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Books: “Career Girl, Watch Your Step!” by Max Wylie

Oct. 13, 1964 - Max Wylie, whose daughter was brutally slain in her East Side apartment more than a year ago, has written a book advising unmarried girls how to protect themselves in New York City.

Called “Career Girl, Watch Your Step!”, the 125-page book is aimed primarily at the young out-of-towner who comes to the city in quest of a career, a husband, or both.

“Don’t think of yourself as being safe,” the book says. “Think of yourself as being in danger all the time. This will make you wary.

“There is no better protection than an awareness of the dangers that might engulf you.”

Mr. Wylie’s daughter, Janice (left), 21 years old, and a roommate, Emily Hoffert (right), 23, were stabbed to death on Aug. 28, 1963, in their apartment at 57 East 88th St.

A year later, after an intensive search by the police, George Whitmore Jr., a 19-year-old drifter, confessed to the killings. He later recanted the confession and was sent to Bellevue Hospital for psychiatric examination.

Mr. Wylie, who patrols Central Park one night a week as a member of the New York Auxiliary Police, repeatedly cautions in his book that “the city is not a safe place.”

Among his suggestions to minimize burglary and assault are the following:

— Would-be career girls should have a temporary residence in the city before they leave home. The best place, Mr. Wylie says, is the Y.W.C.A.

— Girls seeking an apartment should investigate the prospective neighborhood at night before moving in. If possible, they should choose a building that has a doorman or an elevator man or someone on duty in the lobby.

— On moving to a new apartment, the locks should be changed and peepholes should be installed in the doors.

— Only the last name should be inserted under the mailbox slot or door buzzer.

The book also cautions young women to “avoid the beatnik fringe element of society” and recommends careful consideration before selecting a roommate.

The book is published by Dodd, Mead & Co. and costs $2.95.

A picture of Mr. Wylie on the dust jacket shows him aiming a pistol held in his right hand at arm’s length.



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