TRAVELLING ON A GRIN

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 841, 9 December 1929, Page 14

TRAVELLING ON A GRIN

WORLD’S MOST SUCCESSFUL “WANGLER” “HOBO DE LUXE” Two years ago an American student named John Marshall walked out of the University of Chicago. He was 21 years old, and possessed of a gigantic grin, one dinner jacket, one pair of plus fours and an ambition to see the world, says a London "Daily Express” correspondent. Today there are Eastern satraps, Russian commissars, Chinese district commissioners, railway chiefs throughout Europe, and the commander of a British gunboat who are wondering just how Mr. Marshall’s grin got away with it. Mr. Marshall is the World’s Greatest Wangler. He is a hobo de luxe. He has travelled all round the world in first-class carriages, luxury berths, special conveyances and crack air liners without its costing him one penny. At times he has been in gaol, or jeopardy, but always there has been some official to hand Mr. Marshall first-class “travelling facilties (with meals)” because Mr. Marshall owns a gilded grin. Mr. Marshall has just arrived in London from Berlin, first-class on a Deutsche Luft Hansa air liner. Mr. Marshall naturally grinned himself over free. He tossed a giant pack of travel tickets on the table. They bore signatures in every language, and ranged from Slav wagon to crack liner reservations. “Wangled the lot,” smiled Mr. Marshall. “I stowed away on the Malolo bound for Honolulu.” “Oh! yes, and I wangled myself aboard the British gunboat Tern on the Yangtse during the late scrap with the Chinese.” He showed me a scar on his hand. “That was a Chinese dumdum bullet.” “The Japanese put me in gaol, but I wangled my way out, and they handed me free travel (with meals) for 200 miles.” There is a box office official at the Moscow Opera who is down ten roubles. Mr. Marshall had not the price of admission, so grinned at him in Russian. “I got a seat in the front row,” said Mr. Marshall.