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The E-Sylum:  Volume 4, Number 32, August 5 , 2001, Article 15

WASHROOM WARRIOR MEDAL 

   Not everything is available on the internet, at least not 
   yet.  A search for online resources of information on 
   the famous "Washroom Warrior" medal of Huey "Kingfish" 
   Long turned up just one reference.   Your editor would 
   appreciate learning if others have more luck finding information. 

   The web site of the Port Washington Public Library 
   in New York has this entry in its collection catalog: 
   "Huey Long in Sands Point, including a transcript of a story 
   told by Daniel Whedon of an incident involving Louisiana 
   Governor Huey Long, who received a black eye in the men's 
   room of the Sands Point Bath Club on August 26, 1933. 
   He apparently received some assistance during the altercation, 
   and rewarded the other man involved with a medallion, 
   inscribed: "By Public Acclaim for a Deed Well done in 
   Private."  With a xerox of the medallion, which was found 
   years later in New Canaan, Connecticut, and xeroxes of the 
   New York Times index, which contain summaries of articles 
   which appeared at the time."   From 
   http://www.pwpl.org/collections/special/local-history/lh-26.html 

   Not everything you read on the internet is true, either. 
   Apparently the cataloger didn't take the time to read any of 
   the articles.  The medal was actually the result of a suggestion 
   made in jest that a public fund be created to give a medal to 
   "the unknown hero" who punched the much-hated politician. 
   A nice account of the story appeared in one of David 
   Alexander's Research Desk columns in Coin World (I have 
   a copy of the article in my files, but unfortunately it's undated): 

   "What actually happened is not known, but during a New York 
   visit, Long was invited to a charity ball held at Long Island's 
   Sands Point Bath and Country Club... Later in the evening, 
   Long reappeared holding a napkin over his bleeding left eye. 
   ... Huey spun out tales of attack by a single thug ... to assault 
   by two to 10 or more assailants who landed as many as 20 
   blows." 

   "Careful reconstruction of events suggests that the hard- 
   drinking senator sought the men's room during the fateful 
   party.  Unwilling to wait as an earlier occupant monopolized 
   the small facility, Long tried to share it with him.  His 
   somewhat shaky condition resulted in a drenching for the 
   unsuspecting man, who then turned and indignantly clobbered 
   the inebriated Kingfish." 

   "..a newspaper story about the medal brought a flood of 
   contributions, more than enough to pay Medallic Art Co. 
   to prepare the dies."      The anonymous Washroom 
   Warrior never stepped forward to claim his award, and 
   the original gold medal was donated to the American 
   Numismatic Society in New York.  "The company still 
   displayed the original plasticine model nearly 50 years 
   later in a public restroom of its Danbury, Conn, 
   headquarters." 

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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