April 22, 1957
Los Angeles
 

Latin Holiday
by Pepe Arciga



Lew Irwin, news director, KPOL, generously switches on his mike, bows and says:

"Listeners telephoned to call my attention to your article concerning my
unfortunate identification of the race of two of the Club Mecca firebombing
suspects as ‘Mexican American.’ I can only blame thoughtlessness and
carelessness on my part…. I offer my profoundest apologies to the Mexican
American audience of KPOL."

Off the record, senor Irwin, we who handle news sometimes slip inadvertently,
no? Mexican Americans, I’m sure, will accept your noble apology most graciously.
Now back to KPOL’s excellent Cloud Nine. Signed Pepe.

Justin McCarthy, 816 W. Olympic, L.A. Newspaper Guild, takes off his printer’s
devil apron and makes up a front page that reads like this:

"Being an old copy desk man and a Catholic I noticed one of your recent columns
which mentions the Virgin of Guadalupe as being a ‘Catholic’ deity…. I’ll bet
it spoiled the archbishop’s dinner."

Well, Don Justino, it’s hard to say if dinner was spoiled at all. His eminence
the archbishop has already forgotten,  mebbe, Pepe’s slip. Signed, Pepe.

Jack Natteford, dahlia specialist, 12935 Saticoy, North Hollywood, waters his
rosebushes, turns around and bouquets Pepe
asi.

"Que tal? I consider you an ambassador
between two different cultures striving for same freedoms… (Mexico’s) idea of
religious sanctuary, carried into the political field, has drawn many of our
leading Reds to Mexican residence around Cuernavaca…. They wound up unable to
win power in the local parent-teacher association. Ha!"

Fascinating as the place is, my fran Jack, Cuernavaca is also home for the
gosh-darndest assortment of human birds you ever saw around its lovely plazas.
Including Red birds. Signed, Pepe.

Note: I can’t find Arciga’s original article referring to the Club Mecca firebombing so I’m not sure what he’s talking about. Two of the suspects were named  Manuel Joseph Hernandez, 18, and Manuel Joseph Chavez, 25. Further research is clearly required.