New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-06-01
SKETCH OF HIS LIFE.

SKETCH OF HIS LIFE.
Mr. Connolly was born at Bauta, near Cork, IRE
land. about the year 1870 He was the third son of
an Irish schoolmaster. who was noted for his SUI
perOr address. His parents were in what might he
called comfortable circumstances. He received
from his father fair education. While vet a
young man he came to this country and for q short
time lived at Philadelphia, where he gained en-
ployment with an auctoneer. He then came to
New-York, and for some time was clerk In the
frm OF Haggerty IL CO., dry goods auctioneers. He
was also employed for some years In the Custom
House.
lie then took position in the North River Bank
In Greenwich-st., and at the same time became a
hanger-on of Tammany Hall. In his spare hours he
was wont to lounge about the City Hail. and soonac-
CURED the name of Slippery Dick" He was a reg
uiar attendant at every Tammany meeting, and was
80 demOnstratve In his attachment to the party that
he was casSed among the Hooray Boys" His
faithfulness met with no outward appreciation,
and when the Bank Of North America
was established ut William and Wall-sts.,
no was very glad to accept the situation
OF discount clerk, with the salary of 81 900 per
annum. william +. Havemcyer ex-Mayor of
New-YOrk, was then President of the bank and
although he affirmed that Mr.. Connolly performed
all his duties faithfully, in spite of his City Hall
tendencies, lie said that the discount clerk
DID not evince any great financial abilities.
lie was elected by small majority to the office of
county Clerk while in the bank, and three years
later was reelected. Up to this time it is said that
he had never been naturalized. He shortly after
ward took ont his naturalization papers. In
November, 1859, he chosen State Senator,
In which position he served one term. He then
retired for few years to private life. But in the
meantime he had become prominent member of
Iammany Hall, and mainly from his political In
fiuence he was elected in the Fill Of 1868 Con-
troller Of the City of New-York
His career in that Office will be remembered by
ALL MIR. Hall was then Mayor; Connolly, Controller;
Sweeney Chamberlain and Tweed Commissioners of
Public Works. James Watson was County Auditor
and E. A. Woodward, formerly Tweed's agent in
the old Board of Supervisors, was still deputy
Under the provisions of the new charter
the appointment of all court officials WAS
lodged i'll the hands of the Controller New officers
were appointed, aud the salaries Of the Supreme
Court increased from $4,000 to $194,5OO q year.
This was only one instance of the manner
III which the county was robbed The
operations of the ring were larger and
more lucrative in other branches Of the
city government. Bills for work on public build
ing6 were frauduenty raised to enormous amounts
and the vouchers were approved and paid. Accord
ing to the testimony Of of the participants I'm
these frauds Connolly received 20 per cent of these
bills His share of tho fraudulent bills audited in
1870 and 1871 was between $2,OOO.OOO and
$50, 100000.
The corrupt organization came, however to a
sudden end. Its first vital wound came from
within by treason. 1t had had several severe
Shocks Fox had talked at one time Of desertion.
Young, tho chief clerk of the Supervisors had
threatened betrayal; Watson had been fatally in
Jured and. for day or two. the King feared he
might reveal on his death-bed fatal secrets His
death was n relief to many of the members and es-
pecialy to Connolly.
But these warnings were not needed. The first &C.
rious blow came from the detection of James
OBrien. He had been Sheriff, aud throu oh combi-
nations with the old Board of Supervisors which
passed upon his bills, had obtained large sums of
money aud sought to obtain more. When the Board
of Supervisors was suddenly cut off, O'Brien
bad large bill of over $500 600
alleged to he mostly fraudulent pending
Peter Is. Sweeny directed his confederates to defer
It's payment. OBrien, learning of this determine
ton, took steps to be revengcd He introduced O
pair Of his spies into tho Controllers office
and soon obtained transcripts Of the paw.
ments Of the fraudulent warrants for
the $0,OOOOO0 on the Court House.
together with evidences of frauds in the leases of
the armories and the conduct Of the New-York
Printing Company. These evidences he DISPLAYED
to the Ring, with threats to publish them If his
bills not paid but his character for verac,tv
was so bad that the Ring laughed at him and still
refused to pay him. He hawked them about
in various public places and offered them
to various journals If they would mako them pub
lie, but all who knew the character of the man re-
fused to accept the figures as correct Finally he
obtained publication of them. They proved. In
deed, to be correct, and even under, rather than
OVER the truth. The Ring was panic-strcken. The
public was aroused. and tho downfall of
The consequences of the exposure came in
RAPID and exciting succession and are still
well remembered. These were the ar
rest of Tweed, the flight of Peter 3.
and James Nj. Sweeney to Europe. tho arrest and
subsequent flight Of Connolly himself and the
general scattering OF the smaller rogues, Wood
ward, Corson and others. the impeachment of Judge
McCunn and Barnard, the resignation of Judge
Cardoza to- avoid the same impending fate.
and the totnl overthrow at the polls of the last Of
the Ring adherents.
After the OBrien exposure tho Ring attempted
to make Connolly the scapegoat for ali their SINS
Mayor Hall asked for his resignation. This was re-
fused by Connolly by the advice of William F.
Havemeyer and Others of the COMMITTEES of Sew
enty. lie apponte Andrew II. Green his deputy
With fuli power in case Of his removal. This was
ended only by the election in the following Noyem-
Der, which wholly overthrow the Ring.
Connolly was never brought TO trial. Charles
OCOnOr. acting for the State, caused bis arrest and
he was Incorporated in Ludlow Street Jail although
Mrs. Connolly yainy offered $l,OOOOOO In
United States bonds to secure his release.
all, of the stolen money could be regained from the
rOgues, hence the compromise of 81 0O0 ono
was refused. Connolly was kept In Ludlow
Street Jail for over two months and was then re-
leased on civil process Soon after this he sailed
for Europe, accompanied by his family. He lived
TOR time at Cairo and then went to Switzerland.
with which the United States has no extradition
treaty fearing that he would be Brought back to
answer for his misdeeds.
Connolly was much the shrowdest of all the Ring
thieves, and is probably the only one who has
managed to retain q considerable amount of
his gains. The most OF the money he