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 -
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