Swing (Feb-Dec 1951)

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Million Dollar Newsboy WHEN a hall of fame for outstanding nev<jspaper vendors is founded, Jimmy Widmeyer of Cincinnati, Ohio, will probably be given a special plaque. Not a boy now, Jimmy has been hawking headlines for 57 years, has made and lost a million dollars. Until 1920, he was just an ordinary newsboy, putting in long hours on a city corner and saving as much as he could from his earnings. One day a stock broker-customer gave Jimmy a tip on the market. He invested his capital and made a killing. He began to follow the market religiously, making investments whenever he got hold of a good tip. In an incredibly short time his holdings amounted to nearly a million dollars. Through the lush days that followed, Jimmy kept his newsstand. He sold papers during the day and drank champagne at night. He rented a $300 suite at the Hotel Gibson, which was just across the street from his corner; bought a Cadillac, and became the owner of 55 tailor-made suits. But he was always careful to enter the Gibson by the service entrance, afraid his customers might think he was going high hat. When the market crashed in 1929, Jimmy was wiped out financially. Undaunted, he moved to cheaper quarters and worked harder and longer than ever at the newsstand. Once again he began to make investments and was soon on top once more. Today, from a monetary standpoint, he is a successful man, the envy of most people who buy his papers. The average morning finds him driving to work in his Ford station wagon. He spends the day hawking papers and chatting with customers, some of them life-long friends. Some mornings, Jimmy is driven to work by his wife in their Cadillac. On those days, he gets out a few blocks from his stand and appears at work on foot. He is still afraid his customers will think he is putting on airs. — ]ac\ Eichoh. ▲ The little man was pushing his cart through the crowded aisles of the big super-market. "Coming through," he called merrily. No one moved. "Gangway," he shouted. A few men stepped aside. He ruefully surveyed the situation and then smiled as a bright idea struck him. "Watch your nylons!" he warned. The women scattered like chaff in the wind. ▲ Reporters visiting a certain Senatorial office were startled when the gentleman burst out of his sanctum to demand of his secretaries: "Where's that list of people I call by their first names?" "Hey, Ma . . . here's your chance to get all your rugs swept again."