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Also summoned before the grand jury were ten Chicago newsmen. Among them was Jimmy Murphy, 28 years a police reporter on the Journal, last fortnight discharged from the Times when he admitted having been business partner in a north-side speakeasy three years ago. Also present: Roscoe ("Duffy") Cornell, former city editor, now circulation manager of the Herald & Examiner, whose assistants are accused of conducting a questionable lottery on the Kentucky Derby.
Astute playgoers recognized a familiar sound about some of the names in the case. They recalled "Hildy" Johnson as the hero of The Front Page, virile play of Chicago newspaper men by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur. Murphy was another of the hardboiled reporters. Duffy Cornell, neither seen nor heard on the stage, was cursed over the telephone.
One of the witnesses, Harry Reutlinger of the American, testified that to get rid of Brundidge, who "had made a pest of himself," he had filled him with fanciful tales of newspaper-racketeering, even told him that he, Reutlinger, was a racketeer.
The traditional bitterness between the Tribune and the Hearst papers (American and Herald & Examiner), intensified by recent occurrences, led to the filing of a $250.000 libel suit against the Herald & Examiner. Fortnight ago the Tribune disclosed that City Editor Harry Read of the American had been a Florida guest of Alphonse ("Scarface") Capone. The Tribune was also first to introduce the name of Ted Tod, Herald & Examiner crime reporter, as press-agent for a dog race track controlled by gang interests.
Shortly thereafter, the Herald & Examiner said in an editorial: "It is understood that Robert M. Lee, City editor of the Tribune, had been for about nine years a close friend of 'Jake' Lingle. The grand jury might call Mr. Lee and inquire what he knows ... of the activities of Lingle before he was murdered."
City Editor Lee promptly filed notice of a $250,000 libel suit, charged that the editorial implied he knew of Lingle's $60,000-a-year underworld operations.
Innocently, the Herald & Examiner replied next day: "No such suggestion . . . appeared in the editorial, and the astonishing thought came practically out of the blue. Perhaps ... it will be made clear by Mr. Lee when and if he takes the witness stand to press his libel action—if it is ever pressed."
Heck, Hell, Damn
To Unity Co-operative Camp at Wingdale, N. Y. last week journeyed the Congressional committee investigating Communist activities (see p. 17). Greeted by booes, the committeemen were speeded by brandished fists, thumbed noses, a lusty chorus. The wording of the farewell chant was curiously, variously reported by leading Manhattan dailies.
World and News:
We hate to see you go,
We hate to see yon go.
We hope to hell you never come back.
We hate to see you go.
Times and Herald-Tribune:
. . . We hope to heck yon never come back
American and Mirror:
. . . We don't give a damn if you never come back.
*Col. Lindbergh and wife denied pictures of their baby to New York American. Journal ("Hearst); News, Mirror. Graphic (Tabloids): described practices of such papers as "disgusting . . . contemptible ... a social drag . . . non-constructive ... a waste of time."
†"A newspaper should not invade private rights or feelings without sure warrant of public right as distinguished from public curiosity."
* Publishers' statements of March 31, 1930.