Doodads & Denials

Columnist Walter Winchell thought he had a hot tip on a romance. In his column last month, he passed it on in the leering questions: "What was His Honor, the Mayor, buying in Tiffany's the other antemeridian? Some doodad for his delovely?" New York City's Mayor O'Dwyer denied it. Not being a radio commentator, he said, he couldn't afford Tiffany's.

Last week, without apology or explanation, Keyholer Winchell printed another item: "License plate NYC i is owned by I. Geist (Manhattan Blouse Manufacturer Irving Geist). The Mayor uses a tag with many numbers. NYC i was in front of Tiffany's recently, which explains why a tipster thought His Honor was on a doodad spending spree."

Winchell was making a characteristic hidden-ball play, a retraction that gave no hint to any but the closest reader that a whistle had been blown on his fairness and accuracy.

What he did not explain was that the "tipster" was his own tipster, and that he had printed the first item without even bothering to check the Mayor's license plate. Only readers with good memories would know that the second item was a correction of Winchell's month-old mistake.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.