-b.'l. i~>uyiUL,U UXJj JJnUiliXjAO'i 1/8/33 Good Afternoon, Everybody: In Manchuria the. ” e have had a week of news that has touched upon just about every subject you could think of — Politics, Statecraft, War, Economics, Comedy, Tragedy, Human Interest, Things have blazed up in the Far East again. Japtmesa- is that 150,000 Chinese troops have been gathered in mass concentration to Bp oppose the Mikado*s forces, ^ UHtTO , thcs?'day: ^ He-nd UX"' Fge old ciiyfewJ£o sg-r-a-v-e- mtaator ■ ing —^fehe^hcrs^fe-r-o -f th e oppoS’ition, Over in Italy they are celebrat.Ing a birthday — Queen Elena^ sixty years old. The daughter of old King Nicholas of Montenegro, she was one of the stately beauties <4 >2 l ,<X^n "ZL A- O h J) tkilM^t of.-hown^Hw A K. uvk >H. <3L+4AM*1A. , ”tC<V-«L, wvwt^'XJZ- It»s the same old story in Washington — Prohibition, beer, repeal, the Senators doing the palavering. The beer bill is still before that august body and the law—makers have draped their togas around them majestically and are A. >ut aft, fad Pee-plje^^rir^everH^grvgH^ee^ t. • battling about a h 1 ddr_ to pip»! 1 -^h^-^tH^T^St-frrgTrr^TnrtYV^--; ^ A. ^ -ett« bo elal 'S&mzds- P^e sdrd^yt>~eli?-e-tHRoo^ & v e 11 —H b J'G- -take- e>ve-r—the-bj^-^eh in Mereh—e^d-^ust now-tir* ^in»lpa3>-ctu^y Ac financial.^--- - - flo*e trying ■ te■ f 1 gure -eut wha t ■ to—d-o —erbou-t-—the—&tatre —e^f •~-the~fta-^4gtrfes~~-yoe i^febook % 7C Marines left Nicaragua last week. After several -XzJaihf}- years of arg’ament. Uncle Sam has withdrawn^hls devil dogs from . V the Central American Republi:. ^^ ^ COUJ-iliJU& The outstanding event of the week, of course, and the saddes^esi*, was Coilidge. The papers have been printing reams of interesting anecdote^and interpre­ tations about the roan who so peculiarly seemed to symbolize America, especially the older, steadier^ more staid America, They have all been pointing out that being president A&Ajrm*4XfrXM*p a a - ^ interesting figures to bear this out# Xn the older and simpler is a kii^Efig/ job. The New York Herald-Tribune prints some days of the Republic, presidents lived longer. John Adams jl "7£* hi * • lived to be ninty. Jefferson, Madison and John Quincy Adams 4 y\ A all passed the ripe old age of E±±h eighty. But since the Civil War only three presidents have lived to be seventy. They Hrfre Rutherford B. Hayes, who died at seventy, Grover Cleveland seventy-one, and William Howard Taft, seventy-two. The aver­ age life span for presidents is sixty-three years. Mr. Cooliage fell three short of that mark. Onthe other hand, the White House doesn»t seem to be **^ 2 ^ such a devastating place for the wives of presidents CUUljjL^Ut* _ £ Here*s a striking, vivid fact — there is alive today in this country not one ex-President* bm there are six widows of ex-presidents. The Brooklyn Eagle tells us that they are; Mrs. Benjamin Harrison, the former Mrs. Grover Cleveland, who has remarried, Mrs. Theodore Roose­ velt, Mrs. Taft, Mrs. Wcrcragyw Wilson and Mrs. S*c£*4!* Coolidge. tion-j—••tetet—, the—wi4^-dr&--u&ually good-d ealr-yeung o p than-HHt^ ftge-eiderrb—h'i-moc 1-f-,—hut on—the othep—hand—we~ have t-he~-f?ret-^ the^-the"'dutlie^~of the FiroPHEiady-^of-—the~~iiand-are not-nearly— so- oveewhelming-j—so—shattering, ao tho^e—that-bear tdown-upee- hor*- ^ g oia^i-nh— The crop of Coolidge anecdotes continue to grow. The ex-president?s Yankee shrewdness ix, his monumental reputation for silence^ provide an inexhaustible source of humor. Hy Phillips in his column in the N.Y. Sun, <r*JL *J £aJl£k' ^ . gives his favorite Coolidge story^ It relates that Mr. Coolidge and Mr. Hoover were sitting together and were being 3 ohotographed, The movie men wanted them to tease# a bit of /\ conversation to provide sound effects. They spoke to Mr. Coolidge about it. After a few minutes Mr. Coolidge told ~6ry^. f the movie men: nNo, it*s no use, I can!t make Mr. Hoover talk”. 