Show I WHO'S NEWS THIS WEEK By Lemuel F. F Parton N NEW EW YORK one One of this departments department's depart- depart meats menta favorite monarchs has bas long been Jeff Davis king of the hoboes of America who now leads his f following Of r T r f Hoboes Will nearly in Pay Honor to a Plan to erect a aB B Bard ar d 0 of 1 H orne national memorial to John Howard Payne author of Home Sweet Home There is perhaps a bit of personal pride involved as your correspondent correspond correspond- ent helped establish the dynasty That was many years ago when a n series of hobo stories in the Chicago Tribune elevated Dr Ben Reitman Beitman to the kingship Dr Reitman however however however how how- ever was a backslider turning at first furtively and then brazenly to regular work went into politics in Chicago and became a cautious and solvent citizen too fat to ride the rods I I saw him last at the house of the late Jack London in Sonoma county county coun cairn ty Calif and if I remember corI cor- cor I Mr London reproached him himas as one recreant to his ideals andI andin and andin in danger of succumbing to industry I and ambition Until a few ew years ago I used to toI I get letters from the hoboes of America on letter-heads letter like those of any national bank carrying the names of the jungle judges shacks organizers and track walkers and supreme knights of the road They had to do with some misunderstanding mis understanding in the organization over the lingering King Jeff s Is sovereignty of Dr Elected to Reitman but that J Job I o oI b 7 f for t or L Life r Y ue I e is S all cleared up now Mr Davis Davis' rule is undisputed and his name appears appears ap ap- pears on the letter-head letter as Jungle Ju Judge ge King of the Hoboes elected for Life Mr Davis now f three fifty years old has covered his first miles on the road and plans to start his second million on an organizing ing trip in Europe early this year His father James Davis who died in Cincinnati a year ago at the age of ninety had been vaguely identified identified fied fled as a newspaper man working on several Cincinnati newspapers but with no news as to what depart depart- meat ment Young Jeff born in Cincinnati started rambling when he was thirteen thirteen thirteen thir thir- teen and now fetches up with a n around around round forty years on the road Bald and genial working harder at the hobo trade than do most men on their regular jobs he campaigns for better migrating and loafing conditions conditions condi condi- lions for his subjects He wants the railroads to establish establish lish Ush a one-cent-a-mile one rate for box boxcar boxcar boxcar car passengers He says the plan has worked fine in France He moves about the country fighting the bum blockades set up by Various various various va va- rious states He denounces the tails fuzzy in his ho hoboes following ho following boes hoes who talk a lot but never toss anything into the jungle stew S S S SC C CORRESPONDENTS CORRESPONDENTS on the Brit Brit- Italian ish radio war front in Arabia report a victory in the first engagement for Abdul Wahab the desert Rudy Val- Val Italy ins V lee crooning for Radio Duel Italy The sheiks according to t. news in In D Desert eser t accounts tuned out Britain's broadcast which included included in in- In- In eluded news of a death sentence for an Arab found in possession of I arms and tuned in Italy's cheerful crooner I I The Italians also were up one-up on the Britons due to the fact that the former had supplied many of the radio sets and taken precautions precautions precautions to rig them against Britain's thirty one wavelength Sir John C. C W. W Reith grim purposeful purposeful purposeful pur pur- and incidentally Scottish director general of the British Broadcasting corporation led of off for England paced by Big Ben and God Save the King Abdul countered countered coun coun- with Just a Little Oasis for Two and Aldebaran and You in Arabic It was no contest after that say the news reports Sir Johns John's last appearance was at Edwards Edward's solemn valedictory The tall bald frosty mogul of British h Broadcasting lord of the empire air airwaves airwaves airwaves waves takes the microphone only when imperial Interests demand it Recently he said To set out to give the public what it wants as the saying is is a dangerous and fallacious policy Those who know him say he will go on giving the Arabs what he thinks they ought Lord of 01 Air to want and Keeps BBC ably aby Get away r with it He has Out iut in In Front Fronta F r ron been lambasted as asa asa a dictator all over the empire but has ridden through labor and conservative conservative conservative con con- administrations and keeps the B. B B. B C. C steadily ing He is the most inaccessible manin man manin manin in England seven forty-seven years old the son of an old line Scotch clergyman clergy man trained in engineering at the Royal College of Glasgow successful successful success success- ful as an engineer in London before before before be be- fore becoming general manager of the B. B B. B C. C in 1922 1022 His salary is n a year Consolidated News Features Service J |