police Lieutenant Cuthbert J. Behan has pleaded not guilty to twenty-four departmental charges stemming from his alleged involvement in the borough bail-bond racket. Behan's attorney requested that the trial before Special Deputy Commissioner Jeremiah T. Mahoney begin next Monday, but Mahoney protested that he plans to be on vacation next week, and instead called for the trial to begin on March 4th.

Heavy rains continue to diminish the legacy of last week's heavy snowstorm, but many roads in the borough remain impassable. Bushwick Avenue remains full of slush and bad ruts, and it is impossible to drive thru a green light at intersections without slowing nearly to a crawl. Van Buren Street is barely cleared enough for a single file of traffic, and the tall snowbanks of Lafayette Avenue force the motorist to drive directly behind the trolleys. Side streets off Willoughby Avenue remain completely blocked. Myrtle Avenue is, like Lafayette, reduced to a slow-moving single file of traffick. Total travel time from Bushwick to Borough Hall -- forty-five minutes for a trip that usually takes fifteen to twenty.

The_Brooklyn_Daily_Eagle_Mon__Feb_19__1940_.jpg

(Funny, I always kind of thought if Antarctica had an official cigarette, it would be Kools.)

"Appreciative Reader" reprimands Helen Worth for allowing an obvious prank from a "perverted mind" like that letter from the 17 year girl about getting spanked to sneak thru. Helen notes that she's been doing this column for seventeen years now, and acknowledges that sometimes she does get pranked, but since she possesses no magic crystal ball or powers of divination, she has to give the benefit of the doubt.

Discriminating burglars broke into a Queens apartment this morning and escaped with a $500 Persian lamb coat. Robbers rifled the home of Miss Edna Quigg at 395 Ocean Avenue, ransacking her living room and stealing her fur. The burglars also emptied the pocketbooks of Miss Quigg, her sister, and their niece, but found no cash. The trio had hidden fifteen dollars in a fur muff, which the robbers did not discover.

The man who introduced the saxophone to the modern dance orchestra and gave Rudy Vallee his name has died at the age of 46. Rudolph "Rudy" Wiedoeft was pronounced dead today at Flushing Hospital of a stomach ailment after being taken from his 165th Street home in Flushing. Mr. Wiedoeft was a sensation in the world of music even before he took up the saxophone, playing first clarinet in a Denver orchestra at the age of 11. Among Wiedoeft's students was Hubert P. Vallee of Westbrook, Maine, whom Mr. Wiedoeft instructed by mail, and who took his master's name in tribute. Mr. Wiedoeft subsequently made several appearances on Vallee's radio program. Mr. Wiedoeft most recently led a quiet life giving music instruction from his home.

The Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oklahoma City and Tulsa told a Brooklyn audience today that "irreligion" affects at least half the people in the United States. Bishop Francis C. Kelley spoke at St. John's University, urging organized action to "clean up books, magazines, and some editorials" just as the movies have been "cleaned up."

Meanwhile, columnist John Heffernan rails against progressive education as the real cause of America's problems, declaring that Dr. John Dewey, leader of the movement, is "noted for his strong interest in the Russian Revolution," and further states that Dewey's philosophy of "Learn By Doing" is similar to the "Strength Thru Joy" credo of Nazi Germany. And he also points out that the fruits of Dewey's philosophy can be found in the familiar "New York dialect," so widely spoken by our youths, and which is so inferior as to prove disadvantageous in later life. Students, he insists, must be taught "the correct expression of ideas."

The_Brooklyn_Daily_Eagle_Mon__Feb_19__1940_(1).jpg
("See," says Lippy. "This is the ball. Ya throw it. After that -- we'll see.")

Tex Carleton, a $10,000 Dodger pickup, may be 33 years old, but he feels like a kid again as he gets the kinks out of his pitching arm. Carelton, a consistent fifteen-to-eighteen-game winner with the Cardinals and Cubs over the past seven years, was plucked from the roster of the Milwaukee Brewers of the American Association by Larry MacPhail, who thinks Carleton still has a few good wins left in his wing. Carleton struck out 147 batter in the A. A. last year, following a sore-armed 1938 that ended his career with the Cubs, but thinks he could have done better. He expects to do so for Brooklyn in 1940.

Joe Medwick made an appearance at the Dodger camp yesterday -- but not to play. He was hanging around waiting for his pal Durocher to finish for the day so the two could go play golf. The Duck has yet to sign his 1940 contract with the Cardinals, and says he won't sign for less than $20,000.

The Americans might be in sixth place in the National Hockey League, but last night's tie against the Blackhawks means they still have a shot at a playoff berth. They'll face the Rangers Thursday night at the Garden, and Eddie Shore is slated to play in eight of the Amerks' nine remaining regular-season games.

Carole Lombard and Fred MacMurray star tonight in "Made For Each Other," on the Lux Radio Theatre, 9 pm over WABC. Or you can tune in right here:


The_Brooklyn_Daily_Eagle_Mon__Feb_19__1940_(2).jpg
Jo doesn't want to slap Oakdale -- on the back.

The_Brooklyn_Daily_Eagle_Mon__Feb_19__1940_(3).jpg

With nothing else to do, Leona decides to go to that YCL dance she heard about, and she picks up a few pamphlets on her way in.

The_Brooklyn_Daily_Eagle_Mon__Feb_19__1940_(4).jpg
Real effective gas dispersal system you've got there, Arliss. I can see why you're such a criminal mastermind.
 

LizzieMaine

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And in the Daily News...

Daily_News_Mon__Feb_19__1940_.jpg

Ouch.

Daily_News_Mon__Feb_19__1940_(1).jpg

Yeah, pop -- you better cooperate before the kid goes to work on you with a rubber hose.

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Oh, and Pete -- one more thing. That "gangster suit" you've got on is a nice touch, but tone it down a bit next time. You don't want to overdo it.

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Tracy, you meathead. You've got to stop going out drinking with Dunn, he's a bad influence.

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Good ol' Andy Gump -- master of the hypocrtical four-panel monologue.

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C'mon, Pat, we know you speak fluent Chinese, Japanese, and Russian. What's with the pig latin?

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Wumple: Bobble, your son's an idiot! Bobble: Ha! Don't you think I know that? But he's YOUR idiot now! HAHAHAHAH!

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Kid, shouldn't you be out looking for a job?

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Well isn't Moon looking natty today in his sport shirt and white flannels! "Tennis, anyone?"
 

LizzieMaine

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These pieces by W. E. Hill are just fantastic studies in expression, thanks for sharing. Although, I must protest--there is no such thing as "too much" chocolate cream pie.

My father once drove a bakery truck, and I got him fired from that job when I crawled into the back of it and ate all the chocolate cream pies. Ah, happy days.

The "Hill Page" is a real favorite of mine, and it's amazing to me that only a single collection of his work was ever published -- and that in 1917. A reappreciation is long overdue.
 
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...The wife of convicted abortionist Dr. Henry Blank testified today that Dr. Abraham Ditchick tried to prevent her husband from testifiying before Assistant Attorney General John H. Amen about his involvement with a Brooklyn abortion ring. Mrs. Sydney Blank took the stand today in Dr. Ditchick's trial in Brooklyn Supreme Court to state that the two men met last summer at a lodge in the Catskills to discuss the situation, and that she was present when Dr. Ditchick told her husband that he should keep quiet. Mrs. Blank testified that Dr. Ditchick told her husband that County Judge George Martin had been convicted of accepting a bribe in an abortion case from Dr. Louis Duke, that Assistant Attorney General Sol Ullman, also under indictment, would be freed, and that Amen would have to "depend on the same witnesses" thruout his investigation. Dr. Blank, stated his wife, was primarily interested in preserving his own medical license, and the discussion between the two men "nearly came to fisticuffs." Mrs. Blank told reporters that whatever her husband has done is all right with her, and that she is "sticking by him."

Earlier, Dr. Blank testified that he had paid Dr. Ditchick almost $15,000 out of the fear that he would lose his medical license if Ditchick turned him over to the Medical Grievance Board. Dr. Blank stated that Mr. Ullman was Dr. Ditchick's "man on the Medical Grievance Board, " and further stated that Dr. Ditchick had urged him not to worry about Mr. Amen, because "Amen would be taken care of." Dr. Blank is currently serving a sentence at Sing Sing Prison after being convicted of performing an illegal abortion, but insists he did no such thing, stating instead that he had performed about three hundred "therapeutic abortions," which, he argued, are not illegal. Dr. Blank currently has an appeal pending before the Brooklyn Appellate Division, and is seeking reinstatement of his medical license, which was automatically revoked upon his conviction.

