The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1888-02-11
BTOadbrim'S New york Letter.
Special to the CAnnoN ADVOCATE.

A little over year ago New York was
startled from its prospriety by the intellg-
ence that Thomas Patrick Walsh of the
Sixth Ward, otherwise known as FATTY"
by his intimates, had received at the hands
of the retiring Mayor, the appointment of
warden of the Tombs If he had been
appointed chaplain of Congress. or superin-
tendent of the Young Mems Christian
Association, or trustee OF the Board Of
Foreign Missions, we would have accepted
1t without winking, but when it came to
placing a man in charge of our criminals
W no had been associated with them the
greater portion of his life, 1t was matter
of grave consideration.
Fatty Walsh was raised in the Sixth
Ward, which is the great criminal ward of
the city. Whiskey was his business and at
one time gambling his profession, for this
he was indicted and, until short time ago.
these indictments were pigeon holed in
the District Attorney. The mans whole
life was unsavory and disreputabe, but
singularly enough, his claims to official
preferment had been endorsed by no less a
person than Abraham S. Hewitt, the pre-
sent Mayor, and the endorsement of Mr..
Hewitt went far to securing his confirma-
ton. Now comes the singular feature of
this appointment James Finn had been
warden of the Tombs for fifteen years, and
Finn had, all things considered, conducted
his department fairly and honestly, but
without rhyme or reason Mr.. Finn was
summarily put out and Fatty Walsh was
put in his place. At the time the change
was made Danny Drisccll was in the
Tombs under sentence Of death. DANNY
had been power in the Sixth Ward, and
he carried six leaden balls in his body.
trophies which proclaimed his superiority
over the common tough. On election day
when his friend Fatty Walsh was running
for Alderman, Danny put in his fine work
with the bummers of the lodging-houses
on the Bowery. Chatham Square and Pell
street, he marshaled the Whyos from
Baxter street and the FIVE Points and
Paddy Diver was sent to the wall. But in
an evil hour Danny Driscoll came to
grief and the law said that the gallows vas
his doom.
As long as James Finn was in charge
there was little prospect of escape for Dan
ny. Then came the appointment of Fatty
Walsh. Why did Abraham s. Herwit rec
ommend him? Mr.. Herwitt is an honest
man; he has risen by his own personal ef-
fort from the very lowest estate known to
our Republic. He is the son-in-law of the
late Peter Cooper Of blessed memory; the
man who did not wait for death to summon
him before he bestowed his fortune to
bless humanity, but who realized the bless
ing of his work for twenty years before he
died, and about whose name clusters and
twines the holiest benediction. In all this
great city no name 80 honored and so loved.
Just before his death | haye seen him
drive down Broadway in his old worn bug
gy when it was crowded with vehicles,
when ponderous omnibuses and huge drays
turned into the gutter to give him the right
of way as if he had been king, A queer,
quaint old figure was he, but no king on
his throne ever received more loyal defer
| ence from the common people than he.
| Why did his son-in-law endorse FATTY
WalshP "That's politics" says Mr.. Cregan.
The County Democracy and Tahmany
Hall were pretty evenly balanced. Fatty
Walsh proclaimed for the County Democ.
racy and Paddy Diver for Tammany Hail.
The Sixth ward was an important factor
in the fight. 1t was really the balance OF
power. Fatty Walsh demonstrated his
power to carry the ward over Paddy Diver,
but as reward for his serv ce he claimed
the wardenship of the Ttm5s. Why that
particular place of all others under the city
government? His old friend and compan.
ion Danny DTscoll was there under sen.
tence of death. Mr. Driscoll, though under
| sentence of death enjoyed many privaleges
not accorded to less distinguished prisoners
his wife carried key to his cell in her
pocket, and let herself in and out whenever
she pleased; and when Fatty Walsh was
installed, Danny Driscoll had hopes OF
more extended privileges than he had en-
ioyed under Warden Finn, instead Of which
the key to Danny's cell was taken away
from his wife, and when he had almost sue.
ceeded in escaping he was detected andstop
ped, and shortly after he was discovered
in an attempt to assassinate his old friend
and then came the expose at the foot of the
gallows, where he accuses Warden Walsl
of the most unneard of barbarty. No one
| supposes that his trea tment was at all diff
ferent from that of any other prisoner un
der sentence of death. The question now
is, was the appointment of Fatty Walsh as
warden of the Tombs made by the deat
Whyo's influence, the consideration being
that Danny was to be allowed to get away.
Drscoll kept his part of the compact-did
Fatty keep his-thats the question:
WHAT'S the use of giving warning tc
fools2 Only a couple Of weeks ago gave
the history of the green goods swiDdle, and
this week it is Ashbury Hamilton Perkins
of Lincoln county, South Carolina, coun-
! y NSAhhhloolohCl Aliu u lie
came on here to buy $4,000 in counterfeit
money with S400 in greenbacks. The
counterfeits were so good that he intended
showing them on on his unsuspecting
neighbors, but instead Of. the counterfeit
money he expected. no got nothing but
four bundles of green paper, with bill on
the top of each bundle; besides this he got
arrested and exposed as the meanest kind
of swindler, who was willing to rob his
unsuspecting friends and after being kicked
out Of court with rebuke from the Judge
he goes back to South Carolina, ruined
man. But how about the green goods
swindler? Oh! he's all right. He had on
his person when captured just after he had
swindled Mr., Ashbury Perkins 1862. -Four
hundred of this was Perkins money. II
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