Democratic Sentinel, Volume 10, Number 19, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 June 1886 — A BUSY LIFE ENDED. [ARTICLE]

A BUSY LIFE ENDED.

John Kelly, the Chieftain of New York’s Tammany Society, Basses Away. His Death a Peaceful One, His Faculties Remaining Intact to the Last Moment. “I have tried to live the life of a good Catholic, and die in the comfort of that faith,” were the last words uttered on earth by John Kelly, the noted Tammany chief of New York, who passed away peacefully at his house in that city on the afternoon of Tuesday, the Ist inst. He had been sick for a long time—in fact, his illness dated back to the close of the last Presidential campaign—but it was not believed by his intimate friends that he was so near death’s door. His mental faculties were bright and clear to the last. His death was E sinless and peaceful. He held the hand of is wife until his hold relaxed in death. Mr. Kelly leaves two children, a girl and a bey, aged respectively 9 and 7 years. His widow is a niece of the late Cardinal McCloskey. Mr. Kelly expressed a wish that his funeral should be private and simple, consequently there was no public demonstration. Dr. Edward L. Keyes, who attended Mr. Kelly throughout his illness, says that his patient had been in failing health for two years. The nerve forces were impaired, aud all the functions were deranged in consequence. He made strong efforts to regain his health, but they were futile. He Ihially acknowledged that it was useless to hope for recovery, and for six or eight months past he had confessed he was dying. At times Mr. Kelly was much depressed in spirits, but at no time was his intelligence impaired. He retained that throughout, and at all times had full control of his senses. His physical deterioration was great. His hair and beard became perfectly white. He lost at least sixty pounds in flesh. His heart and other integial organs were very much affected, although ho had no organic disease. He seemed to show no regret, hut appeared to bo willing to let go his grip on life.

BIOGRAPHICAL. “John Kelly—Grate Setter,” was the sign which hung from a modest two-story house in Mott street, New York, in 1844. It indicated the humble beginning of one who, twelve years lgter, was a member of Congress, aud who, for thirty years since then, was one of the most prominent political figures of New York. His name was familiar to everybody, and his features have been portrayed so frequently by the caricaturists that even children recognized it. It is said that the editor of an illustrated paper at one time instructed his artists to remember that when timely subjects did not present themselves a cartoon on John Kelly was always in order, and Kelly has been seen on a street-car perusing this very paper, his eye twinkling merrily when he found a humorous representation of himself. John’s strong characteristic was his unostentatiousness, and for that reason people know very little about his private life. John Kelly was bom in New York City April 20, 1822. His father died when he was 8 years old. When the New York Herald was in its infancy young Kelly walked into the office one day and asked the elder Bennett if he wanted an office boy. Bennett was a good judge of character and quick in deciding. He talked with the youth a few minutes, and then told him to go to work. He became a great favorite with Bennett, and when at length he grew older and determined on learning a trade, so as to better support the large family that was depending on him. Mr. Bennett offered him strong inducements to remain, and on parting with him predicted that he would succeed anywhere. The elder Bennett was as strong a friend of Kelly’s as the present Bennett was a bitter enemy. Kelly learned the trade of soapstone cutting and grate-setting, at which he afterward made a considerable fortune. He proved to be a remarkably shrewd business man, and bis faith in the future of New York City was so great that with every S2OO or S3OO he would get he bought a lot up-town; these lots are worth to-day from $5,000 to $lO,000, and Mr. Kelly has died a millionaire. Though his charity was distributed most secretly, it is estimated that he dispensed $250,000 in that way. When a young man John was notable as an athlete. The notorious John Morrisey said of Kelly that he had the build of au ideal pugilist. Though the cartoonists have always represented him as a dumpy man, he was nearly six feet in height and weighed about 240 pounds. He ran with the “fire laddies” in his early days, and made hosts of friends, who elected him Alderman in 1853. Tweed, of ring fame, afterward said of this body: “There never was a time before that you could not buy the Board of Aldermen, and if it was not for John Kelly’s severity you could buy it now.”

In 1854 he was elected to the Thirty-fifth Congress. He resigned his seat before b-s last term was completed to take the office of Sheriff, to which he had been elected. It was while in Congress that General Cass, President Buchanan’s Secretary of State, spoke of him as “Honest John Kelly,” which he has been commonly called since. In 18G8 he was chosen the candidate for the Mayoralty in opposition to Bill Tweed’s Tammany Hall candidate, but nn awful burden of domestic afflict on in the loss of his wife and son compelled him to withdraw and take his two daughters—all that was left of his family—to Europe for his own health as well as theirs. He remained away three years, and during his absence New York City was given over wholly to the plunder of the Tweed ring. Prominent memlike Mr. Tilden, Seymour, Hewitt, and Belmont sought Mr. Kelly to help them in this crisis. He had vowed never to again enter politics. Their importunities continued for a year, till at last he entered the tight, and while Mr. Tilden and Charles O’Conor attacked the Tweed ring in the Legislature and in the courts Mr. Kelly had a hand-to-hand tussle with them in Tammany Hall, their citadel, and routed them, as is well known. This gave him a prestige which he held since. An idea of the tremendous power which this ring wielded may be obtained from the fact that it gave employment to 12,000 persons and disbursed $30,000,000 annually. In 1876 Mr. Kelly was appointed Comptroller of the city, and not only stopped the debt of the city increasing, something tjppredeH dented, but actually reduced it $42,000,000 during his term of offiee.