A university-trained psychologist who earned a comfortable living giving "Crime Does Not Pay" lectures was brought into court today on a stretcher to be sentenced on his fourth forgery conviction. Joseph Gordon of 108 Myrtle Avenue had pleaded guilty to passing a bad check for $22.50 for 85 cents worth of food at a DeKalb Avenue grocery store, and could have faced a life prison sentence as a habitual offender. But Judge Franklin Taylor refused to impose that sentence, noting the triviality of the crime, which involved no violence, and allowed Gordon -- whose lectures were once heard over fifty radio stations -- to plead guilty to a petty larceny charge instead of third-degree forgery.

Police Lieutenant Cuthbert J. Behan has pleaded not guilty to twenty-four departmental charges stemming from his alleged involvement in the borough bail-bond racket. Behan's attorney requested that the trial before Special Deputy Commissioner Jeremiah T. Mahoney begin next Monday, but Mahoney protested that he plans to be on vacation next week, and instead called for the trial to begin on March 4th.....

Sadly, one needs a scorecard to keep all the players and corruption straight.


... The_Brooklyn_Daily_Eagle_Mon__Feb_19__1940_(2).jpg Jo doesn't want to slap Oakdale -- on the back....

How hasn't she snapped yet? Tuthill is torturing her relentlessly.


... The_Brooklyn_Daily_Eagle_Mon__Feb_19__1940_(4).jpg Real effective gas dispersal system you've got there, Arliss. I can see why you're such a criminal mastermind.

Even 1960s TV Batman villains weren't this inept.


... Daily_News_Mon__Feb_19__1940_(3).jpg Tracy, you meathead. You've got to stop going out drinking with Dunn, he's a bad influence...

Maybe it's just my imagination, but Tracy's expression betrays his words of confidence in the last panel.


... Daily_News_Mon__Feb_19__1940_(6)-2.jpg Wumple: Bobble, your son's an idiot! Bobble: Ha! Don't you think I know that? But he's YOUR idiot now! HAHAHAHAH!...

I'm getting used to it, but the casual acceptance of business and government corruption/kickbacks/payoffs in the comic strips in the '30s and '40s is stunning.


... Daily_News_Mon__Feb_19__1940_(7)-2.jpg Kid, shouldn't you be out looking for a job?...

Thinking the same thing. Senga or not (and I'm just going to say it, he's not getting his money's worth with her), that pile is only going in one direction if he doesn't get to work.
 

LizzieMaine

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I think the death blow for the whole red-white-and-blue-idealistic belief in America came with World War I, and the immediate aftermath of that war -- no jobs for returning vets, the Red Scare, the Black Sox, the rise of gangsterdom, and the flamboyant and unapologetic corruption of just about every aspect of public and private life that was the very heart of the Roaring Twenties -- threw the dirt into the grave. By the thirties, the American ideal was to be "wised up" -- not only to know how to play the game, but to be resigned to the fact that there *was* a game. You'll find the attitude everywhere in the popular culture of the years just before WWII -- "wise up, buddy, and don't be such a sap."

I'm struck by Dr. Blank's acknowledgement that he performed 300 "therapeutic abortions." "But -- but -- people didn't *do* that in the Good Old Days!"

When Jo finally does detonate, it will truly be spectacular. I suspect she's got something special planned for the big social event coming up.

Harold needs to put his name in at Wumple & Company -- I expect there's a job opening up there soon.
 
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I think the death blow for the whole red-white-and-blue-idealistic belief in America came with World War I, and the immediate aftermath of that war -- no jobs for returning vets, the Red Scare, the Black Sox, the rise of gangsterdom, and the flamboyant and unapologetic corruption of just about every aspect of public and private life that was the very heart of the Roaring Twenties -- threw the dirt into the grave. By the thirties, the American ideal was to be "wised up" -- not only to know how to play the game, but to be resigned to the fact that there *was* a game. You'll find the attitude everywhere in the popular culture of the years just before WWII -- "wise up, buddy, and don't be such a sap."

I'm struck by Dr. Blank's acknowledgement that he performed 300 "therapeutic abortions." "But -- but -- people didn't *do* that in the Good Old Days!"

When Jo finally does detonate, it will truly be spectacular. I suspect she's got something special planned for the big social event coming up.

Harold needs to put his name in at Wumple & Company -- I expect there's a job opening up there soon.

Interestingly, while the overall corruption is still there - I think it's moved more upstream as I see less of it at the "grass roots" level now than I did in the '70s and '80s.

For example, in the '70s and '80s, ticket buying for sporting events and concerts was all about dealing with illegal scalpers; now, it's Stubhub and other sites. I actually liked the former better as I could "stick and move" in that market and, sometimes, even make money; whereas, Stubhub is, effectively, a take it or leave it price.

I have no doubt that however Stubhub and others get their "exclusive" deals is either corrupt or legal but ugly/dirty, but what the public sees is a "cleaner" less corrupt feeling marketplace for tickets.

Similarly, electronics today is more a mass market "take our transparent price or not" marketplace from reasonably reputable dealers for the retail consumer versus the '70s an '80s when you negotiated everything with "dealers"(at least in NYC) where you never really knew if the stuff was legit or stolen. Now, it's Best Buy, Target, etc. and you pay the price (always marked down a few times on some amorphous "sale") listed to a smiling clerk (or online) who would have no idea how to negotiate a price even if the company allowed him to.

Even proprietor-owned clothing stores had some negotiating room and, sometimes, some questionable ways of getting merchandise back then (which they hinted to you was a way they got "value" for you); today, again, you take the price and, my guess, the mass market chains do all the dirty dealing further up the food chain, but what the public sees is a reasonably "clean" transaction.

I have no doubt all the corruption is still there; it just seems that the public "interface" has been scrubbed a bit clean these days.
 
Last edited:

LizzieMaine

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A voting racket in which hundreds of persons who failed to enroll by last November would be permitted to vote in the April 3rd primary in three Brooklyn Assembly Districts in which there are contested Democratic races has been uncovered by the Board of Elections. An affadavit filed in Brooklyn Supreme Court by Elections Commissioner Charles A. Livingston states that the scheme revolves around fraudulent claims of illness which caused those persons to be unable to register by the November deadline. The scheme came to light with a lawsuit filed by Morris Marmorstein of 882 Lafayette Avenue who demanded to be shown cause why he should not be permitted to enroll as a Democratic voter in order to vote in the primary in the 6th Assembly District. Investigation revealed 476 other persons making similar claims of having been ill and unable to register before the November 1st deadline. 81 such claims come from persons giving addresses in the 6th A. D. in the Stuyvesant district, while 25 claims were filed by person residing in the 23rd A. D. in Brownsville. At least one of the addresses given upon investigation proved to be that of a vacant lot. Commissioner Livingston, noting the hundreds of claims of illness, observed that "vital statistics do not show any such startling epidemic in Kings County in 1939."

The_Brooklyn_Daily_Eagle_Tue__Feb_20__1940_.jpg

Detectives are looking for a link between the mysterious suicide of a wealthy Long Island art collector and a lead-pipe assault against his former associate in the operation of a Manhattan art gallery. John T. Geery, age 49, shot and killed himself at his home in Garden City last night, just after a pipe-wielding attacker struck 49-year-old Milton R. Logan. Geery and Logan were associated in the operation of the now-defunct American Art Association-Anderson Galleries in Manhattan, which closed last year after the two were indicted on charges of defrauding art buyers out of $65,000. Geery and Logan were free on $5000 bail each pending trial on those charges. Before his suicide, Geery told his wife that the two men had cocktails yesterday afternoon at the Savarain Restaurant on Broadway in the company of Geery's attorney, Herman Plaut. After the attorney left, Geery told Logan he had to meet his wife to celebrate their anniversary at the Waldorf-Astoria, and the two men left the restaurant on foot. Along the way they met a friend of Logan's who offered them a ride. Police say that Geery told his wife before his suicidethat this friend asked him to take over driving, and that this man sat in the back seat of the car with Logan. Geery told his wife he heard a swishing sound, and heard Logan cry out in pain. The man then struck Geery, a scuffle ensued, and Geery leaped out of the car. He told his wife that he took a taxicab to the Waldorf-Astoria and upon his arrival there called Attorney Plaut and the police to report the assault. Geery was told to report to the police department to give a full account of what happened -- but instead he went home to Garden City and shot himself.

