Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-10-12
GOTHAM IN THEGASLIGHT
CRIMINALS TO BE CONVICTED
BY THE CAMERA.

for Moral Purposes in NoVel Man
ner-The sad Romance of Gambler
Family-Beer at n Gent y Glass.
NEW YORK. oct. 9.-French's hotel
which used to be as well known rs any il
this city, has been closed four years
though valued as mere real estate at $500,
COO, and readily rentable for mercantile
purposes. This was the result OF quar-
rel between the heirs. The surrogate mas
now removed the trustee responsible ioi
the long closure on the ground OF mis-
MANAGEMENT. saying the proof was clear
tbat mis- real intent was to prevent any
body except himself from becoming a
Tenant. TIE decision ended one of the
most remarkable sacrifices ofincome ever
known. To-day the hotel was sold under
= decree OF the court for S460,000. The
purchaser was William II. Hammersley'
a real estate broker.
The WILL or HENRY PARRISH.
Some Of the features Of the hoyt Will
suit recall the great Parrish Will case OF
thirty years ago. whose dramatic features
are we'll remem bcred as discussed here
socially AZ the time. In the summer Of
1919 Henry Parrish, head OF one Of the
great commercial houses OF the city, was
suddenly stricken down with paralysis,
and from that time 10 mis- death, in 1896,
could not utter an Ineligible word. lie
had married a Miss Belahed, proud but
poor. and she had introduced MN into the
highest social circles. During his mar
ried life he had cared little for her. lie
never wrote her a letter, aud by his Will
left her about $350.OO0 ont of some $1,000
200 he possessed. Knowing the power Of
money, she wanted the rest. He was sim
ply idiotic. But The strong minded
woman took her lmbecIle husband down
town in a coach on three several occasions
and made him add three successive codi-
clls. the last Of which gave her all his
property. She called around him
religious persons, and rung them in by
interpreting her husbands 2lbberlsh 10
mean requests Of various sizes, and thus
secured an army Of respectable support
ers. The mans bodily health was good
aud so was his appetite, yet he was an
idiot. unable 20 read, write or talk. But
bis clever wife kept him a close prisoner,
and denied aim 10 all relatives, even to
his own brother and partner. She slept in
the room with him, and all through the
six long years that he lived in his imbe-
cility she was his constant companion.
Although at the time that Henry Parrish
died his wife had transferred property TO
her own name to the amount OF more than
q million and had a bank account nearly
equal to that sum. a long lawsuit followed,
and the great lawyers OF the day, led by
Charles OCOnOr, reaped r golden har-
vest. Mrs. Parrish did not live to enjoy
the fruits OF her plotting; she died before
the suit was closed. No writer OF fiction
has depicted a wife more resOlute or re-
morseless. and none would venture to
carry the terrible tragedy of her unlOYed
and unloying life through TO such an end
ing.
A GAMBLERS FAMILY.
In recent letter / mentioned the ex.
fstence Of gaming rooms run exclusively
for female patronage. | have Just learned
the somewhat romantic history OF the
proprietress of the most luxuriantly fur
nished place of the kind in the city. A
good many years ago a man, who was
known as a banker in Louisville, Ky,
married a beautiful woman OF that CITY,
by whom he had in a few years six
daughters. He was irdulgent TO them in
a degree which was the marvel OF the
people. They were unusually bright.
though he brought them up in compare
tive ignorance. One day, during the war,
he was suddenly compelled to leave Louis
vile and fly TO Canada. Then it leaked
out that be had robbed a United States
paymaster named Cook of $1,000 at
cards, and his wife learned for the first
time that his business Of banking in
Volyed simply the Keeping of faro bank.
Terribly mortified and nearly heart-broken
over her discovery, she concealed the fact
IRON her girls, and taking them she
Ned to this city. She reared them
IN an exemplary manner. nOtwIthstand-
ing she was compelled TO receive from
her dishOnOred husband the fruits Of his
swindling at cards. She bore il for years
until she had married off all her six
daughters and then she refused further
aid from him. All this time the children
remained in ignOi ance OF the fathers
character and business, and were exceed
ingly proud OF him. A few years ago he
died yerg suddenly, and the New York
dailies told the true story of his criminal
life and the daughters learned what their
father had been. One died from the shock.
Three others withdrew from all society.
The husband Of one who was equally
proud and fond of her, refused 70 let her
hide her head in secresy AMI pine away.
The other. her fathers fayOrite, and who
had more than her share of family pride
and who had not unfrequently twitted her
husband with the fact that he was sin
trade" while her father was a banker, in
The first shock OF the revelation Of the
true character OF her father abandoned
her home, turned 20 drink ana TO Camh-
ling desperately, and finally, after two
years OF dissipation descended to the low
level OF mistress Of a faro bank.
BLIND POLICE NO OBSTACLE.
Curious evidence has been obtained bv
a member OF the Property Owners Asso-
citation. now engaged in an attempt 10
clear vice out OF the mercantile portion
OF Sixth avenue. Warned by previous
experience that the policemen Will tes-
tify. when the cases under preparation
are brought up in court, that the assaied
establishments are net wicked. and that
the excise laws are not broken in them,
this earnest investigator has used a cam
era n some purpose. The disreputable
neighbOrhOOd Is brilliantly lighted AT
night by electricity. The city's street
lamps there are electrical, and these are
reinforced by those hung in front Of sa-
looms. The interiors OF the dance houses,
concert gardens and variety shows, too,
are glaringly illuminated. Armed with
"A pocket camera for taking instantaneous
views. he has made over "a hundred Mega
tives. the prints from which show the
character Of the nuisance beyond the pos
sibility Of contradiction.
In every case the camera was used az
ter / O'Clock In the morniug. when the
sale Of int0Xicants Is supposed to have
stopped. The street scenes, showing
thrOngs Of men and girls entering and
emerging from the dOorways, were OBJ
tanned without difficulty, for only a se-
cond's exposure Of the lens, like the fash
OF a dark-lantern, was required ~ each