The same Investigator told me there had
been bathing parties on the beaches at
which some of the "ladles and gentlemen'"
who had forgotten to bring their bathing
suits were not prevented from going into
the water comfortabl> I have heard of a
similar exhibition not twenty miles from
New York.
Scandalous stories may be heard in
Hollywood and Los Angeles by any one
who cares to listen. On this trip it was
my duty to listen, but I. do not present on
this page as a fact anything which is
merely hearsay. One of the stories I had
read pictured a handsome and" popular
film actor as puncturing himself In the
stomach with a hypodermic needle at the
peak of an exciting dinner attended by
"stars," and crying "This is the life." Most
<it the persons T met had never heard of
ihls Incident, although some of them be
lieved the actor In question was a mor
phine user.
The only person I found who professed
to know the truth of this tale was
a newspaper man. He said he
had attended the party and had
seen the incident. But a veteran
of Hollywood who has watched
the stars blaze up and die down
and has kept pretty close watch
on them and their habits said to
me: "I wish you'd tell me who
this newspaper man is and I'll
And him and tell him that he's
not only a liar hut a blank-blank
one."
It may be mentioned here that
I met in Hollywood several friends
whom I had known for years.
