Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-09-15

to bed on the floor. 1t wasn't long before
who is now dead. who was then cutting a
wide swath in politics, heard that We had
the tickets. and came down to the parrei
He needed them bad, and We knew it.
This man and another came In together
1hs rbt rsf nut tms o sG sbatea as We wers
going to run the Second ward ourselves
and would need the tickets. The next time
i we told him IL he would put UP some of
lis dough we'd give him the tickets. He
wanted 10 know if We had private room
WeTe W od We b@ we sa ad one but It
parlor. We then took him to the rear of
the room into little coal hole under a
He then asked how much we would take
for the tickets. and 1 told him $500. Tom
Davis was in favor of letting them go for
he had the stuff and had to have the tick
cts After dickering about five minutes 1
agreed to take 500 and he counted out the
money and took the tickets. We had them
all wrapped up III newspaper and he put
them under his coat Tom Davis ana 1
were so we'll pleased with the deal that We
closed up the barrel house, hired hack
and went out and rounded up the town.
We didn't get back TO the barrel house un-
tin some time next day, and We found that
Neff had discharged us and hired other
men in our places"
Alderman I.ooney died while in the far
West for his health, and in 1859 Foley, who
had attracted the attention of John May.
who was then the chief boss of the ward,
succeeded him in the council May was
also member of that body from the Sec
the new charter providing for two houses
of ten members each went into effect. May
was appointed that year superintendent of
streets by the board of public works. Foley
continued TO represent the ward in. the
council until April. 1896. when May threw
him down and elected his own brother-in-
law, John Moran.
What Made Him Famous.
While a member of the council Foley won
In 1892 Thomas Mellon. a Pittsburg. Pa,
capitalist came to the city and applied for
a franchise to build an inclined freight rail-
way from the brow of the bluff to the bot
toms on Eleventh street. He was told that
he ought to see" the members of the two
houses of the council. He interpreted this
that he ought to pay the members friendly
visits at their places of business. Mellon
called upon Foley one day in his saloon
at Eighth and Delaware streets and asked
him 10 vote for his franchise ordinance.
Foley told him he would consider it
Mellon then walked out without setting up
customers. This violation of a long estab-
lished custom on the part of q man seek
ing valuable franchise after asking sa-
bookkeeping alderman to vote in its favor
angered Foley, and turning to Pete Coyne.
an advertising solicitor, he exclaimed:
There's chilly old mark
Several others besides Coyne heard the
expression and soon it was repeated all
over the city and laughed at by thousands
of people. The newspapers took 1t up and
subsequently when Foley and other MEM
bers of the lower house of the council were
accused of trying to obtain Doodle from
Mellon. Foley appeared at the investiga-
ton and explained that he thought Melon
ought to have been good fellow enough to
set em up to the boys.
While addicted to picturesque slang,
Foley could talk good English when he
wished to make good impression upon
someone who had business with him or
whom he knew would not appreciate his
usual style of conversation. He was fond
of reading historical works and books of
travel, and would some times even read
works that either upheld or attacked the
Bible. Sometimes when he had imbibed
too freely of his own wet goods he would
insist that Webster compiled his dictionary
from the Bible.
you'll find every word in Webster's die
statement usually settled all arguments
upon the subject and Foley would set up
another round.
When John L. Sullivan was in Kansas
City three years ago. Foley was running a
saloon at Eighth and Walnut streets. They
had met bef0re and as Sullivan hsa was then then
water, he called upon Foley. One evening
during the spree that followed. farmer
ley ran out and stopped him and bought
the calf. Sullivan picked 1t up ana carried
it into the saloon. where they kept it for
several hours to the intense amusement of
| large crowd of interested onlookers.
on August Z. He insisted up to short
| time before his death that he would be UP
| and walking around in few days. To
Tom Davis, who called upon him soon aft
| erward, he said: -.''-'--
There's nothing the matter with me.
only | need a new tube put into my
| funeral? I'll fool you. Now, wouldn't ]
look nice leading procession to the bone
| yard? What would the town be without
| old A. P? Why. they've got to have good
| people here to fan the Rubes when they
| drop in for a VISIT
| In 1887 Foley was married to Miss Annie
| Rowdney. She died in June. 1885, leaving
| two children, who are now with their
grandfather and grandmother on a farm in
Kansas.