Durango semi-weekly herald., 1903-05-11

eight children, five of them sons.
Francis Murphy was the second.
As soon as he was old enough he
| was sent to the primary school in
Nineteenth street. near Third avenue.
and was advanced from grade to
grade until he was about l5. when he
got job in John Roach's shipyard at
the foot of Ninth street on East river.
and remained there two years. until
the works shut down from lack of bus
mess. He was a muscular. active
boy, fond of sports and natural lead
er. He organized baseball team
known as THE Senator'S" and during
the summer of 1876, when he was out
of work. he took 1t on tour through
the state. playing in all of the princi-
pal cities and winning many trophies.
which are still on exhibition in the
Senate saloon on the corner of Second
avenue and Twentieth street. of which
Murphy was afterward proprietor
Upon his return from his baseball
tour young Murphy got job as driver
of crosstown car from Twenty-third
street on East river to the Hoboken
ferry on the Hudson. Saving his mon
ey and living at home at little ex-
pense. in 1879 he had accumulated
5000 which he invested in saloon in
Ninteenth street, few doors from Av-
enue A. 1t was a humble place, with
only one window and one door, but it
was well kept, orderly, and gave no
trouble to the police AS soon as he
was firmly established young Murphy
rented the upper stories of the build
ing and made them the headuarters
of three clubs which he organized
among his friends and acquaintances
in the neighborhood One of them
was the Senators baseball club, the
second was rowing club and the
third was known as The Sylvan So
cial club" which was composed of the
members of the other two. and many
others 1t gave dances in the winter
and picnics in the summers. brought
great deal OF patronage to the saloon
and increased Murphys influence
among the people. lie was always the
leader of whatever he went into, the
captain of his baseball club and his
which he soon after organized and
made power in local politics.
In 1884 he bought another saloon at
the corner of Twenty-third street, and
avenue r, which was fitted up in a
most luxurious manner, and was the
finest ever seen in that part OF town.
He soon after opened other saloons in
different parts of The ward until he
was the proprietor Of five OF the best
patronized and most prosperous drink
ing places in that part OF the city,
which were always orderly and well
kept. Murphy prides himself upon
the fact that nosfNeman ever drank
over any OF his bars, and no arrest was
ever made in any one OF them.
In 1892 Edward Hagan, who for
many years had been the Tammany
leader for the eighteenth district
died, and the honor passed down to
Murphy, who had been his second in
command. AS soon as Murphy got
into the general committee his ability
and force OF character was recognized
by Croker, Who pushed him rapidly TO
the front, and when Van Wyck was
elected mayor he appointed Murphy
dock commissioner. Before accepting
the Office he disposed of his saloons
to his brothers or to the bartenders
who had managed them for him. His
wealth was then estimated at $780,
900. He is now ranked as million
aire, being one of the fifteen Tammany
leaders who are considered plutocrats.
He is charged with making a large
sum of money out of the ice monopoly,
which was, organized by Croker, and
by manipulating the rentals OF the city
docks
Mr.. Murphy lives at 309 East Seven
teenth street. a modest house about
four blocks from Tammany hall, for
which he paid $4,000 last summer
when he married Mrs. Graham, a wild
ow who had lived in the neighborhood
for several years. The house was a
wedding present to his bride. Until
his marriage he resided with his
brother-in-law, Patgik GRAY. a ser
geant of police who occIpfes similar
residence in the same block, which
also belongs to Mr.. Murphy. His fam
ily consists of the four children of his
brother William, who died seven years
ago One of them is a cadet in the
first class at West Point and will grad
uate in June Mr. Murphy is a mem
ber of the Roman Catholic church and
very regular in the performance OF his
religious duties. He is liberal to char
ity and an officer in several religious
and benevolent organizations. AL
though the owner of five saloons, he
never drinks liquor himself, but is a
habitma smoker His manners are
quiet and reserved and even more reti-
cent than Croker.