Logan, however, gave a very different story. Logan stated that he and Geery left their Manhattan offices about 6:15 pm and went to visit a used car dealer at 145 Columbia Heights about a real estate deal. They got into a car with a man Logan didn't know, and with Geery driving, took a drive up 5th Street, with Logan seated next to him and the third man in the back. He then described the attack, and noted that he fell out of the car and managed to notice the license number before falling into unconsciousness. Logan was later picked up by police wandering aimlessly on the East River Drive. Police traced the car to John Poggi of 141 Alter Avenue, New Dorp, Staten Island, and upon investigation observed bloodstains in the back seat and found a lead pipe wrapped with tape. Logan described the man who attacked him as "apparently Irish," about 35 years old, 5 feet 6 inches tall, about 175 pounds, wearing a dark overcoat and a cap.

The prosecution in the case of Dr. Abraham Ditchick is demanding to know the source of an apparent leak that provided information to the defense. Assistant Attorney General John H. Amen says that Albert A. Buchholz of the Medical Grievance Board received a letter yesterday from former Grievance Board investigator Philip Blau -- and that somehow defense counsel Milton Hertz learned about this letter before Amen himself did, questioning Buchholz about it while the witness was on the stand. Under questioning from Amen, Buchholz stated that he had mentioned the letter to five other members of the Medical Grievance Board. Buchholz also testified that it was he who removed Blau from the roster of board investigators in 1936 after learning that Blau had a criminal record dating back to 1930. He stated that Blau, in his letter, attempted to "set him straight" on matters published in the newspapers after his own testimony, and to express that he, Blau, had always had the "highest personal regard" for Buchholz.

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(Rental bathing suits? Ew.)

President Roosevelt got a sunburn while combining pleasure with business during his inspection tour of the Panama Canal. The President got in some fishing while on the trip, but most of his time was spent discussing defense possibilities for the Pacific Canal Zone. The President also told reporters that there was nothing to any reports that he planned to rendezvous with European leaders during his voyage.

Former Brooklyn District Attorney William Gehogan will return to private law practice, operating from an office at 32 Court Street. The former DA states that his practice will focus on general law with an emphasis on estates, and that he will also be available to act as an advisor and trial counsel in some criminal cases. He stressed, however, that he will not consult on any case that was pending before the District Attorney's office during his tenure in that post.

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Is that supposed to be George or Martha? It's so hard to tell. Anyway, after you're done toasting, why not try these exciting recipe ideas:

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("Can't do it," says Sally. "All we got is Rheingold.")

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No beer soup for you!

"Gone With The Wind" is now in its third week at Loew's Metropolitan with no sign of a letup in the crowds. Reserved seats for evening and Sunday matinee performances are available thru February 28th.

For all you rattle-brained hepcats, this one deserves to be given in full --

The_Brooklyn_Daily_Eagle_Tue__Feb_20__1940_(5).jpg


(Kay Kyser outdrawing Benny Goodman? Sure, Benny's got Charlie Christian in his prime, but hey -- he's no Ish Kabibble.)

Young Harold Reese got his first fielding workout down in Clearwater today, and onlookers stopped to watch in awe as the prize rookie of the Dodger camp made astounding plays with ease and grace. Working in an ad-hoc infield filled out by Babe Phelps at first, Pete Reiser at second, and Roy Cullenbine at third, Reese took every chance hit his way -- running down grounders like a hound, and displaying a rifle arm. "You haven't seen anything yet," said Larry MacPhail, who shelled out more than $60,000 in cash and players to pry the boy they call "Peewee" loose from the Boston Red Sox organization. Conclusion of those watching the drill: Reese plays shortstop like Padrewski plays the piano.

Ethel Barrymore stars as "Anne Royall" on the "Cavalcade of America," tonight at 9pm over WJZ.

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Jeez, Peggy. Act your age. You haven't been a gushing seventeen-year-old schoolgirl for, what, seventeen years?

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As long as you don't try working a dopey eighteen-year-old boy, you'll do all right.

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Is he George Arliss -- or is he Lionel Atwill? It's so hard to keep track.
 

LizzieMaine

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And in the Daily News...

Daily_News_Tue__Feb_20__1940_.jpg

The News didn't like Gehogan when he was DA, and they still don't like him now that he's an ex-DA. And I don't imagine that Mr. Gehogan, down there in his fine new Court Street office, likes the News very much this morning either.

Daily_News_Tue__Feb_20__1940_(1).jpg

On the other hand, the News loves Mr. Barrymore very very much, and will miss him terribly once he's gone.

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Very funny, Mr. Gehogan.

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Mr. Gehogan also doesn't think much of "Little Orphan Annie."

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I don't know what Mama finds more shocking here -- Mazie's reappearance, or the fact that Mazie reappeared wearing a feathered eggplant.

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I'm amazed Tracy can feel the fever, being so ice cold.

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The apple clearly doesn't fall far from the tree.

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First rule of gun safety? Treat every gun as if it were loaded. First rule of broadcasting? Treat every mic as if it were open.

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"That's nice. Hey Emmy, speaking of food, we gonna have that beer soup tonight?"

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A model? Is that what they're calling it now?
 
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A voting racket in which hundreds of persons who failed to enroll by last November would be permitted to vote in the April 3rd primary in three Brooklyn Assembly Districts in which there are contested Democratic races has been uncovered by the Board of Elections. An affadavit filed in Brooklyn Supreme Court by Elections Commissioner Charles A. Livingston states that the scheme revolves around fraudulent claims of illness which caused those persons to be unable to register by the November deadline. The scheme came to light with a lawsuit filed by Morris Marmorstein of 882 Lafayette Avenue who demanded to be shown cause why he should not be permitted to enroll as a Democratic voter in order to vote in the primary in the 6th Assembly District. Investigation revealed 476 other persons making similar claims of having been ill and unable to register before the November 1st deadline. 81 such claims come from persons giving addresses in the 6th A. D. in the Stuyvesant district, while 25 claims were filed by person residing in the 23rd A. D. in Brownsville. At least one of the addresses given upon investigation proved to be that of a vacant lot. Commissioner Livingston, noting the hundreds of claims of illness, observed that "vital statistics do not show any such startling epidemic in Kings County in 1939."....

Nothing is new.


... The_Brooklyn_Daily_Eagle_Tue__Feb_20__1940_.jpg
Detectives are looking for a link between the mysterious suicide of a wealthy Long Island art collector and a lead-pipe assault against his former associate in the operation of a Manhattan art gallery. John T. Geery, age 49, shot and killed himself at his home in Garden City last night, just after a pipe-wielding attacker struck 49-year-old Milton R. Logan. Geery and Logan were associated in the operation of the now-defunct American Art Association-Anderson Galleries in Manhattan, which closed last year after the two were indicted on charges of defrauding art buyers out of $65,000. Geery and Logan were free on $5000 bail each pending trial on those charges. Before his suicide, Geery told his wife that the two men had cocktails yesterday afternoon at the Savarain Restaurant on Broadway in the company of Geery's attorney, Herman Plaut. After the attorney left, Geery told Logan he had to meet his wife to celebrate their anniversary at the Waldorf-Astoria, and the two men left the restaurant on foot. Along the way they met a friend of Logan's who offered them a ride. Police say that Geery told his wife before his suicidethat this friend asked him to take over driving, and that this man sat in the back seat of the car with Logan. Geery told his wife he heard a swishing sound, and heard Logan cry out in pain. The man then struck Geery, a scuffle ensued, and Geery leaped out of the car. He told his wife that he took a taxicab to the Waldorf-Astoria and upon his arrival there called Attorney Plaut and the police to report the assault. Geery was told to report to the police department to give a full account of what happened -- but instead he went home to Garden City and shot himself.

Logan, however, gave a very different story. Logan stated that he and Geery left their Manhattan offices about 6:15 pm and went to visit a used car dealer at 145 Columbia Heights about a real estate deal. They got into a car with a man Logan didn't know, and with Geery driving, took a drive up 5th Street, with Logan seated next to him and the third man in the back. He then described the attack, and noted that he fell out of the car and managed to notice the license number before falling into unconsciousness. Logan was later picked up by police wandering aimlessly on the East River Drive. Police traced the car to John Poggi of 141 Alter Avenue, New Dorp, Staten Island, and upon investigation observed bloodstains in the back seat and found a lead pipe wrapped with tape. Logan described the man who attacked him as "apparently Irish," about 35 years old, 5 feet 6 inches tall, about 175 pounds, wearing a dark overcoat and a cap.....

