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About The Oregon daily journal. (Portland, Or.) 1902-1972 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 9, 1921)
The Movie Star Explains Why She Played the fart or Hostess and Spy in Her Own Home on That JACK QUEEN TEN V-lKINfi Then I see this man Krohnberg come into the dining room, i go ciose to xne cur tains; I see him stand and look about. Then he goesxmt into the hall and comes, .back with his overcoat. I see him thrust his hand into his pocket and start to draw something out." From Miss Talmadge's Story of What Happened. EVER since Mr. Louis Krohnberg, millionaire shirtwaist manufacturer of ' Fifth avenue, New York, was thrown out of the luxurious apartments of Mr. Joseph Schenck, the very great motion picture financier, because Mr. Schencki and several j other Wealthy gentlemen with whom Mr. Krohnberg had been playing poker had accused him of winning $66,300 by means of 'jmarked" cards, everyone has wondered just exf ctly what was beautiful Norma Talmadge's part in that now famous poker game, ' CI Noma Talmadge, who as everyone knows Us the! beautiful second best known film star, is also the wife of Mr. Schenck. She and herj husband, the motion picture magnate, have a city home on Park ave nue as palatial as Miss Talmadge's enor mous salary and Mr. Schenck's even more enormous income demands. Servants there are In plenty and all the pomp and circumstance that go hand in hand with wealth. It would seem that nothing could possi bly happen there that was not of the most conservative arid circumspect kind. J udge then how great was the astonishment of all who knew the two when it leaked out that rich Mr. Krohnberg had been igno mlniously kicked out of , its doors and charged with, gating Mr. Schencki and his friends of that $66,300 by means of wicked ''marked" cards which Mr. Krohn berg had thoughtfully brought along with him and substituted for his host's innocent and immaculate decks! Judge, tooj how much greater was the perplexity when it became freely rumored that Miss Talmadge, the hostess, had in some fashion spied upon Mr. Krohnberg. her husband's guest, on that memorable evening and brought about his ejection. Such things might occur in places dedi cated to the Goddess of Chance; had in deed, even occurred in the gambling pal aces of the late Richard Canfield but that they could happen in the palatial home of the second ( greatest film star and her motion, picture magnate husband seemed incredible, i . ' Nevertheless a part of it at least was true. Mr. Krohnberg was indicted y the Grand Jury of New York on the charge of "cheating at cards," and as this is a mis demeanor under the New York code, he was arrested and held in bail. At a hearing in Special Sessions Court it was testified that ha was a starry wonder at the particular variety of poker known as "Stud." So expert was he at this game that his friends knew him as I.ast Card Louis," from the fact that almost always he stayed in the game until the last card was drawn and almost invariably 'won when he had drawn that last card. . It was charged that this expertness was due to the fact that he had made for him. especially, decks of cards, the four corners of whose backs were marked with four fleurs-de-lys. The edges of these fleurs-de-lys were variously accentuated. A heavier marking on the top of the left hand high est meant that that card was a ten spot, a heavier marking of the right hand, lower petal, meant'that that card was an ace. By the distribution of these 'heavier mark ings the diagram above the photograph of Miss Talmadge illustrates the point Mr. MWf.fcr-L Ut . AzsA HL -era S II 5mJV ' ' TEN. . Krohnberg, it was alleged, could tell the denomination of each .and every one of his opponents' cards Mr. Krohnberg, it was also alleged, had a habit of dropping in for a game before any body else had arrived and artfully substitut ing his own cards for his host's. Why couldn't the host tell his own cards from Mr. Krohn berg's? It was ex plained that as it is poker etiquette to play with fresh decks, the host could not know that the cards which he was seeing for the first time were not his own but Mr.; Krohnberg's "markers." v Chief justice. Ker nochan of the Court of Special Sessions allowed that he knew nothing of poker. He could not Bee how such a game could be worked. J. M. Silverman, another mil lionaire dress manufacturer who had been among those who had lost to "Last Card