'iXuJr ^ —o— And then the world of music has lost one of its most colorful and diverting figures — the great pianist^DePachman, has died in Rome. The Boston Post tells us that he was an astonishing poet of the piano, and one of the most UuiXi? - 2 eccentric oi musicians. New York newspaper men s well re- mem oer that famous visit Depachinaii made here some years back. They were gathered at his hotel to interview him. The smiling, little, bald-headed man played a bit of Chopin marvelously for them. Then he took off the tattered, greasy old coat that he was wearing. "This was Chopin's coatn, he exclaimed with profound reverence and f,now gentlemen, I will give you a priceless privilege, I will allow you to kiss the coat that Chopin woreU And that gang of hard-boiled news­ paper men, one after the other, had to kiss Chopin's coat. A newspaper fcfcx friend of mine tells me of an amusing experience he had a'^onplo of . He inter­ viewed Deflachman in a restaurant. The old boy strained his soup through a tea-strainer — to keep the germs out, he said. The pianist and the reporter parted at the comer of 34th Street and Seventh Avenue. As they shook hands, De’pachman said-ss that he would allow the reporter to kiss him on his bald head, and my unfortunate newppaper ara* had to kiss the great pianist U xjiio _ g on his bald <*L<rvwje i jkwesn* at xhe corner of S4th Street and 7til Avenue. Ur u;,,u,, During the past week thereat been a revival of interest in an episode which was one of the striking event of the year five years ago — back in 1927. It IS* the A case of an attempt at a record-breaking non-stop oceanic flight that came to a mysterious close — a plane disappear­ ed, a lost aviator. It was August of 1927 that Paul Redfern took off from Glynn Isle Beach, Georgia^on what he intended to be a non-stop flight to Rio de Janeiro. The last that was seen of him was when he circled a ship off the north coast of South America. Then he vanished, nothing has been seen or heard of him since — nothing but is&tt^mmxsa& strange rumors from the depths of the South American jungles. These have caused expeditions and hunting parties to be sent out to investigate,but without result. \Aow during the past week or so mere rumors have come drifting in from the trackless green of the Amazon jungle, and once more expedi­ tions are as^Sferf^r^way to see if they can solve the mystery A* of the fate of Paul Redfern. 'B. i^-^rTV ^ jL^xnO'i>uC.Li.ui* lu Uxtu>t V V.hen I was In Pittsburgh newspaper reporters asked me if I could add any interesting fact or detail to the story of the lost aviator. I was sorry but I couldnTt help them a bit. During the past week, however, I ran across an old friend who certainly Is able to shed a good deal of light upon those jungle-drifting rumors about the vanished adventurer of the sky. o At the time of Redfern*s disappearance, the fax ~ Aviation a# the Republic of Peru was^Harold B, Grow, formerly of the TJ, S. Navy. ^Xn Peru he was L -P- ^ General Grow. It was he who ids? those first rumors about the lost *yla£og. investigate And so X have asked him to tell us something about that strange case which has come sliding Into the news again. How about it Commander Grow? If this were Peru I suppose X would say "General ’1 Grow. ^How did you happen first to pick up those weird rumors about in the Amazon jungle? o xi Is' Z: j 1\ Ul\u t < LReports just came drifting into Aviation Head— iSwc&e-A, quarters at Lima. They came from across the from the vast stretch of jungle land at the head waters of the Amazon. ^Z±3^fcra±frfcgri-nnP - --- hfeuitd-aTid-xH | grgfcgfcfa .a . [Iff deed told the tale tay-~a.--pla&t*t&m _ ___ ' plantation ownerj^B^apcaEta^' ^a3?-^n=the tntftarb bt j ij, ^~^J\a-A)^JuL-n ' ' n ovraer) gd&florteodnthat one afternoon he v, was standing in the patio of his hacienda when he was startled by a terrific roaring noise. He rushed out to the verandah of his house to see a huge thing which looked something like a bat. disappear around the bend in the river. A i? . aD Next, an Indian .