This story is only getting started and it looks to be a good one.


... he's no Ish Kabibble.....

Had a very vague memory of that name, so I Googled it and here's something I didn't expect (from Wikipedia):

"In his 1989 autobiography, [Merwyn] Bogue explained his stage name, which he took from the lyrics of one of his comedic songs, "Isch ga-bibble."

So, you're born Merwyn Bogue and you change your name to Isi Kabibble. I get it; it's a career move, but still...


... The_Brooklyn_Daily_Eagle_Tue__Feb_20__1940_(6).jpg Jeez, Peggy. Act your age. You haven't been a gushing seventeen-year-old schoolgirl for, what, seventeen years?....

I only have some of the backstory, but my take is Hartford is the "one" who Peggy is destructively stuck on...hard. Some men get stuck on women and vice versa; we've all seen it in our lives - friends who just can't let someone else - even though they've been treated badly (several times) by them - go. I know one guy who, literally, wrecked his very good career and finances over one women over a decade and no matter what she did to him - and no matter how his friends tried to get him to see it - he just couldn't let her go even when she married (and destroyed) another man.


... The_Brooklyn_Daily_Eagle_Tue__Feb_20__1940_(7).jpg As long as you don't try working a dopey eighteen-year-old boy, you'll do all right.....

"Dale Allen" are being pretty blatant with their politics the past several days. Leona needs to get a job fast, but also to think about how she can best leverage her looks and past connections - legally and decently, it can be done.


... Daily_News_Tue__Feb_20__1940_.jpg
The News didn't like Gehogan when he was DA, and they still don't like him now that he's an ex-DA. And I don't imagine that Mr. Gehogan, down there in his fine new Court Street office, likes the News very much this morning either....

And again, they should provide a scorecard with this story.


... View attachment 214724
On the other hand, the News loves Mr. Barrymore very very much, and will miss him terribly once he's gone....

Pretty close to needing a scorecard here to, to keep Mr. Barrymore's wives, ex-wives and payments straight.


... Daily_News_Tue__Feb_20__1940_(4).jpg I don't know what Mama finds more shocking here -- Mazie's reappearance, or the fact that Mazie reappeared wearing a feathered eggplant....

"that homely hash-slinger" nice.


... Daily_News_Tue__Feb_20__1940_(7).jpg First rule of gun safety? Treat every gun as if it were loaded. First rule of broadcasting? Treat every mic as if it were open....

And "Terry and the Pirates" tries to take back first place from "Little Orphan Annie" in the interesting-story comic-strip race.

Pat can handle Cheery (think of Bogey taking the gun from Elisha Cook Jr. in "The Maltese Falcon"), but Singh-Singh and his army coming back will be a real problem.


... Daily_News_Tue__Feb_20__1940_(9).jpg A model? Is that what they're calling it now?

Not to put too fine a point on it, but technically, so far, she's more of a grifter than an oldest-profession girl, at least as far as our boy is concerned.
 

LizzieMaine

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Two guys open an art gallery, con some sucker out of $65,000 with phony paintings, and then one of them gets beaten up by a hood and the other commits suicide. Nope, nothin' suspicious going on there.

The art world of today still contains such types. They're just much smoother about it.

Peggy came pretty close in 1930 to marrying a wealthy adventurer named Montgomery El Dorado, who looked exactly like Hartford Oakdale except that he was bald. Turns out he was Hartford's uncle, who hated his wastrel nephew and tried to cut him out of the picture by having him sent to Peru on a pointless errand where he would hopefully get killed. Hartford figured out what was going on and outfoxed the old man -- and in the process discovered the real story: Uncle Monty had tried to kill Hartford as a small child by throwing him off a boat, but the boy survived, was adopted, and forgot all about his real identity. Hartford brought all this to Peggy's attention, putting an end to the wedding plans, and infuriating Jo, who had been pushing hard for the marriage and she assumed the story was just another Oakdale con game. But for once in his life, Hartford was telling the truth, and he milked it for all it was worth. Meanwhile, George had gotten the whole story from his Uncle Pontoon, who had had unsatisfactory business dealings with El Dorado years ago, and knew what had really happened -- and the whole affair raised Oakdale in his estimation as well.

Hartford lives a charmed life, and Peggy has been blinded by his brassy shine for nearly twenty years. It's a sad story when you think of it, and you can certainly understand why Jo hates him so. As far as I can remember, El Dorado is still floating around out there somewhere, and it would be only too too perfect if somehow Jo runs across him and sics him on his dear nephew.

I can't imagine it would be too hard for Louie to track Leona down. He saw her at the club, and at the very least all the other dancers, the choreographer, and Milt Lewis all knew she was there. And even if her name wasn't written down in Sam's records anywhere, the choreographer, at the very least -- a man with no love for Mr. Lupeen -- would know how to reach her. All that being so, I'm surprised she's still walking around.

I love Harold's dopey puppy dog face in panel one there. He used to look at Lillums like that, which suggests that three weeks after leaving home he's completely forgotten why he left.
 
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Two guys open an art gallery, con some sucker out of $65,000 with phony paintings, and then one of them gets beaten up by a hood and the other commits suicide. Nope, nothin' suspicious going on there.

The art world of today still contains such types. They're just much smoother about it.

Peggy came pretty close in 1930 to marrying a wealthy adventurer named Montgomery El Dorado, who looked exactly like Hartford Oakdale except that he was bald. Turns out he was Hartford's uncle, who hated his wastrel nephew and tried to cut him out of the picture by having him sent to Peru on a pointless errand where he would hopefully get killed. Hartford figured out what was going on and outfoxed the old man -- and in the process discovered the real story: Uncle Monty had tried to kill Hartford as a small child by throwing him off a boat, but the boy survived, was adopted, and forgot all about his real identity. Hartford brought all this to Peggy's attention, putting an end to the wedding plans, and infuriating Jo, who had been pushing hard for the marriage and she assumed the story was just another Oakdale con game. But for once in his life, Hartford was telling the truth, and he milked it for all it was worth. Meanwhile, George had gotten the whole story from his Uncle Pontoon, who had had unsatisfactory business dealings with El Dorado years ago, and knew what had really happened -- and the whole affair raised Oakdale in his estimation as well.

Hartford lives a charmed life, and Peggy has been blinded by his brassy shine for nearly twenty years. It's a sad story when you think of it, and you can certainly understand why Jo hates him so. As far as I can remember, El Dorado is still floating around out there somewhere, and it would be only too too perfect if somehow Jo runs across him and sics him on his dear nephew.

I can't imagine it would be too hard for Louie to track Leona down. He saw her at the club, and at the very least all the other dancers, the choreographer, and Milt Lewis all knew she was there. And even if her name wasn't written down in Sam's records anywhere, the choreographer, at the very least -- a man with no love for Mr. Lupeen -- would know how to reach her. All that being so, I'm surprised she's still walking around.

I love Harold's dopey puppy dog face in panel one there. He used to look at Lillums like that, which suggests that three weeks after leaving home he's completely forgotten why he left.

Sounds as if Peggy is "that girl" stuck, destructively, on the wrong guy. Sometimes it is what it is - people, sadly, have a right to ruin their own lives; it's just very hard to watch. And that's some neat background on HO. Also, "Montgomery El Dorado," really!? It's kinda an awesome and horrible name at the same time.

I agree, Louie can find Leona in a heartbeat. She should move on from that because if he wants her dead, she's dead; hence, it's not worth worrying about and she should just take the best job she can get by leveraging her looks and name.
 

LizzieMaine

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Between thirty and forty Russian bombs fell today on the Swedish town of Pajala, on the Finnish frontier, but while multiple fires were reported there were no casualties. Authorities in Stockholm are reported to consider the bombing accidental, as was an earlier incident over the Kallaks Islands in January, but it is expected to add "new complications" to the question of Swedish military aid to Finland.

Meanwhile, the Soviet press today contained statements indicating that the Red Army is preparing to "break the Mannerheim Line" in a drive that "presages the end of the Finnish War." The report quotes military experts as declaring that the Mannerheim Line is as strongly fortified as the German Siegfried Line or the French Maginot Line, and that such an attack will be "a most difficult task from a military standpoinit." It is expected, based on the reports published by the Soviet news agency Tass, that the assault will focus on the Vilpuri sector of Finland, where a "quick showdown" is expected.

