New-York tribune., 1903-01-29
PATRICK DlVVER DEAD.
Pleuro- Pneumonia Carries Off the
Former Police Justice.

Patrick Diver the former Police Justice and Tam
many district leader died yesterday afternoon at
o'clock. in his home, at No Madison-st. he had
been Ill with pleuro-pneumonia less than week
IJp to noon Yesterday his condition so favor
ably regarded by his physician that his sons James
and Joseph. had left the house, but his wife ana
two daughters were at his bedside when ne oieu-
He was ffty-eight years old.
Mr. Diver native of Ireland, but ne was
brought to this city by his parents when he was
only two years old. and he was identified practicar
~ all his life with the lid Assembly District wnere
he the Tammany leader many years He gre"
up in the Cherry Hill section of the district HIS
rise from poverty and obscurity to wealth. tnhu-
ence and notoriety due to his qualities as a
fighter in politics. In his boyhood he was TOO poor
even to get good common school education. what
he knew later in life learned mainly in contact
with other men, Like many other Tammany lead
ers his road to power was through the barroom-
He controlled several liquor in the city after
he became the leader of his district
About the time Richard Croker became leader Of
the Tammany organization Diver became q Police
Justice, and for years he presided at the Iomps
police court. and known to his followers as
Judge Diver, although many of them continued
to call him Paddy Diver. He was the head OF
the 2. Diver Association, which built hne cruz
house at No. SO Madison-st The annual chowder eX-
"ursions of the club drew thousands of people out
of the city, and the Homecoming of an excursion
filled the streets of the district with crowds 1t
DIVERS boast that he could get the largest
Democratic majority of any district in the CITY
and the lid District was known the banner
Tammany district
Before the Lexow Committee there testimony
that at of DIVERS saloons the safe was used
the place for keeping the bankroll of gang or
"bunco' swindleIs. There testimony. too, that
Democratic jorties in DIVERS district had been
obtained by the preparation of highhanded frauds
Several Of DIVERS political lieutenants were in
dicted for such frauds in 1894 and Diver went to
the Far West and stayed there for months. while
his tools convicted and sent TO prison His
desertion of his workers in such dilemma lost
for him the control If the district organization for
a time. Alderman Nicholas 7. Brown. against
whom he had waged several successful fights, sue
ceeded to the leadership for a time. Later Diver
returned and recaptured the leadership. He had
ceased to be Police Justice, but he still head
of the P. Diver Association His later down
fall in the district the result of loss of popu
larity. He had lost of it by the desertion Of
political workers who sent to prison for cleo
ton frauds He forced personal fight with Morris
Tekusky, who had succeeded him in the proprietor
ship a Park Row saloon, and Teku1sky broke
his in the encounter. In 1891 he was beaten
badly in the district primary fight by Thomas F.
Foley, who has since then kept the Tammany
leadership of the district Alderman Foley said
yesterday afternoon:
1 am very sorry indeed to hear of Mr.. DIVERS $
death. In spit of many political wrangles that
we have had re never had three words or tr9uoIe
ways beer With Win t tRoroughy understood
heads heads we did not have anything disagreeable be
tween us. am sure that the Downtown lam, lam
many fba p 25 % %d body Will eePs ~ attend
myself, and want every good Fri friend OF mine as
At the Diver home last night it was said that
no arrangements had been made for the funeral
on on next SATURDAY % morning. and that the burial
would be in Calvary Cemetery