Louis," demonstrated. He took a deck which he said he had put in his pocket after the game fjrom which Mr. Krohnberg had been thrown out and which he claimed was one of those sub stituted by the latter. While the Justice held the cards with only their backs to Mr. Silverman he read the whole deck, missing only one card. And Mr. Krohnberg's case then went ' ,t the Grand Jury, who held him in $1,000 bail for trijal In General Sessions. This trial will be held whenever the district attorney sees fit. Now Bird S. Coler, Commissioner of Public Welfare of New' York, has raked up an old statute( of the Penal Code which empowers him to sue any person who wins at any game of; chance for fivo times the amount of his winnings, and to use the penalty for charity. Mr. Coler has sued Mr. Krohnberg for, $331,500. It doesn't matter whether, Mr. Krohnberg cheated or not; It is conceded that he won and he will probably nave to pay TIT 4-a naivacL tanror in TCi Whpn this newest. chaDter in Norma Tal madge's famous pokef party became known It was Immediately recalled that even curing the hearings her part In the matter stjll remained as mysterious as ever. . - - "Won't you tell novfr just what hap pened?" she was asked. vIf what you did results In giving over a quarter of a mil lion dollars to the poorj surely there is no reason in keeping It a secret any longer." -Well," said Miss Talmadge, "I will tell you "I and -for the first time. I it was line tnis: was dressing to goout with my sister mother and some friends. Daddy that's my busband came in and saia, 'Dear. I think we're going to trap a rat and I want your help In it. He's a sly rat and needs watching, but he'll never sus pect you. "Then he told me the story of how a Louis Krohnberg had been playing games for a year with friends of his and my hus band's and had been winning all the time. ifw - y " 'y- v:M:'i Miss Talmadge and Ong of Her Jrets. My Imsband had not played with him until the bight before. "Daddy said, 'He was here last night. He won a lot, but I might not have sus pected i if it hadn't been for one thing When they had all gone Isho, the butler,; spoke of the man that had the ham and eggs!' ' i "Daddy said, 'What do you mean, ham and! eggs? The butler said, 'That little! man, sir. The one that won all the time. He came in an hour before the rest of you He eat in the dining room until I told him I didn't know when you would be in. Then: he said, "I haven't had anything to eat.i Gimme i some little thing, say, ham and eggs." 1 1 served them and he went out. - " IThat set me thinking. Norma,' said Daddy, j ''When Krohnberg came In we were all here. He never said a word about having I been here before, nor about the ham and eggs he had ordered the first 1 I XC) 1921. Internttioaal Teatun Bric. Inc. by Lotus! Krohnberg, Showing thne he came Into a strange house. That was queer. The more I think about it, the queerer it seems. Don't you think it strange for a man to come into a strange house and order ham and eggs like that? "'I Certainly do!' I said. ' "'Now he may try that again,' said my husband. 'He may come early, so I will go out in the kitchen and you sit in the living room. I will have him ushered into the dining room. You sit In the living room and watch what he ddes.' "I said, 'All right, Daddy,' and went on with my dressing. When I had finished I left my room and went Into the living room. To make plain what followed, I will explain to you how our rooms are arranged In the apartment at No. 270 Park avenue. "A guest is admitted to the hall. That hall extends along the dining room and end3 at the entrance to the living room. In other words, the hail runs parallel with the dining room, but at right angles to the living room. A door opens from the hall into the dining room. There is another door from the end of the hall into the liv ing room. On the left of the dining room is the kitchen. Behind the living room is my bedroom. Hold the picture. Good! "Now, as: I have said, I come out of my bedroom, dressed (and ready to go to the party with my mother and sister. I sink down upon a divan at the rear of the room. The room is in darkness, save for a library , lamp that stands on a table beside the divan.