The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-12-18
"POLICY KING" ADAMS.
Rose From Poverty TO Wealth on
the Pennies of the Poor.
From the New York World.


From the New York World
Albert ]. Adams, arrested recently
in a raid by Capt. F. Norton Goddard's
men, is not only a policy king.
| He is a millionaire at least three
times over. and perhaps five or ten
times over.
He owns at least 100000 worth of
| real estate.
He is the hacker of more than one
hundred saloons and owns the prop
erty in which forty corner saloons are
located.
He practically owns two breweries.
lie is the heaviest individual stock
holder in the West Side Bank in Eighth
avenue.
He is said to have an interest in
practically every gambling house west
of Broadway from the Battery to One
Hundred and Tenth street.
He is said to own about sixty policy
shops.
he has family of which he is very
proud, a wife, three grown sons and
two grown daughters.
Adams is a curious mixture. He
clings Loyalty to the associates and
the ways which have made him a mill
lionaire, and at the same time is am
bilious for the social success of his
wife and children.
While having business arrangements
with "Shang" Draper. the reformed
burglar and others of that type, and,
il is alleged, running policy shops
which take the last pennies from starv-
ing families he sent one son to Har-
ward and another TO Heidelberg.
Two of his sons are lawyers, prac-
Using in this city; the third is mer-
chant. His two girls are handsome,
talented young women, possessing all
the accomplishments common TO the
daughters of millionaire father. They
dress in perfect taste, have smart car
riages to drive in and beautiful jewels.
1t was the ambition OF the father to
have his family enter society frequent
ed by people of recognized refinement
and position. He sent his eldest son,
Lawrence b. Adams, to Harvard with
that purpose in view. That was eight
or nine years ago.
Young Adams was a fine, manly fell
low, a good student and with pleasing
qualities. He made many friends, but
when it became known in the univer-
sity that he was the son Of ZAP Adams,
the policy king" some of his former
friends dropped him. Others continued
the friendship, but the young mans
social position became different from
that of the other students. He was not
invited always TO meet the mothers
and sisters of his friends. He was
sensitive, and these things worried
him.
The experience Of his eldest son at
large university was a blow to the ia
Their, and when II came time to send
the second son, Louis b. Adams, to col
lege he was sent to Heidelberg. The
third son, Albert j. Adams, Jr., studied
law In this city.
The two daughters, Evelyn and Ida,
were educated in fashionable schools.
Mrs. Adams, the wife and mother, was
a Miss Thatcher of Baltimore, and is
a clever, ambitious woman.
Before he realized the difficulties
which confronted the social ambitions
of his family, Adams selected as his
home the modern mansion, No. East
Sixty-ninth street. This house, in the
heart Of the fashionable district, was
sumptuously furnished, but the policy
king discovered that being the neigh
Dor of rich and fashionable people did
not bring his family any closer to them
than II his home were In another part
of the city. When fire destroyed the
Sixty-ninth street house In April 1885,
the Adams family moved TO the Hotel
Netherland, and have since lived there.
having a suite OF apartments which
take up a considerable section of one
OF the floors.
"Ar' Adams is a peculiar man. He
Is tall. heavily built, amiable and re-
spectacle looking. He sees nothing