Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-10-06

district, out of the party. OF course the
voting of fraudulent ballots were not hon
est, but nobody could ever tell just ex-
actly where those fraudulent ballots came
from There was no Australian ballot
system in those days.
Knows, But Won't Tell.
Charley" Murphy knows how those bal
lots got In circulation on that election
day, but he won't tell. He won't tell
anything about anything. He is Silent
Charley"
Previous to this campaign Murphy had
opened another saloon. this one at Nine
teenth and First avenue. Shortly after
ward he opened a saloon at Twentieth
street and Second avenue. which is the
headquarters of the Anawanda Club, the
district Tammany organization. Then ne
sold out the little saloon at the northwest
corner of First avenue and Twenty-third
street. In 1890 he was running four sa-
looms I'm the district and every one OF
them was q tremendous moneymaker.
Edward Hagan became the Tammany
leader of the district in 1882, and held the
leadership until 1892. In all his campaign
he was the same free money spenoing,
high living Hagan. Back of hin-his oal-
ance wheel-was Murphy, now a man Of
wealth and influence. Big leaders in Tam
many Hall looked with respect on the ST.
lent young man who had shown that he
could play district politics with the best
OF them.
The inevitable end OF a man living Ha-
gan's life came to him in 1892. BY his
bedside stood, as he was dying, Charley
Murphy and all his other political lieu
tenants. Almost the last words tnat da-
gan said were:
BOYS when I'm gone see to II that
nobody gets the leadership but Charley"
So we find Charley Murphy, ex-ship-
ward apprentice, ex-street car driver, lead
er of one OF the biggest assembly districts
in the city at the age of thirty-two To
be the director of the ''Gas House" dis
trict was no mean honor for man scarce
Nv past his youth but 1t didn't turn the
hard head of Charley Murphy.
Saloons and Politics.
He applied himself to politics and his
saloons as a combine business. He made
politics pay just as he made his saloons
pay.
any other leader in Tammany hall, no
matter what party was In power And
he carried his family along with him to
success. He had a brother on the police
force and another, "Genial Billy" who
had all Of Charley's popularity but little
of his political ability, was an alderman.
s'Billy" died in 1893 In a cottage at Lake
wood He lay Ill there for weeks and ev-
cry Sunday hundreds from the Eighteenth
district went down to see him. Upon his
death the board of aldermen chose John
]. Murphy to fiji out the term. John j.
served as councilman during the Van
Wyck administration.
Murphy had no ambition to hold office
until Van Wyck was elected; then he &C
cepted a place as dock commissioner. Up
on taking Office he gave his saloons away
to relatives and close friends.
When "Silent Charley went into the
dock board ne is reputed to have been
worth probably 100000. He is now said
to be worth a million.
After the Tammany ticket was beaten
last year Murphy went after the Tam
many leadership in earnest. Through his
close connection and friendliness with the
East Side leaders he got good start.
He is an intimate friend of Tim Sullivan
and Tim Sullivan help him.
When he came out in the open in the
fight for the leadership his enemies ac-
cused him of showing favoritism in
awarding. contracts while he was dock
commissioner and OF sharing in the prof
it's. He issued denial and complains
that the newspapers did not print it. He
admits that he showed favoritism in
awarding contracts, and asked Why
not?''
AH....L.. L. - N.&h1Efr