The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-08-30
THE LATE HARRY HILL.
Once One of the Country's Famous
Sporting Men.
From the New York Press.

poor man. After accommodating more than
$4,000 he passed away yesterday again a
poor man.
IL was p. m, when death came to 'the
squarest man that ever ran a sporting
place" ChiIls and fever. contracted a week
ago by drinking impure water. were the
cause of death. DIT. Killelea of Flushing.
who was in attendance from the beginning
of the Illness. says that the advanced aga
Of the patient-76 years-prevented his re-
covery.
There is probably no sporting man bet
ter known to-day than Harry Hill was
ten years ago. Then his place at Crosby
and Houston streets was famous all over
the United States
1t was reputed that Hill was million
aire. Though Harry never Dragged of
| his wealth, he admitted TO his friends that
he was worth more than $4,000.
Then came reverses, brought about first
| by the police. then speculation and lack
| of business training. Soon the fortune was
swept away and the good-natured Eng
lishman was left to shift for meal as
| best he could.
Harry Hill was a thick-set, smooth-shav-
/ en- Briton, with a kind word for every one,
/ though he managed at the same time to
see that he was the master of mis- own
place In England he had been a truck
man and frequenter of the race track al
| Epson, where he was born.
| There he met George NJ. Woolsey of the
sugar manufacturing firm of Rowland,
/ Aspinwall & Woolsey, who engaged him
to take charge OF his stable in Astoria, l..
/ l. For time Hill remained in the employ
| of Woolsey. Then he opened livery sta
BILE close to the old Bulls Head hotel. in
/ Third avenue, and sold horses to the Third
avenue street railway, just starting. He
/ drove the first car from city hall to Har-
4 lem over that route.
! il was I'm 1854 that Hill started his famous
| club. He bought out a grocery at Houston
! and Crosby streets and got a grocer's Ii
! cense to sell liquors. In those days he was
good at wrestling and particularly handy
with his fists, and soon the sporting ele-
ment of the neighborhood made the corner
grocery a kind of headquarters.
Hill was always master of his own shop
and never called on the police for assist
ance. 1t was after becoming a grocer that
Hill met John Morrissey. The result was
that Hill was backed to wrestle with
Lieut. Ainsworth of New Britain. Conn.,,
| for 81, 500 a side. The match took place in
| Mozart hall on April IA, 1868, and Hill won.
From that time Morrissey was his firm
friend.
About that time the grocery ceased to
| exist Hill got hold of adjoining stores as
fast as the leases ran out He erected
stage in the main hall and gave concerts
and boxing bouts every night. The walls
of the place were decorated with quaint
prints and pictures of women bearing no
tees such as:
Members of the club must not indulge
in foul or obsence language"
Take a little wine for thy stomach's
sake"
Lovers not appreciated here. therefore
not wanted"
Hill never lost an opportunity to obtain
an attraction. One day while going to the
| ferry he saw clown ringing a bell. He
! was advertising the largest hog on earth.
Hill went to see the hog. He told his
friends that it was eighteen feet long. Hill
bought the hog and it was taken to his
| place Thousands of persons called to see
it, and Harry Hill used to say that is
caused more drunkenness than anything
else in New York.
It was before the time Of breweries. At
that time Hill used to serve an English
ale almost as strong as brandy. Those
who called to see the hog would get to
betting drinks as to the size Of the animal,
and soon a couple of drinks would put
them under the table.
| Hill was scrupulOusly honest, and it was
always his boast that no one was robbed
in Harry Hills. He often relieved a
drunken man of his "wad" and returned
it the next day, when the owner was able
to care for it. Thousands of dollars used
TO find their way to his cafe, and in one
| case a drunken lldu gave uliil RofsuoV "
care for, and when the roll was returned
not dollar was missing. He was always
a favorite stakeholder for betting men.
He was stakeholder when Jem Mace and
Joe Coburn signed articles, and he held
| $25 600 stakes when Sullivan whipped Ryan
at Mississippi City.
He bought 450 acres in Flushing, ex-
tending almost from the town to Bowery
Bay He built q fine country house and
a hotel known as the Flushing hotel.
| There was a fine sand deposit on the prop
erty and Hill sold the sand to any one
that wanted it. He bought tugs, built
a small railway, and finally opened fer
~ service between Fulton street. this
city, and Flushing. He sank thousands
! of dollars and the ferry business did not
succeed. He parted with his floating
property and got back little Of what 1t
was worth.
There was a mortgage on the Flushing
property and it was foreclosed. Then
came his quarrel with the police. The
| receipts of his house fell from $1,000 or
! 81 900 a day to almost nothing. Then he
! sank $4,000 in an effort to start the Curio
! on Broadway, near Houston street. That
was the last straw His notes began to
| fall due, and to raise money he had to
| further mortgage his Flushing property.
! Piece by piece 1t slipped from his grasp,
| until he was penniless.
! He opened a place in Harlem, but could
/ not make II go. linen ne went TO EVEN
street. Greenpoint, then to the Plank road
in jamaica then Hollis, L. l., Ozone park,
and East New York.
At Maspeth he could not make out and
went to Corona, where he opened hotel.
Three years ago his place burned down.
/ He opened another place. 1t was little
more than a barroom with a shed out
/ side for horses. There he died.
/ While Harry Hill ran his place in Hous-
ton street he gave benefit every Thurs
! day for some charitable purpose. He pro-
| vided the hall and music and often the
performers In 1894 a benefit was given
! Hill. at which $500 was raised. He ao-
peared on the occasion and gave an exh:-
/ bition with Indian clubs.
! He leaves a widow and three sons, Ed
ward. Richard, who lives in Flushing,
/ and william. whose home cannot be as
! certained. No arrangements have been
/ made for the funeral.
Aunt Elviry Hobbs never got up
from that roomatiz spell yit"
Nav: some folks won't never git outen
/ be5 s'long's other folks keep a-fetching