Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1900-04-19

New York, April 13.-Four million
dollars gone in eight years is the story
OF the fortune accumulated by the late
Henry fheiss, Sr. Both his sons died
during that brief period; but while
they lived they managed to get
through the money which their father
accumulated In his notorious concert
garden on Fourteenth street, and now
nothing Is left but a claim which the
widow of one Of the sons has against
the Travellers Insurance COMPANY of
Hartford. She brought suit in the SUI
preme court against the company for
Sl2.5O0, which she claims Is due under
two policies of George Thesis who
died two years ago. The company,
however, says 1t cannot pay, as the in
surance money has been attached I'M
! der process Of law in the Connecticut
courts. AS a result of this complica-
| ton the story Of how the Thesis mil
lions, which were gathered largely
from the disreputable and degraded
classes of this city have vanished like
snow before the white wings of Com
missioner Maggie
The widow Of George Thesis, Mrs
Alice NJ. Thesis, is said by her couu-
sci, OHare and Dinneen. of 346
Broadway, to be practically penniless.
Almost all she has is this claim
against the insurance company. &ud
her lawyers set up the contention on
her behalf that the courts of Con-
necticut had no right to grant liens
against the policies, as they are made
payable solely to her and in this state,
OF which she is a resident. They
further say that the only duty for the
company is to pay the money to her.
and let the creditors of her late huS-
band sue her and collect whatever
Judgment may be granted them by the
courts of New York. Thus even these
few thousand dollars all that can pos
stbly be available of the big concert
garden fortune, may be spent in lt-
cation, and nothing be left but the
memory of the place where it was
made,
Henry Thesis, Sr., began business in
small way as a saloonkeeper. He
soon got concert hall-a place which
would now be called "dive'-ou the.
Bowery. He was shrewd, and catered
to the liking of the class which pat
ronlzed him. He soon moved to
Fourteenth street, and it was there he
became famous In the old DAYS.
twenty-five or thirty years ago, Theiss'
was the most widely known resort in
the city for sporting men, women of
questionable character and the higher
grade of criminals. 1t was tnere Red"
l-eafy, Billy Irving, Billy"
McGlory, "Reddy, the Blacksmith.
and similar shining lights congregated
when not busy with their own affairs.
II was of higher grade than the
Haymarket and Armory hall, and
Thesis always tried to maintain it in
certain air Of responsibility. This in
sured him the custom of men about
folk. who went there to drink beer
and watch the mixed crowd which
frequ,nted tho place. 1t was, in
those days, one of the Stun" sights
of the city, and out of town and soci-
ETY. people would make up parties ana
visit it. Thiess grew rich, and for
long fortune smiled upon him.
But gradually the place lost its
vogue, There were thefts in it and
brutal assaults. There were murder
and suicide without its doors. The
police were more pressing in their at
'enton TO it, and other places started
up. Then Thesis, who was a shrewd
business man. changed his location
on the street and built finer place.
He put in fairly good variety pro.
gram nightly and again the crowd OF
dissointe women and dssipated men
and boys thronged to 1t. Better order
was preserved In it. There was fine
restaurant and the largest orchestrion
in the United States, fountains and
pictures. 1t was in reality the chief
resort in the country for the classes
who frequcnted it, but the grade of
these kept gradually getting lower I'M
III eight years ago. When Henry
Thesis. Sr. died, leaving his fortune
and business to his sons Henry and
George.
After that the decline of the place
vas more rapid. 1t became worse in
tone The police stopped the per-
formance feature and in many other
ways made 1t undesirable for women
70 resort 10. they speculated and lost
money They spent enormous sums in
ether ways and they paid little or no
attention 20 business Then George
became Ill and the brothers built him
palace Al Saranac lake. The business
WAS neglected more than ever and
went % smash George died and Hen
~ became HI and fingered along for
months When he died 1t was found