The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1902-05-13
lCHABOD.
Old Home Of the New Jer-
sey Club Sold at Auo-
ton Yesterday.
PRICE PAID FOR IT MAS $4,000
Once a Strong Center for Poll
ticians Scraps Concern
ing It's History.
PRICE PAID FOR IT MAS $4,000

For upwards of an hour yesterday after-
noon a group Of well known business men
stood on the sidewalk opposite the big
white house on the southwest corner Of
Grand and Greene streets bidding against
each other for its possession. By hun-
dreds the price of So, 200 was reached and
the old New Jersey Club. perhaps the
most interesting building In the county,
had passed from the hands Of President
William Hogencamp of the Second Ma
tioanl Bank to Mr.. Peter ). German, a
brave man, who has faced death hundreds
of times. He is an undertaken
The building was a great many years
ago. the head offices for the Morris Canal
and Banking Company when its muddy
| stream, which winds its tortuous path
from the Delaware River to the waters
Of New York Bay, was covered with
! craft Then the house became the New
Jersey Club, and finally was used as an
annex to Public School No, 1. Now it IS
to be converted into burial parlors
! But it was when the New Jersey Club
| held it that it became famous. A way
back in 1869 there was meeting in Tay-
lor,s Hotel, since swept away. At that
gathering were:-John R. Mcpherson, af-
| bett. afterwards Governor and Supreme
Court Justice; ]. B. Cleveland. afterwards
City Comptroller: Samuel McBurney, last
Comptroller Of the City of Bergen, and
| first to hold the office In the consolidation
| of Jersey City, Bergen and Hudson Citys
! John r. Nullaney, Col. w. f. Taylor.
These formed the club, and the dwelling
house Of Mr. Mcpherson. opposite the
present post office, was bought for $4,000.
1t was partly furnished and soon trans
formed into a comfortable club house. On
| the membership roll were men like E. F..
| C. Young, the late Governor J. D. Bedle,
Andrew Barrickle, 7. Negus, Theodore
Smith. Freeman Smith. Walter Watson,
Ely Weston, Conrad n. Jordan, now as
sistant treasurer of the United States; his
/ brother Thomas. comptroller of the Equit-
liable Life Insurance Company; Charles
Jordan, Richard Jordan and Robert Jor-
dan, the ex-Comptroller of the city; A.
@. Garretson. now Supreme Court JUS
tice, and James B. yredenburgh. Leon
| ALBEIT was made president. Samuel Me-
Burney secretary. A. @. Garretson assist
ant secretary and the late VIM. Bumsted
treasurer.
Some years later the club bought the
! offices of the Morris Canal Co. on Grand
street and removed their lares and pen-
ates thither Although the bylaws strictly
| commanded that politics should not be
discussed within the club walls, yet for
many years the club was oddly as it may
sound, not only the fountain head OF poll
tics of city, county and State but the
vortex of politics. Officeholders were
nominated by it and into itnswept the
| political streams from all parts of the
State. Once get the influence of the New
Jersey Club at your back and your nomi-
nation was certain.
The story is told Of United States Sena-
tor Mcpherson, who suddenly appeared
in the rooms of the club one evening nos
many weeks before the nomination for
United States Senator. He had hurried
down from Washington to attend little
club social
"Hullo. John" exclaimed Joseph D. Be
die. What are you doing here? What
about that phrase Of yours about the
man for the Officer"
That's all right, Bedle," replied the
Senator, with that peculiar smile of his.
ana i sun ptltsNS III II. DuA ny tAttHutlt
the man wants to be around when the
office is looking for him!
Within the club was, not many years
ago coneocted the famous drug deal by
winch a handful of the members ousted
the law officers of the city and put in
their friends. What a shindy that causedi
Law suits followed and the political world
was disturbed fer long time afterwards.
From the club walls originated a queer
organization which kept everybody guess
ing for years. That was the Hi Pi So
cle.y, and if ever there was a funny So
ciety that was. But few of its members
are left and only one of its officers Mr..
John d. Frazer of Mercer street.
The growth Of the city. causing the re-
noval OF prominent business people up
town to live, and the formation of the
Carteret, Palma and Jersey City Clubs.
gradually weakened the membership Of
the New Jersey Club until at least ( WAS
obliged to close its doors. II was bought
IN by Mr. William Hogencamp. who sold
it today. Although its glories have de
parted. many who pass its doors today
will recall very many pleasant hours
spent within its hospitable walls when ii
was the home of the New Jersey Club.