British men-o'-war and German ships were sighted today off the Finnish coast from Norway, even as reports from London state that 144 planes and other military supplies have been released by the British Government to Finland.

A long letter written by John T. Geery to his wife prior to his suicide reveals the accused art swindler to have been a novice in the "tough" art game, and adds further layers of complexity to the investigation of the lead-pipe assault against his former gallery partner and co-defendant Milton P. Logan. The letter, turned over first to Nassau County police and finally to Manhattan District Attorney Thomas E. Dewey, contains a detailed description of Geery's financial circumstances, which took severe damage after the once-successful insurance broker went into the art business in partnership with Logan some three years ago. The galleries operated by the two men fell into bankruptcy, and the mishandled sale of a Raphael painting on behalf of a Paris nobleman led to their indictment on a $65,000 fraud charge. Mr. Geery is reported to be of "old Brooklyn stock," and under the name of J. Tallman Geery, was often mentioned in the society pages of the late 1910s and early 1920s. A friend of Geery's reported that he had told him after his indictment, "This is a hell of a mess I've gotten into. There's a lot of things about this art business I don't know about."

The_Brooklyn_Daily_Eagle_Wed__Feb_21__1940_.jpg


Meanwhile, police are holding 45-year-old John "Red" Toggi, of 141 Alter Avenue, Staten Island as the alleged pipe-wielder who beat Milton Logan in the back seat of a car traveling up the East River Drive on Monday night. Toggi operates a newsstand in the lobby of 120 Broadway in Manhattan, the building where Geery maintained an office, and claimed he took the Staten Island Ferry after closing his stand at 6pm, and then drove straight to his home, where he spent the rest of the night. Police discarded that alibi, noting that he didn't get home until 7:15 pm, which would have given him plenty of time for an encounter with Geery and Logan. The motive of the attack on Logan, and Geery's role in the incident, if any, remain undetermined.

Three officials of an Atlantic Avenue used-car firm turned themselves in at Brooklyn Police Headquarters today on charges of grand larceny and conspiracy stemming from a plot to misappropriate city sales tax payments. Brothers Charles and Samuel Tishman of Brooklyn and Robert Rabb of the Bronx, the principals of the R&B Motor Sales Corporation, are accused of operating a tax swindle that netted them $10,000, while cheating the city out of between $80,000 and $120,000 in sales tax payments by collecting the money from customers and skimming off a share for themselves, and using forged sales records to support the false returns. The firm has been under investigation since last summer, but ceased business operations last November.

A Manhattan doctor who paid $4300 in protection money thru intermediaries to Dr. Abraham Ditchick got $2000 of it back after Dr. Ditchick's arrest on extortion charges. So testified Dr. Jacob Phillips of 110 W. 53rd Street, who told a blue-ribbon jury in Brooklyn Supreme Court that he had received notice in November 1937 that charges had been brought against him by the Medical Grievance Board, and that "as a result of information received," he paid $2000 in cash to one Ben Low, a surgical appliance dealer, and then placed $2000 "in escrow" with Dr. Charles Siegelmann of Manhattan. Dr. Phillips then testified that Dr. Ditchick confronted him about not receiving the full amount requested, he told him that he had made the payments -- but Dr. Ditchick told him that Low had not given him the money. Dr. Phillips then confronted Low, and was told that the money *had* been turned over to Dr. Ditchick, and that Low only wished he'd kept it all for himself. Dr. Phillips then investigated the purported charges, and found that there were none pending against him before the Board, but Dr. Ditchick told him that there were -- and that he would be found guilty unless he settled the matter. Dr. Phillips then testified that Dr. Ditchick offered to set him up in the abortion business as an easy way to earn the requested $1000, and he declined that offer. Dr. Phillips stated that he finally got Dr. Ditchick to agree to accept another $300, and he made that payment. Upon learning of Dr. Ditchick's arrest, Dr. Phillips stated that he went to Dr. Siegelmann and requested his "escrow money" back, and received it in two payments of $1000 each. The disposition of the remaining $2300 is unknown.

The_Brooklyn_Daily_Eagle_Wed__Feb_21__1940_(1).jpg

(It makes good soup too.)

Helen Worth agrees with letter-writer Aphrodite that it's not a good idea for a boyfriend to talk at length about former girlfriends when he's trying to be *your* boyfriend. And it's really not a good idea to go out on double dates with other couples and spend all the time snickering with the other fellow about the attributes of the other girls around the place. Helen says this is evidence of stupidity, and she advises Aphrodite to take steps to "turn the conversation to other topics."

A British seaman who was among the first to board the Nazi prison ship Altmark says the vessel was crewed by "sissies." Seaman Peter Breach, who boarded the German ship from the British destroyer Cossack, says the crew quarters were filled with perfume, shampoo, powders, and scented soaps.

The Eagle Editorialist notes that this is "Brotherhood Week," and the observation is being well-kept in Brooklyn, under the slogan "Make America Safe For Differences -- Because Differences Make Us Safe."

The_Brooklyn_Daily_Eagle_Wed__Feb_21__1940_(3).jpg

"Gay! Gay! Goo! Goo!"

The president of the Medical Society of the State of New York says the problem with the world today is that we're all crazy. Dr. Terry M. Townsend, speaking before the Kings County Medical Society last night, is that not just individual people, but all nations are prone to delusional behavior, and Americans especially so. He contended that we live under the delusion that we have "self government" in the United States, but in fact we elect representatives who are motivated only by the desire to be re-elected, and that therefore individuals allow themselves to be deluded by "plausible statements, flattery, and patronizing paternalism" into thinking that they have some say in the way the country is run. Advertising, he declared, also has a role in this, deluding Americans into thinking they are "entitled to have everything they see advertised." All of modern life, he argued, "is an attempt to escape from reality."

The_Brooklyn_Daily_Eagle_Wed__Feb_21__1940_(4).jpg


Even though rookie sensation "Peewee" Reese is tearing up training camp down in Clearwater, Dodger manager Leo Durocher expects to play at least a hundred games at shortstop in 1940, while Reese sits on the bench "to watch and learn." Lippy sat on the bench yesterday while coach Chuck Dressen hit grounder after grounder at the Louisville boy wonder, who fielded every chance without a miss until Dressen rapped a hard shot back thru second that Reese missed only by inches. While his fielding's impressive, Durocher says Reese still needs to learn a few things about hitting, noting that just like Pete Coscarart, he needs to catch on to how to poke outside pitches into right field. "He'll never lead the league in hitting," predicts Leo, "but he has a chance to be a better hitter than I ever was."

("*I* got a chance to be a better hitter than he ever was," says Sally, as Joe, without opening his eyes, nods in agreement.)

The_Brooklyn_Daily_Eagle_Wed__Feb_21__1940_(5).jpg

(Wait, they've got DINOSAURS???)

Fred Allen will revisit the setting of one of his most memorable Broadway sketches when he presents "Admiral Allen at the South Pole, or 'Gone With The Penguins'" on his broadcast next Wednesday. The Person Your Didn't Expect to Meet will be David Ludmirror, one of the caretakers of the Statue of Liberty.

Tonight, Mr. Allen will present Baby Barbara, world-famous six-year-old xylophone virtuoso, 9pm over WEAF.

The_Brooklyn_Daily_Eagle_Wed__Feb_21__1940_(6).jpg
"Gown? I wouldn't wear a potato sack for that brazen Oakdale fake."

The_Brooklyn_Daily_Eagle_Wed__Feb_21__1940_(7).jpg
Who's the guy in the cap and checkered coat? Bill, who just happens to be passing by? One of Bonetti's thugs? Or is it -- Leona's future husband?

The_Brooklyn_Daily_Eagle_Wed__Feb_21__1940_(8).jpg
Poor Muggsy. He's so terrorized in that first panel that he lost forty pounds just standing there.
 

LizzieMaine

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And in the Daily News...

Daily_News_Wed__Feb_21__1940_.jpg
A typical day in 1940. I'll say this for the News, you sure do get a lot for your two pennies.

Daily_News_Wed__Feb_21__1940_(1).jpg
"Coming events cast their shadows before..."

Daily_News_Wed__Feb_21__1940_(2).jpg
"Y'know," thinks John, "maybe I should just open up a nice little gas station..."

Daily_News_Wed__Feb_21__1940_(3).jpg
Hahahahahahahahahaha!

