The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-07-30
JOHN MORRISSEY'S WIDOW.
She Tells the Story of Her Descent from Wealth
to Poverty.

She Tells the Story OF Her Descent from wealth
to Poverty.
Especial to THE HERAID-Examiner Dispatch.
New YORK, July 29.-The Saratoga Club
House, which is a Golconda to the present
owners, is part of John Morrissey's estate.
1t is safe to say that a quarter of million
would not buy it, yet the heir to this prop
erty, or the greater part, is hemming col
lars and cuffs for Troy mandatory and
! having desperate struggle for existence.
! The widow of the once famous gambler,
prize fighter and Congressman, is still as
straight as an arrow despite her sixty
years, but has hard time of it. Were it
not for the generosity of an adopted son in
| California, who would not join the horde of
! ingrates who have made war upon her since
her husbands death, she might have
starved to death. Not one of Gods
creatures was hurled more suddenly from
affluence to poverty. Yet John Morrissey
lived and died her husband, and she was
the mother of his children.
1t is now many long year since the
famous old navigator, Captain Levi Smith,
commanded the old steamboat Empire,
which ran between Troy and New York.
John Morrisseyss was deck hand, and the
| captains beautiful daughter was frequent
| traveller on the boat. There was some
thing about the clean cut, stalwart. TEN
perate deck hand which canght the beauti-
full girls fancy
After brief courtship they were mar
ried in little white house 1t is here that
the widow has found refuge in her old age
and where she was visited by your CORE
spOndent Mrs. Morrissey shrank from
| publicity and was averse to talking, even
| though she felt that public notice of her
case might touch some heart that vowed
gratitude to her husbands name. yes"
/ she said, 81 was robbed of my fortune, but
accuse nobody. Ny enemies were very
powerful and they prevailed against me.
Those who were my friends when and my
husband were powerful to give, have
turned their backs on me now that / am
d and poor Why, sir, there are men in
New York city who were made by John
Morrissey. They would be nobodies to-day
if it were not for him. Yet when was on
the verge of starvation these men would
not lend me helping hand. But L could
name you many. Oh, sir, / know as well
as YOU do what ingratitude isl
But how were you robbed of your for
tune"
Il do not know, / accuse no man. In my
husbands will, after certain legacies were
paid, Twas to receive the remainder. There
was no remainder; the estate was settled
I selling the club house at Saratoga for less
than $4,000, when it was easily worth
100000; and so it went, as my enemies
were mighty
| 'And did you make no fight?"
mo, sir, never raised my hand; l did
not seek the shame of public contest.
| No, have done nothing"
rs it true that you are in very reduced
circumstances
She hesitated, cast down her eyes for a
moment and then said, with an embar-
raised air: Eyes, sir, it is. Work is very
scarce now. My sister and l make collars,
and exc out living with the needle as be
we can, but if it were not for the hep
given by my adored boy in California, I
think we should go down. He is very
good, very good, indeed. If could only
raise the mortgage on this house l should
feel happy. 1t is the old homestead where
John and 1 were married. There is a
mortgage of $1,000 on it,
"a pretty hard life, l fear"
Hard, indeed, sir, for one who never
had to raise her hand in labor, and who has
Known every luxury. 1t is hard, too, to
know that have not what in right belongs
to me-"
500 your old-time friends know of your
condition.
"Some of them. l have appealed to some
of them, not for charity" she broke in
grandly, 81 ask not for that, but for some
return upon the debts they owe. If those
whom l have supported would do little
something 1 might pass the rest of my days
as an old woman should, not Shaving with
the needle"
William r. Travers, the genial wit and
financier, has passed beyond the horizon of
the interviewer; Senator Murphy, his Co
executor, was averse to talking about Il g
subject. 1.-THE estate was settled he said.
mo, I do not think Mrs. Morrissey got
much. She is living somewhere"
"Here in tOwn-at old Captain Smiths
SIS it possible? She ought to have prop
erty, for see had considerable when John
Morrissey died. She must have had
$4,000 or $4,000 worth of jewelry alone.
That woman was a poor, silly fool. She
was crazy for the admiration of men,
Gentlemen's Races at Huntington, IL
Especial to THE HERALD--ExamlnerD Dispatch
NEW YORK, July 29.-Despite bad wea-
Their the club men held races of their own
at the fair grounds, Huntington, Long
island, Friday, and had heaps of fun. AL
though there was no betting, ex
cept gloves by the ladies and five
friends of "Lucky Foxy Keene, son
of the former California millionaire, insist
that he shall give at least a hundred dollar
dinner out of the purses he won. Five of
the six races were for gentlemen riders.
Kene rode in four and won every one,
thereby adding S515 to his pocket money.
The scales were primitive and uncertain,
and the starting was far from perfect, but
everything went, including number Of
fines and protests Keene's race was won
by from seven to twenty lengths and
aroused enthusiasm. Jenkins Van Setback
presided at lunch in the club house. Punch
flowed like a burst reservoir. The club
intends to make gentlemen's races as pop
ular as formerly. 1t will give away $1,000
in purses and premiums at the fall fair and
will lay out a capital steeplechase course
throughout the adjoining country.
Heir tn Millions.