The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-07-02


who has long been a noted speculator
in real estate, has just signed con-
tracts for the purchase of one of the
most interesting of New York's old
dwellings," No. 80 Union Square East,
Which was for half a century the resi-
dence of the eccentric Richard Tighe.
1t is modest brick house, with a
frontage of twenty-siX feet, just south
of Sixteenth street, and it was the
scene of the last funeral in Union
square, when it's venerable owner died
in May, 1896.
Richard Tighe, who had a legal
right to the prefix Sir" though he
did not use the title, constructed in
1884 will so oddly put together and
SO curiously amended later with pen
clled interlineations that many a
New York lawyer found it productive
of fees. 1t attempted to dispose of an
estate valued at about $4,000, 900. AL
though Mr.. Tighe seemed anxious to
hold to his money in his declining
years, his assets were found, after his
death, to contain plenty of bonds, to
which were attached coupons that
ought long before to have been cashed.
He was the son of Maj. Robert
| Tighe, of distinguished Irish family,
| and was born in 1895. He came to this
| country in 1885, and was the first set
| tier in Union square. His house, No.
| 80, had the honor of being the last
| dwelling ever occupied there His will
left his estate to his wife, and in the
event of her dying before he did-which
! proved to be the case-the property
was to be divided into 100 parts among
several specified heirs. He modified
these provisions by his later emenda-
tons in pencil, and when the will
came up for probate several contest
ants appeared.
The matter was partially comprom-
ised and partially settled by a legal
! fight, about 100000 going to heirs in
Ireland. One of the benefciaries in
| this country was Mrs. Wheeler H.
| Peckham.
=. City Removes Old Car Tracks. -,
Under the direction of principal AS
sistant Engineer George W. Wilson,
| 300 men from the bureau of encum-
brances last week removed the unused
trolley tracks in Humboldt street, be-
| tween Meeker avenue and Grand
street, Brooklyn, a distance of four
/ teen blocks. In anticipation of trouble
on the part of the Brooklyn Rapid
| Transit company squad of police
were on hand from the Herbert
street station. 1t was not, however
until the work of removing the rails
and ties had been completed that the
railroad company got knowledge OF
| what had been done.
The work of tearing up the tracks
/ and ties occupied less than an hour.
| AS fast as the rails were displaced
they were cast alongside the curb, lat
er being carried to the corporation
| yard. The old rails had been an eve
sore to the people in their vicinity for
| several years. Although the tracks had
not been used in nearly five years, the
| officials of the Brooklyn Rapid Tran
sit company never removed them.
| See Famous Hope Diamond.
| Senator w. A. Clark, of Montana;
John W. Gates and ]. ]. Hill have each
had a private view of the famous
| Hope diamond, which is valued at
| country since last November, which
weighs 443s carats, has not been pur-
| chased.
The stone is perfect blue diamond
| with nearly 200 facets, and belonged
| to the father of the present Lord
| Francis Hope. His divorced wife, who
| was May Yohe, never had the happi-
| ness of wearing the enormous gem on
| the stage, because Lord Francis as one
| of the executors of his fathers estate
! disposed of it before he met the fair
| American.
Mayor Low to Report Weekly.
Mayor Low has concluded he has not
| taken the public sufficiently into his
| confidence. Beginning Thursday, July
| 10, he will talk to reporters for half an
| hour about some one in the city de-
| partment. There will be one interview
each week at first, and if the plan
works well, two interviews each week.
At these sessions he will try to answer
all the questions asked of him.
II have been so busy" the mayor
to the public just what we are doing
and trying to do. In these weekly
talks we can take up each depart
ment in turn and let people know what
we have done and what we have failed
to accomplish"