Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1886-06-10
A BUSY LIFE ENDED.
John Kelly, the Chieftain of New
York's Tammany Society,
Passes Away.
His Death Peaceful One, His FacuI-
ties Remaining Intact to the
Last Moment.

ties Remaining Intact TO the
Last Moment.
II 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
or New York, who passed away peacefully
at his house in that city on the afternoon
OF Tuesday, the 1st inst. He had been
SICK Tor long time-in fact, his illness
dated back to the close of the last Presiden-
nal campaign-but it was not believed by
his intimate friends that he was so near
deaths door. His mental faculties were
bright and clear to the last. His death was
painless and peaceful. He held the hand of
his wife until his hold relaxed in death. Mr.
Kelly leaves two children, girl and boy,
aged respectively 8 and years. His widow
is niece Of the late Cardinal McCloskey.
Mr.. Kelly expressed wish that his funeral
should be private and simple, consequently
there was no public demonstration.
DIR. Edward l.. KeyCs, who attended Mr..
Kelly throughout his illness, says that his
patient had been in failing health for two
years. The nerve forces were impaired,
and all the functions were deranged in con-
sequence. He made strong efforts to re-
gain his health, but they were futile. He
finally acknowledged that it was useless to
hope for recovery, and for six or eight
months past he had confessed he was dy-
ing. At times Mr.. Kelly was much de-
pressed in spirits, but at no time was his
intelligence impaired. He retained that
throughout, and at all times had full con-
troll of his senses. His physical deteriora-
tinfa crTaof His hoir on1 haorI Io
came perfectly white. He lost at least sixty
pounds in flesh. His heart and other in
teRral organs were very much affected, al
though he had no organic disease. He
Soennad ~ show roerat hI1t anneared IN
be 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 1874. 1t indi-
Gated the humble beginning of one who,
twelve years later, was member of Con-
gress, and who, for thirty years since then,
was one of the most prominent political
figures of New York. His name was fa-
miliar to everybody, and his features have
been portrayed SO frequently by the carica-
turists that even children recognized it. 1t
is said that the editor of an illustrated pa
per at one time instructed his artists to re-
member that when timely subjects did not
present themselves q cartoon on John Kelly
was always in order, and Kelly has been
seen on street-car perusing this very pa
per, his eye twinkling merrily when he
found humorous representation of him.
self. Johns strong Characteristic was his
unostentatiousness, and for that reason
people know very little about his private
life.
John Kelly was born tat,S in NsT sT York S1n City H
was 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 good judge of char
aoter and quick in deciding. He talked
with the youth 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 q trade, so as to better support
the large family that was depending on
him. Mr.. Bennett offered him strong in
duoements to remain, and ON parting with
him predicted that he would succeed any,
where. The elder Bennett was as strong a
friend of Kelly's as the present Bennett
of soapstone cutting and CRATE setting, at
which he afterward made a considera-
BILE fortune. He proved to be re-
markably shrewd business man, and his
faith in the future of New York City was
so great that with every 5000 or $500 he
would get he bought a lot uptown; these
lots are worth to-day from s., 900 to $10,-
900, and Mr.. Kelly has died a millionaire.
Though his charity was distributed most
secretly, it is estimated that he dispensed
$3.50, 900 in that way. When young man
John was notable as an athlete. The no.
torious John Morrisey said of Kelly that he
had the build of an ideal pugilist. Though
the cartoonists have always represented him
as 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 1858. 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 his
last term was completed to take the Office
of Sheriff, to which he had been elected.
1t was while in Congress thai General Cass,
President Buchanan's Secretary of State,
spoke of him as Honest John Kelly"
which he has been commonly called since.
In 1868 he was chosen the candidate for the
Mayoralty in opposition to Bill Tweeds
Tammany Hall candidate, but an awful
burden of domestic afflicton in the loss of
his wife and son compelled him to with
draw and take his two daughters-all that
was left of his family-to Europe for his
own health as we'll 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. Prom
inent men like Mr.. Tilden, Seymour, Hew-
lit, and Belmont sought Mr.. Kelly to help
them in this crisis. He had vowed never
to again enter politics. Their importu,
mites continued for year, till at last
he entered the fight, and while Mr.. Tilden
and Charles O'Conor attacked the Tweed
ring in the Legislature and in the courts
Mr.. Kelly had hand -to-h hand tussle with.
them in Tammany Hall, their citadel. and
routed them, as is we'll known. This gave
him prestige which he held since. An
idea of the tremendous power which this
ring welded may be obtained from the fact
that it gave employment to 12,0Ol persons
and disbursed $50, 100000 annually. In
1875 Mr.. Kelly was appointed Comptroller
of the city, and not only stopped the debt
of the city increasing, something unprece-
dented, but actually reduced it $l2, ,000, 900
during his term of Office.