U.S.A_ - John Dos Passos [425]
died.
His managers planned to make a big thing of his
highlypublicized funeral but the people in the streets were too crazy. While he lay in state in a casket covered with a
cloth of gold, tens of thousands of men, women, and children packed the streets outside. Hundreds were
trampled, had their feet hurt by policehorses. In the muggy rain the cops lost control. Jammed masses
-192-stampeded under the clubs and the rearing hoofs of the horses. The funeral chapel was gutted, men and
women fought over a flower, a piece of wal paper, a piece of the broken plateglass window. Showwindows
were burst in. Parked cars were overturned and
smashed. When final y the mounted police after re-peated charges beat the crowd off Broadway, where traffic was tied up for two hours, they picked up
twentyeight separate shoes, a truckload of umbrel as, papers, hats, tornoff sleeves. Al the ambulances in that part of the city were busy carting off women who'd fainted, girls who'd been stepped on. Epileptics threw fits. Cops col ected little groups of abandoned chil-dren. The fascisti sent a guard of honor and the anti-fascists drove them off. More rioting, cracked skul s, trampled feet. When the public was barred from the undertaking parlors hundreds of women groggy with
headlines got in to view the poor body
claiming to be exdancingpartners, old playmates,
relatives from the old country, filmstars; every few minutes a girl fainted in front of the bier and was re-vived by the newspapermen who put down her name and address and claim to notice in the public prints. Frank E. Campbel 's undertakers and pal bearers, dig-nified wearers of black broadcloth and tackersup of crape, were on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
Even the boss had his fil of publicity that time.
It was two days before the cops could clear the
streets enough to let the flowerpieces from Hol ywood be brought in and described in the evening papers.
The church service was more of a success. The
policecommissioner barred the public for four blocks round.
-193-Many notables attended.
America's Sweetheart sobbing bitterly in a smal
black straw with a black band and a black bow behind, in black georgette over black with a white lace col ar and white lace cuffs fol owed the coffin that was covered by a blanket of pink roses
sent by a filmstar who appeared at the funeral
heavily veiled and swooned and had to be taken back to her suite at the Hotel Ambassador after she had
shown the reporters a message al egedly written by one of the doctors al eging that Rudolph Valentino had
spoken of her at the end
as his bridetobe.
A young woman committed suicide in London.
Relatives arriving from Europe were met by
police reserves and Italian flags draped with crape. Exchamp Jim Jeffries said, "Wel , he made good." The champion himself al owed himself to be quoted
that the boy was fond of boxing and a great admirer of the champion.
The funeral train left for Hol ywood.
In Chicago a few more people were hurt trying
to see the coffin, but only made the inside pages.
The funeral train arrived in Hol ywood on page
23 of the New York Times .
NEWSREEL LV
THRONGS IN STREETS
LUNATIC BLOWS UP PITTSBURGH
BANK
-194-Krishnamurti Here Says His Message Is
World Happiness
Close the doors
They are coming
Through the windows
AMERICAN MARINES LAND IN NICARAGUA
TO PROTECT ALIENS
PANGALOS CAUGHT; PRISONER IN ATHENS
Close the windows
They are coming through the doors
Saw Pigwoman The Other Says But Neither Can Identify Accused
FUNDS ACCUMULATE IN NEW YORK
the desire for profits and more profits kept on increasing and the quest for easy money became wel nigh universal.