Daily_News_Wed__Feb_21__1940_(4).jpg
OK, bright boy. Let's see you get out of this one.

Daily_News_Wed__Feb_21__1940_(5).jpg
You better figure out something there, Doc -- Tracy's about to blow.

Daily_News_Wed__Feb_21__1940_(6).jpg
"And the first thing you can do is get a new light bulb for my office."

Daily_News_Wed__Feb_21__1940_(7).jpg
Gee-Gee says "I don't have to outrun that hood who's chasing us -- I just have to out run *you.*"

Daily_News_Wed__Feb_21__1940_(8).jpg
If you're really over her, kid, why did you just sew your pants to your undershorts?
 
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...A long letter written by John T. Geery to his wife prior to his suicide reveals the accused art swindler to have been a novice in the "tough" art game, and adds further layers of complexity to the investigation of the lead-pipe assault against his former gallery partner and co-defendant Milton P. Logan. The letter, turned over first to Nassau County police and finally to Manhattan District Attorney Thomas E. Dewey, contains a detailed description of Geery's financial circumstances, which took severe damage after the once-successful insurance broker went into the art business in partnership with Logan some three years ago. The galleries operated by the two men fell into bankruptcy, and the mishandled sale of a Raphael painting on behalf of a Paris nobleman led to their indictment on a $65,000 fraud charge. Mr. Geery is reported to be of "old Brooklyn stock," and under the name of J. Tallman Geery, was often mentioned in the society pages of the late 1910s and early 1920s. A friend of Geery's reported that he had told him after his indictment, "This is a hell of a mess I've gotten into. There's a lot of things about this art business I don't know about."

View attachment 214928

Meanwhile, police are holding 45-year-old John "Red" Toggi, of 141 Alter Avenue, Staten Island as the alleged pipe-wielder who beat Milton Logan in the back seat of a car traveling up the East River Drive on Monday night. Toggi operates a newsstand in the lobby of 120 Broadway in Manhattan, the building where Geery maintained an office, and claimed he took the Staten Island Ferry after closing his stand at 6pm, and then drove straight to his home, where he spent the rest of the night. Police discarded that alibi, noting that he didn't get home until 7:15 pm, which would have given him plenty of time for an encounter with Geery and Logan. The motive of the attack on Logan, and Geery's role in the incident, if any, remain undetermined.....

120 Broadway, where Poggi operates a newsstand, was the first building in Manhattan to occupy a full city block and, coincidentally, the first building I worked in out of college in '85. It is an incredible, awesome, impressive behemoth of building with numerous newsstands in both the lobby and the "lower arcade" (a bunch of stores one level below the lobby, but also where there is direct access to the subway - 120 Broadway was and still is a very well thought out and designed building).
26BLOCKS1-articleLarge.jpg


... The_Brooklyn_Daily_Eagle_Wed__Feb_21__1940_(3).jpg
"Gay! Gay! Goo! Goo!"....

And we have an example of why stars get paid so much money. I'd see both of those movies, even though the first one has no appeal to me, just because of Priscilla Lane and the second one, which sounds okay, because of Margaret Lindsay and, well, there was no TV or Internet, so what else was there to do. Lane first, Lindsay second:
u-g-PQDM5A0.jpg unnamed-23.jpg


...The president of the Medical Society of the State of New York says the problem with the world today is that we're all crazy. Dr. Terry M. Townsend, speaking before the Kings County Medical Society last night, is that not just individual people, but all nations are prone to delusional behavior, and Americans especially so. He contended that we live under the delusion that we have "self government" in the United States, but in fact we elect representatives who are motivated only by the desire to be re-elected, and that therefore individuals allow themselves to be deluded by "plausible statements, flattery, and patronizing paternalism" into thinking that they have some say in the way the country is run. Advertising, he declared, also has a role in this, deluding Americans into thinking they are "entitled to have everything they see advertised." All of modern life, he argued, "is an attempt to escape from reality."....

Today's "nothing is new" entry.


...("*I* got a chance to be a better hitter than he ever was," says Sally, as Joe, without opening his eyes, nods in agreement.)....

:)


... The_Brooklyn_Daily_Eagle_Wed__Feb_21__1940_(5).jpg
(Wait, they've got DINOSAURS???)....

:). Good to see our friend from Sinclair branching out a bit - it's always smart to keep your career options open.


... The_Brooklyn_Daily_Eagle_Wed__Feb_21__1940_(6).jpg "Gown? I wouldn't wear a potato sack for that brazen Oakdale fake."....

And Jo's got to ride out to the event with Hartford. Tuthill's moved on from a knife and he's now attaching electrodes to Jo's temples.


... View attachment 214941 A typical day in 1940. I'll say this for the News, you sure do get a lot for your two pennies....

And we have the bigamist and all his previously married / not-married wives as our "needs a scorecard" entry for today.

Also, "I'm no bigamist:" things have clearly gone wrong when you even need to utter those words in your defense.


... Daily_News_Wed__Feb_21__1940_(2).jpg "Y'know," thinks John, "maybe I should just open up a nice little gas station..."...

Again, it's time for John to man-up or get out.


... Daily_News_Wed__Feb_21__1940_(4).jpg OK, bright boy. Let's see you get out of this one....

And right in the middle of retreating from the fake attack and planing a new attack and all the other crazy going on, Singh-Singh is still thinking about sex.


... Daily_News_Wed__Feb_21__1940_(5).jpg You better figure out something there, Doc -- Tracy's about to blow....

This disaster is all on Tracy.


... Daily_News_Wed__Feb_21__1940_(6).jpg "And the first thing you can do is get a new light bulb for my office."...

:)
 

LizzieMaine

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Finland has summoned men born in 1894 and 1895 to military service, tapping their last reserves in hopes of stemming the Russian advance thru the Mannerheim Line. The call-up means that all Finnish men between the ages of 22 and 60 are liable for military duty, and many of those who had been rejected for medical reasons have been re-summoned for new examinations. Meanwhile, a Finnish communique denies a Russian report that Soviet forces have taken the railroad station at Kamara, about four miles from Vilpuri. The communique estimates Russian losses in that battle at 2000 men.

German planes renewed their attacks on British coastal shipping today, but ran into a powerful counterattack that brought down two Henkel bombers and drove the assault back to its home base. The Admirality's new policy of equipping all coastal vessels with anti-aircraft guns was seen as a success on the basis of the counterattack.

The_Brooklyn_Daily_Eagle_Thu__Feb_22__1940_.jpg

The annual Washington's Birthday parade by Brooklyn's old-time volunteer firemen stepped off today on schedule, after nearly being cancelled in the face of a city-wide economy drive that had cut off funding to pay for the bands. Local fundraising carried the day, with Brooklyn American Legion posts contributing to cover that expense. Acting Borough President Arthur R. Ebel presided at the reviewing stand in the absence of Borough President Raymond Ingersoll, who is recovering from recent surgery. Among the ancient fire vehicles in the parade was an old hand pumper owned by the Flatbush Volunteer Firemen's Association, and an old hose cart pulled by vamps from Woodhaven.

Chinese president Chiang Kai-Shek has been drawn into the investigation of the suicide of art dealer John T. Geery and the lead-pipe beating of his business partner Milton B. Logan. Police have learned that Geary and Logan had recently arranged a $30,000,000 deal with Generalissimo Chiang to import Chinese art objects for resale in the United States in order to raise funds for Chinese defense against Japan. A former German naval officer by the name of Eckelman was reported to be the middleman arranging the deal, which was apparently never actually carried out. Geery and Logan reportedly hoped that their commissions from this deal would help keep their struggling enterprise afloat. Police have also learned that last June, Geery took out life insurance policies totalling $150,000 on Logan, with himself named as beneficiary. Geery himself also carried $150,000 in life insurance, but borrowing against the policies had reduced their value to $100,000.

Police in Nassau County yesterday pulled from the icy waters of Reynold Channel the battered body of a sixty-eight year old dealer in cheap jewelry, and are searching for his killer. The body of Samuel Rappaport of Long Beach was pulled from the water with his head bashed in and his hands broken, with a wad of chamois stuffed into his mouth, a scarf tied tightly around his neck, and his arms bound to his body with his own suspenders. A passerby had discovered a sack heavily loaded with cheap trinkets about half a mile from where the body was discovered. Police theorize that the killer expected to find expensive gems in the bag instead of trinketry.

The last eight American citizens held as war prisoners in Spain have been released, according to a report from the State Department . The eight will sail for the United States aboard the Extria tomorrow.