-trrHr-g* how/'seven day* journey inland, he had seen an <Ar enormous monster, something like a bat, with its head buried in the sand of a riverbank. He declared that there were strange markings on the side of the giant bat and he had (JUilamHiJl-iXi UixOn tried to copy these markings. The signs that he had scrawled down resembled the characters "R-£t, which seemed to fit the markings on the Rediern plane. He reported that in the sand nearby he had seen iootprints — the footprints of shoes. The natives of those parts do not wear shoes. He declared .hat ^.ai_.er on he observed a bearded white man approach the huge thing that was like a bat. tLcally t.h&X £t was all hearsay, but it seemed to me that the rumors had too much detail to be mere invention# So I communicated with Redfernfs parents in the States, and with the assistance of the Peruvian war Depart- 3 ~btL '"S' ***+\*) ment, organized a methodicaT”searching party^" /«e picked A up the same rumor again and again, but never could xind exuher the plantation owner or the Indian who was supposed to have seen tne giant bat. sen a- was impossible to make any kind of real search through the maze of jungle* and rivers. The official report was that the rumors were jus- rumors. But I have L- 'JM m /--U j JX j XI 'Jl.'O k< never been able to convince myself that there might not be something in them, i^ov* the rumors are coming in again, stranger than ever. A jungle traveler reports that deep in the tropical forest a white man was captured by the Indians who made him their chief. He is said to be a ruler of the tribe today and is well and happy. That’s not impossible; the Indians down there have the ancient superstitious belief in tOarn au White God who is destined to come out of the sky and rule over them. This is the same belief that Cortez found when he conquered Mexico. I myself know of an Indian tribe that for a number of years has had a white man as its chief. It happens that he is a fugitive from justice and an unmitigated soundrel but just the same is the white sky god come to rule over the people of the jungle. I wouldn’t want to guess whether these new expedi­ tions will ever find any trace of Paul Hedfern but the wild jungle of inner South America is a mighty strange place. It gives you a feeling that anything might happen — that any­ thing may turn out to be true. motor show By the way, Commander Grow, you!ve lived in the jungle, But did. you ever see a duck-billed platapus? If you have lived in Australia, that is,wild tropical Australia, maybe you have. One striking thing about the new Motor Cars at the $ev» lork Automobile Show is that from the rear they have lines like the duck-billed platapus; also like the beaver. In fact, experts call it "beaver-tailing,« It means that new cars are more perfectly streamlined both front and back. In spite of the fact that we are in the midst of a depression, or is it because of it, everybody is saying that the national Automobile ShO'W is the most striking and interest­ ing every held- fefotOE Sfrow . . g Apparently manufacturers are exceedlnly opto.lstlc. Ihey feel that there are so ^ oW ^ thS r°ad that Pe°ple ^ve to buy new ones. I„ faot the head ol one great motor concern predicts that his firm will do from 300 to 400 opt To-n+ , - o oer cent more business in 1933 than in 1352, and he's one of the oldest men in the business. The most interesting thing I have read about automobiles in a long, long time is an article in the new Collierf s, the January 14th issue. John T. Flynn is not an automobile man. He is a staff A for Colliersjand he has been doing some investigating. He says that right now about seven million American women are urging their husbands to turn in the old Saar and buy a new one. we-hct-vo boon ck^troying-mir cans ao "never before >--- Vacant let a are full cf'-thom^ He tells us that last year some­ thing happened that had never occurred before in automobile history:- For every three new cars made, five old ones were sent to the junk yard. Hi a.article gocs^f ar to-prov-o that tffiTQK SHOVi . . 