- I grow tired of waiting and pick up a book. i ; "The bell rings. Daddy's face appears for a moment at the door from the hall. "'Remember, he says, and I see him go Into the dining room and hear him close the door between that and the kitchen. Isho, the butler walks noiselessly out of the kitchen. He goes to the door. I hear a man's voice sayj 'Is Mr. Schenck In?' The butler says, 'Not yet, sir; , but he asked that you go to te, dining room and wait. Will you- wait here, sir? Isho goes back to the kitchen. ' . - GKCt, BrlUla ' Blshtt aawnd. ' Memorable Evening How Thtir Markings Revealed to Him 11 A J D I- Turn i nree nces bdu o. i ok w - "Then I see this man Krohnberg come into the dining room. ! I go close to the curtains. I see hjm stand and look about. Then he goes out into the hall and comes back with his overcoat. I' see him thrust his hand Into his pocket and start to draw something out! ; J " : "Then ' I pass quietly between the cur tains. I say, 'Goodi evening.' He speaks as though startled. He stands looking red and awkward, j with his overcoat on his arm. His hand is 1n one of the pockets, I went out o get my handkerchief, he says. 'Oh, indeed. I say. "I suppose my husband and the others will be here soon. The telephone rings. The butler answers it. 'Your car has come, madame,' he says. I hurry out. My husband meets me in the hall. He has come out by way of the ser vants entrance. I -tell him what Lhave seen. 'Good!- ! We have caught the rat. he says. H pushes the elevator bell, sees me on the lift and goes back. , "That night when I came home I heard there had been great doings. My -husband had charged Krohnberg with cheating. There were five or sir men at the table. They had played a hand or two when Daddy threw down his cards. 'Gentlemen,' he said, you have been playing and losing heavily all year. I have heard tales of your games and have Isuspected something was wrong, but I never played, with all of thi3 crowd until last! night. There is among you a cheat. I have proof that he uses marked cards. Last evening he came into this apartment, and on the pretext of being hungry he sent the batler out of the room to cook him a dish of ham arid eggs! " 'But, gentlemen,' said Daddy, 'the but ler did more than cook the ham and eggs. He watched through a crack in the kitchen door and saw this' man change the decks of cards on that buffet.; He saw him take some out of his pocket and substitute them for others- that he took from the buffet. 'This evening, went on Daddy, 'he came early again. He thought he was alone. He came into the dining room. But (THREE crvruLA FOUR SIX FIV 1 The Tell-Tale Fleuri-de-Lys on the Ma eked Card and the Twelve Card from the Three Spot to the Ace. When the Fleurs - do Lve Bore No Shading It Indie cated a Deuce. - Miss Norma Ta madsre. Photo srraphed in a Strik mg And Unusual Pose, and (Above) Five of the Cards vv men ii is nucijcu Ticic vscu the Presence of a ' Full House M ' . ' , he was not alone! Gentlemen, you all know my wife, the lovely and talentdd -Norma Talmadge' Daddy' always ray n about me 'you would not doubt her wore ! Gentlemen, she saw the man come into the dining room, look about, go out into tr. a hall, come back with his overcoat over h A arm, go toward the buffet and start l take' something out. '"Then she'stepped forward and greeted him. He made some flimsy excuse aboi t wanting his handkerchief. Gentlemen, C any of you went into the hall for yov? handkerchief would you bring your ovejr coat back with you? You would not! My wife had detected him in the act of su -Btituting cards. The man I allude to Louis .Krohnberg! I order him to leave my house! "Daddy said Louis Krohnberg turned very pale, but didn't say a word. He saVs . he got up to leave, but be was so slow th4t him by the shoulders and pushed him odt through the hall. I said, 'Daddy, did yoju hurt him?' He said, 'I think he came T contact with the floor several timee.- "Thorft were four or five men at th poker party besides, Daddy. I don't re member their names. They all Joined Issues and got a lawyer and sued tho man for cheatisg." j.'-" ' So much for Miss Talmadge's part cja that memorable night. But there will be other chapters still addf d. Not always did Mr. Krohnberg win froin every one. Theia were others r who .won r and in - larger amounts, and Commissioner Coler is going after them, too. he says. - J "This law. may be a recrudescence of tn old Blue Laws," he-said. "But since it fs on the statute books It ought to be en forced and I propose to bring suits In all Instances. I have enough evidence jt& con vint in thin. Krohnherc cane. And T Trt- pose to get after all the others who sat la at the big games wheni I am through. wit4 xrunnur - r