The_Brooklyn_Daily_Eagle_Thu__Feb_22__1940_-1.jpg


The_Brooklyn_Daily_Eagle_Thu__Feb_22__1940_-2.jpg

(Take your pick.)

The President of Brooklyn College is under fire from students for crossing a picket line at Paul's Clam Bar, just north of the campus at 2178 Nostrand Avenue. Dr. Harry Gideonese outraged campus supporters of a strike by Local 235 of the Cooks and Countermen's Union by declaring that the restaurant has nothing to do with the college, and he'll eat where he pleases. Brooklyn College students have been marching with the pickets outside the establishment, and criticized Dr. Gideonese for crossing the line.

Now showing at the Patio, it's Charles Laughton in "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," and Lupe Velez and Leon Errol in "Mexican Spitfire." Something for everyone.

The_Brooklyn_Daily_Eagle_Thu__Feb_22__1940_-3.jpg
(Go see Cass Daley. She's louder than Martha Raye, and she's funnier too.)

The_Brooklyn_Daily_Eagle_Thu__Feb_22__1940_-4.jpg

(I once bought a car like this.)

The "Crime Does Not Pay" lecturer was back in court yesterday, after making a miraculous recovery from the arthritis that had confined him to a stretcher during his most recent appearance before the bench. 43-year-old Joseph Gordon, who was allowed to plead guilty to a lesser charge of petty larceny last week before Judge Franklin Taylor, this time faces another forgery charge for having passed a fraudulent check for $6 in the name of George T. McManus, the cartoonist who draws "Bringing Up Father." Gordon will also face an indictment for abandoning his wife.

Fifteen states will elect their delegates to the upcoming political party conventions by secret-ballot primaries this year, starting with New Hampshire on March 12th. New York's primaries will be held on April 2nd. The remaining states choose their delegates at party conventions, or thru committees with no direct voter participation.

The Dodgers have had their share of "clubhouse lawyers," but this year there's an actual member-of-the-bar competing for a spot on the roster. Pitcher Sam Nahem studied law at St. John's College after earning a degree at Brooklyn College, and graduating from New Utrecht High School, where he was an outstanding varsity hurler.

Giants star pitcher Carl Hubbell says the Dodgers are a second-place team in 1940 -- but he picks his own club to finish fifth. The Meal Ticket chooses the Cardinals as pennant winners, with the Reds coming up third.

Baby Snooks celebrates her seventh birthday on the Maxwell House Good News broadcast tonight at 9pm over WEAF. Fannie Brice introduced her rambunctious brat in the Ziegfeld Follies on February 22, 1933, in a sketch parodying the famous tale of George Washington's cherry tree. Brice will recreate that sketch on the air tonight, with Hanley Stafford as long-suffering Daddy.

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I hope for everyone's sake that this car has a rumble seat.

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"Dad Gummert?" Does that mean Random Cap Guy is named "Daw Gunnit?"

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"He's going to raid some house. Don't bother me with your trivial crap, Dunn!" snarls the Chief as he goes back to sleep with his feet on the desk and a copy of "Spicy Detective Stories" over his face.
 

LizzieMaine

Bartender
Messages
32,958
Location
Where The Tourists Meet The Sea
And in the Daily News...
Daily_News_Thu__Feb_22__1940_.png

"Woman Driver." How 'bout the other two? Are they "Man Drivers?" Anyway, she probably won't be getting her AAA Honor Member certificate this year.

Daily_News_Thu__Feb_22__1940_.jpg

I wonder if they could have gotten Walter F. O'Malley on a charge of desecrating a cemetery?

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And Annie just lurks in the shadows. Everything is going according to plan.

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Bim is so cool he can blow a smoke ring without even having the cigar in his mouth.

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Y'know, this would be a good time for Terry and the Dragon Lady and the rest of the entourage to show up.

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Tracy gets frustrated when he can't get treatment outside his HMO network.

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"Dumb high-hatting boneheadedness." "Intellectual somnolence." Mr Wumple doesn't haze the staff very often, so he's just ad-libbing it.

Daily_News_Thu__Feb_22__1940_-6.jpg
Emmy's old standby catchphrase has always been "I'll smack your sassy face!" but she's trying out new material today. "Your company is strictly non-habit forming" is a nice try, but doesn't quite have the same snap.

Daily_News_Thu__Feb_22__1940_-7.jpg

You've got him hooked, now reel him in.
 
Messages
16,813
Location
New York City
...
The_Brooklyn_Daily_Eagle_Thu__Feb_22__1940_.jpg
The annual Washington's Birthday parade by Brooklyn's old-time volunteer firemen stepped off today on schedule, after nearly being cancelled in the face of a city-wide economy drive that had cut off funding to pay for the bands. Local fundraising carried the day, with Brooklyn American Legion posts contributing to cover that expense. Acting Borough President Arthur R. Ebel presided at the reviewing stand in the absence of Borough President Raymond Ingersoll, who is recovering from recent surgery. Among the ancient fire vehicles in the parade was an old hand pumper owned by the Flatbush Volunteer Firemen's Association, and an old hose cart pulled by vamps from Woodhaven.....

A quick Googling of the word reveals that "vamp" has several meanings: okay, that pic and story now make sense.


...Chinese president Chiang Kai-Shek has been drawn into the investigation of the suicide of art dealer John T. Geery and the lead-pipe beating of his business partner Milton B. Logan. Police have learned that Geary and Logan had recently arranged a $30,000,000 deal with Generalissimo Chiang to import Chinese art objects for resale in the United States in order to raise funds for Chinese defense against Japan. A former German naval officer by the name of Eckelman was reported to be the middleman arranging the deal, which was apparently never actually carried out. Geery and Logan reportedly hoped that their commissions from this deal would help keep their struggling enterprise afloat. Police have also learned that last June, Geery took out life insurance policies totalling $150,000 on Logan, with himself named as beneficiary. Geery himself also carried $150,000 in life insurance, but borrowing against the policies had reduced their value to $100,000.....

Wait, what? I knew this story had potential, but this is an unexpected twist. And if the connect to president Chiang Kai-Shek wasn't enough, it was brokered by a German naval officer - WWII all in one corrupt little New York art gallery.


...Now showing at the Patio, it's Charles Laughton in "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," and Lupe Velez and Leon Errol in "Mexican Spitfire." Something for everyone.....

Outstanding version of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame;" well worth keeping an eye out for the next time it runs on TCM.


... The_Brooklyn_Daily_Eagle_Thu__Feb_22__1940_-5.jpg I hope for everyone's sake that this car has a rumble seat....

And Tuthill set the dial to 2 to try a small zap of Jo's electrodes today - really just to see if everything is working / more voltage to come.


... The_Brooklyn_Daily_Eagle_Thu__Feb_22__1940_-6.jpg "Dad Gummert?" Does that mean Random Cap Guy is named "Daw Gunnit?"....

Leona is showing some real character and grit - washing dishes for eight or ten hours a day will test both of those - but if she'd throw some brain power into that mix, she'd do better: there's untapped legal commercial value in her name and her looks.


And in the Daily News... Daily_News_Thu__Feb_22__1940_.png
"Woman Driver." How 'bout the other two? Are they "Man Drivers?" Anyway, she probably won't be getting her AAA Honor Member certificate this year.....

I thought all three cars had fled. Man or woman driver, glad to see at least two of them stopped.


... Daily_News_Thu__Feb_22__1940_-1.jpg
And Annie just lurks in the shadows. Everything is going according to plan.....

That was an eerie/creepy panel with Annie. And John seems to be getting over his moral angst.


... Daily_News_Thu__Feb_22__1940_-3.jpg Y'know, this would be a good time for Terry and the Dragon Lady and the rest of the entourage to show up.....

My girlfriend and I have a rule for all TV and movie (and, now, I'll add comic strip) characters: kill whomever it is you are trying to kill when you have the chance and be quick and decisive about it (and make sure - absolutely sure - they are dead before leaving). There're no ends to the problems that crop up from these elaborate schemes to kill people slowly / in a complex manner / when the killer is not actually there in person.


... Daily_News_Thu__Feb_22__1940_-5.jpg "Dumb high-hatting boneheadedness." "Intellectual somnolence." Mr Wumple doesn't haze the staff very often, so he's just ad-libbing it.....

Ad-libbing it yes, but not particularly well - those are some muddled phrases.



