1931 Old Waldorf Bar Days by Albert Stevens Crockett

Bar Patterns with him with a feeling that his nickname of "Gentle– man Jim" was well deserved. Jim would never let a barman, a waiter, a bellboy, a telegraph operator, or a telephone girl, do anything for him without a tip; and persons in a menial position are wont to measure man– ners by the yardstick of generosity. One of the handsomest figures that graced the room in the afternoons and evenings. was that of Emanuel Chappelle, a champagne salesman. "Man.ny," as every– body called him, was known in every restaurant and drinking palace where two or thl'.ee :were able to gather together and "open wine"-as was ' called the process of purchasing champagne. His portly figure, white hair and architecturally perfect features were familiar in res– taurants and bars from the Washington Arch to what some called the Grant's Tomb Annex. He had been brought from San Francisco by Jim Corbett to take ' charge of the cigar counter in the latter's saloon, but now he represented one famous brand of champagne, and a tall lad by the name of Murphy sold another. They were rivals and they also had otl~er rivals. It ~as not an uncommon happening for these purchasing sales– men to furnish a spectacle for the crowd by vying with each other in buying their own brands. The habit was to collect about their tables as many thirsty and ap– preciative drinkers as possible and start opening quarts, in rapid succession, and then continuing with "mag– nums." It was whispered about town that Manny, for such and similar purposes, had an expense allowance of twenty-five thousand dollars a year. If any of these gentry had reserved a table in one of [ 57]