5 thtzn *> But the Mr. Flynn*s article in Collier * s^was his statement, backed up with figures^ show that it is cheaper to turn in your old car and get a> new one than it is to keep the old one and run it. kleiv, c^.'i&en^K the re taaese going to be enormous Jr -gux^^A^ ft^fegr^lndu? ^ry j ^ iuiportaat the.t d^s a hi-g—yeaXy crowds at the Auto Show this weekr K A l0a2J+M, w«41‘ Bifayu»j'-<hat fashion Occidentals are going Oriental! That's the news from Miami, Florida, The New York World Telegram coTrespondent tells us that pyjamas are losing out and that the latest beach fashion is st to don skirts or Id^lay A sarongs, I should say. These are either colorful cloth prints from Hindustan, or strips of silk from Burma, or batik work from Sumatra or Java, The news is that the coverage is somewhat less than usual, I didn't think that was possible. There is a gap just above the waist. And just above that, well, I am getting out of my depth. At any rate judging from the way the report reads, you will have to look out gentlemen, the ladies are going "Goona - Goona.11 flaw- ' tou : ed - oportc wort-^ I »een-, -agong- tfae gentleman-of the-prl-ec- r-ing-?-——^heye was &■ oa-tho sporto pagoa wore n*mti3 lilrw hlMiyas CcJlll^iany .Corfaat^, 9^=Bd?4*«n~3i Jim I1’ 1-y—ftrtd ■—^o*-~©nx mtteh—rt.f1—w j i,h ev------ — N-ow - r ^——fee-p-----erf:-~'fe-he—pi-I-e--a«ORg—-tee- hoa^t Schaaf s' As a result of the hammering that Ernie Schaaf has just given Stanley Poreda, some of the box-fight experts are talking about Schaaf as the next adversary for Primo Camera. Schaaf and Champion Jack Sharkey have been business associates. But, I the Boston Post states that Schaaf is g.tt^iiff-gcnoyfc» break^with ...... Sharkey because he ia*aa» has visions of grandeur^ thinks he will soon be ready to fight Jack Sharkey for thafoieavy weight crown. And by* the way herefs a new name for Primo Camera, the man Schaaf will fight next. Instead of calling Camera the Ambling Alp or Leaning Tower of Gorganzola, because of his giant size and his canal boat feet, the Boston Post refers to Camera as "Bootsie." And that's the latest news ef the .gPORTS . - g “V de la. Cauliflower. Did you 1 eel that breeze blowing your way from Manhattan Island this week? Well that was the breeze caused by that dashing, breezy young lady from Texas, Babe Didrikson, the lanky girl from the Longhorn country who ran away with the Olympic games year. In the papers she was quoted as saying nI can do anything in sports as well as a man.n Whereupon Charles E. Parker, sports expert for the Scripps-Howard newspapers did some quick investigating. Then he announced that although Babe Didrikson is champion of the world, in many sports, among women, she not only falls far below the records set by males, but she hasnTt yet come within a long, long way of the records made by school boys. For instance, in the high jump her record is 5 feet, 5| inches and the high school boy record is more thctn ct foot ni^her than that. Her javelin throw record is 143 feet, 4 inches while the high school boy% record is about 6b feet farther than that, and the world's record for men Is 100 feet farther,^ SPORTS ... 5 Aantir nrr-yyrr^ { As a result of this investigation €xpert philosophically adds that ^misogynists are breathing easier today.” Misogynists of course, being those of the male sex who believe women should be kept in their places. Apparently Mr. Parker thought our American misogynists were worried by the achievements of the Texas Babe. Ec onoai-s-el----£e onom ---- That - i-s— W** — W&rry *— —o-l-l-- ^ +- 4-4- "U ^ Ar- O-- JLlltlliij!. JL ij -J- 2 <5^0 pl nr\r\ ... kJ 1. Jlct S^* v^±untar±±y—s-i.astteu nxs sa^tary- "io 1 !5 i ^ i j vu^u—m * kjO ± ■"r W- -1-1 ^ut-ls going to— leetxn juju - Ah, herefs the strangest sports item of all. The Sunday Post of Boston tells us that over in Manchuria a wh le regiment of Japanese soldiers is being equipped with skates, ice skates. The &wiss, French, Austrians and Italians, and also the Swedes, Norwegians an Finns, for years have been equipping some of the^soldiers with skis. But this is the first time we have ever heard of an army b^iiig utct on skates. What a thrilling motion picture that would make; the Japanese Army on skates chasing the Chinese from Shan-hi-gwan to Ching-wan-dow