... Daily_News_Thu__Feb_22__1940_-6.jpg Emmy's old standby catchphrase has always been "I'll smack your sassy face!" but she's trying out new material today. "Your company is strictly non-habit forming" is a nice try, but doesn't quite have the same snap.....

Emma's line as first written was "No not me, you idiot!"
 

LizzieMaine

Bartender
Messages
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Location
Where The Tourists Meet The Sea
A squadron of British and French warships today began a blockade of the northern Russian coast, amidst unconfirmed rumors of a skirmish with the Soviet Arctic navy. The purpose of the blockade is reportedly to prevent the shipment of Russian goods to Germany and to prevent German ships from seeking refuge in Soviet ports. Authoritative sources in London, however, refuse to discuss the blockade or its purpose.

Red Army shock troops today slammed thru snow and sleet in a climactic offensive against the Mannerheim Line near Viipuri. A Finnish communique states that Russian casualities in today's assault reached 3000.

Secretary of State Sumner Welles is expected to confer with Adolf Hitler during his upcoming European fact-finding tour. Welles is scheduled to arrive in Italy on Friday and will meet with German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop on Tuesday or Wednesday. Welles' conference with Hitler will probably occur immediately followiing his meeting with von Ribbentrop.

A twenty-three year old Brooklyn bookkeeper whose bruised body was found in a Manhattan ditch yesterday was strangled to death. The body of Frances Marks was discovered in front of 339 E. 101st Street, near the garage where she worked part time keeping books. Miss Marks, who lived in a furnished room at 1661 Carroll Street, was said to have had a "late date" which she had planned to keep after work Wednesday night, and police are said to be searching for the "Brooklyn boy friend" with whom she had made the date. Earlier today, police picked up two men for questioning, one of whom, Antonio Joseph Lazzazzaro, a thirty-eight-year-old unemployed longshoreman of 19 Prospect Place, was known to have been a "suitor of Miss Marks." Police searched Lazzazzaro's room and found nothing suspicious, and revealed that when he was questioned, Lazzazzaro said "It's all right, I've already been questioned for every crime but the Lindbergh kidnapping."

Meanwhile, Miss Marks' parents were preparing for her funeral service today, scheduled for 2pm at a Manhattan funeral chapel. Her father, Morris Marks, who operates a grocery concession at the City Market, says his daughter only "wanted to be free -- and now she is." Mr. Marks told the Eagle that Frances had left the family's flat on the East Side of Manhattan last year in hopes of finding "more pleasant surroundings" in Brooklyn, and that she had three jobs -- the bookkeeping job at night, a daytime job in a silk house, and a third job he said he didn't know anything about. Mr. Marks also stated that his daughter had no boyfriends that he knew of.

Twenty children calmly walked away from their soup and sandwiches when a fire broke out on the third floor of Public School 128, at 21st Avenue and 84th Street. The small blaze in a filing cabinet was reported by a boy on his way to the third floor lunchroom. The fire was put out by a hand extinguisher, and its origin in under investigation.

Hollywood star Alice Faye and her crooner husband Tony Martin are headed for a breakup, with Miss Faye filing divorce papers today or tomorrow. The two had eloped in 1937, drawn together by their musical careers, but with Miss Faye focusing more and more on her movie work and Mr. Martin constantly on the road with his own act, the couple found themselves, in Martin's words, "drawn apart.:

Notes scrawled in an obscure Russian script by murdered trinket salesman Samuel Rappaport will be examined by police investigating the slaying. A small black book found in Rappaport's clothing contained several pages of notes, and police are looking for a translator capable of reading the obsolete script. Rappaport's coat, overcoat, and derby hat were found in a heap at the foot of Trafalgar Road about half a mile from where his body was fished out of the water, and police say the inside of the coat was covered in bloodstains and the crown of the hat was crushed as if by a heavy blow, suggesting that the killer stripped Rappaport of his outer garments after he was dead in search of valuables. Rappaport's wristwatch, said to have been made of platinum and gold, was missing from his body, and his wedding ring had also been removed.

The_Brooklyn_Daily_Eagle_Fri__Feb_23__1940_.jpg

(Single Shoes -- Half Price!)

Dr. Abraham Ditchick allegedly told a friend that not only would he beat his current trial, now underway in Brooklyn Supreme Court, but he will also set up again "helping abortion doctors." Dr. Harry H. Fisher of Manhattan was on the witness stand today, told the court that Dr. Ditchick that Assistant Attorney General John H. Amen, who is personally prosecuting the case, "had no evidence against him."

The_Brooklyn_Daily_Eagle_Fri__Feb_23__1940_-1.jpg


Bail was refused today for John "Red" Roggi, accused in the lead pipe beating of Milton B. Logan in the "art gallery mystery case," and a Manhattan Felony Court magistrate ordered him held for a further hearing next Monday. Roggi admitted to police that he owned a tape-wrapped lead pipe found in his car, but stated that he used the pipe to catch crabs. Police also say that they have questioned a taxicab driver who told them that Roggi had approached him several times offering him money to "take Logan for a ride." Police say the cabbie, identified as Anthony Nunziato of 326 69th Street, refused the proposition when he found out the details of the plan.

Meanwhile, Logan is reported to be in "a very dangerous condition" at Bellevue Hospital with multiple fractures, abrasions, contusions and lacerations of his skull, and he remains in a state of shock. Logan was able to speak briefly with detectives, and stated that he was not aware of the $150,000 insurance policy taken out on his life by his partner John Geery, who committed suicide following the lead-pipe assault.

A 60-year-old Kosciusko Street man who demanded to know if a police patrolman was "a man or a mouse" received a suspended sentence on a disorderly conduct charge in Brooklyn-Queens Night Court. Joseph Coyle, who by his own admission "might have been carrying one or two too many" approached Patrolman Harry J. Wells yesterday at the corner of Tompkins and Myrtle Avenues and made the challenge. Magistrate Charles Ramsgate advised Mr. Coyle that Patrolman Wells is not merely a man, but a gentleman -- and he has the policeman's "good nature" to thank for his suspendend sentence.

B. E. writes to Helen Worth to support her recent advise to take the cellophane wrappers off lampshades before using them. B. E. notes that the heat from the light bulb will cause the cellophane to shrink, distorting the shape of the shade.

Hollywood columnist Hy Gardner, no doubt hoping for an orchid or two, says that Walter Winchell's Sunday night broadcast is the best news program on the air, and that when the history of this era is written, Winchell will go down in the record as "the Voice of the People when they most needed a voice."

Clifford Odets' new play "Night Music" opened this week on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre, and Arthur Pollock says that Mr. Odets "grinds slowly and pretty small" in this tale of "uneasy youth." The general thrust of the piece is that young people, instead of going into the "same old kind of war," should devote themselves to fighting for their rights, the rights of all human beings, and for a decent civilization. But Mr. Odets plays this angle cautiously, perhaps aware that his past plays have been called "propaganda," and he therefore "hides his light under a bushel." (The cast of this show includes in minor roles a couple of people who will have considerable significance to later generations: Will Lee, who will one day be grouchy candy-store operator Mr. Hooper on "Sesame Street," and Walter Cox, who will become, someday, Mr. Peepers, Underdog, a Hollywood Square, and Marlon Brando's closest friend. Who knew?)

The_Brooklyn_Daily_Eagle_Fri__Feb_23__1940_-2.jpg

("Yeah, pull that waist in another three inches. I can still breathe.")

The British Pavilion will reopen at the New York World's Fair this year, much to Grover Whalen's pleasure. Whalen announced today that a "mutual financial arrangement" has been made with the British Government to ensure the pavilion's operation over the new season, but did not reveal the details of that arrangement. Last year, more than 13,500,000 persons visited the British Pavilion.

Larry MacPhail has big ideas for the Dodgers' future in Clearwater. The Dodger president is looking into building a full-size training complex in the town, featuring in-camp permanent housing for players and staff, and extensive off-field training facilities. No major league club has such an elaborate training headquarters, and MacPhail doesn't reveal the cost of such a plan, but the Red Headed One does believe it would be better for the players than the current practice of putting them up for the spring at the Clearwater Hotel, and that it would allow more room for more players to take part in focused training exercises. (Somewhere, Branch Rickey sees this article and nods. "By Judas Priest! That's a capital idea! Capital! But MacPhail -- he has no capital!")

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It's a bit chilly inside, too.

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Dad's a good egg. I hope Bonetti doesn't shoot him.

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Oh, please, let's have the Face Eating Dog waiting at the end of the tunnel.
 

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