The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-03-05
MICHAEL c. MURPHY DEAD.
r,,IFN TAMMANY LEADER AND
prRENNIAL OFFICEHOLDER.
o,.nonorsbly Discharged From the Army
Indicted for Theft and His Admins
,rstion Of the Health and Police
ne,artments Was = Public Scandal.

Departments Was . Public Scandal.
Michael c. Murphy, long q Tammany
stakeholder, died at ?:i5 o'clock yesterday
.,n,nirr of heart disease at the house oil
T,.nk l., Bakon. $50 Broome street. His
Ia an life rad aroused the wonder OF
,nsdcal men for years. The ailment which
I'd made an invalid of him for 80 long
cos the cause Of his DEATH superinducng
failure Of the heart. He had kept TO his
h.d for a week. On Tuesday afternoon
bo reached from the bed for bottle Of
,ichv The effort was too much for him
and he dropped back and lost conscious
ress. He fingered in that state until he
died
Mr. Murphy was attacked in 1889 with a
,aculiar .nalady which was described as
structure of the nsophagus. He could
No, swallow and took all nourishment
through a silver tube direct to the stomach
Fight years later he discovered that nature
had repaired the injury to an extent, and
no was able to swallow. But the relief
,r,s only temporary and Mr., Murphy re-
turned TO the service of the silver tube,
DEPRIVED of the pleasures of food and
liIuOT ne necdiile COilrNuut Sthohet' NJ
.lept little. After he went to his room
at the Broome street house he sat and
smoked black cigars late into the night.
Although his affection reduced him from
strong and athletic man of 225 pounds
70 a mere skeleton, he enjoyed life so mani
festlv that II was a matter Of continual
eom,rcnt among those who knew him.
With his ailment came physical demand
for high temperatures and he generally
kept his rooms or his Office heated TO a
degree at which the ordinary man
swsltered.
Mr. Murphy was born in Limerick. Ire
and in 1871. His parents died when he
was s weeks old. Brought TO America
in infancy he was put at work in news
paper composing room when he was II years
DID, Gen. Daniel Z. Sckles, who was the
Tammany leader of the First district in
1859 got Murphy place as a night porter
IN the Custom House. From that place he
va, promoted to be custodian Of the seizure
r.om IN the Public Stores, which was then
4, 10 Broad street In January, 1890, he
va arrested charged with the larceny Of
a package containing five bracelets, three
gold watches. two gilt watches, five music
boxes and other jewelry. He was in jail
two months before he found bail.
An indictment was found against him.
hut Il was never ried. The Civil War began
and Murphy enlisted His enlistment was
regarded as sufficient later for dismissal
Of the indictment. The accusation gained
for him the nickname of Diamond Nike,
which stuck to him for long time:
He went to the war with the Eleventh
Nos York Infantry. and was shifted to the
Irish Brigade. He became Lieutenant
G. olonel of the Nth New York Volunteers,
but got into trouble-by sending flag Of
truce to the enemy. Mr.. Murphy's Cx-
PLANTATION was that he wanted to save the
men and officers lying between tho
lines. lie was dishonorably discharged
from the army on Nav 20, 1894. Tho dis
lnissal was approved by Gen, Meade, by
Lieut. Gen. GRANT, by the Secretary Of
War and by President Lincoln. Mr. Murphy
used 10 say that he was rcinstated in the
army by the President. but the records
of the War Department did not bear out
his statement.
Being out OF the army and with an IN
dictment still against him Mr.. Murphy
Joined In the Fenian movement against
canada. He organized 900 men whom
he took TO the frontier. whore he was made
a Brigadier- General and put In command
Of 600 of the men who proposed TO invade
Canada The interference OF the Federal
ment. Mr. Murphy was imprisoned for
two months and then discharged.
He took up a residence In the First dis
trict and wont into politics. From that
time Tammany never produced an Office
holder whose record could equal his As
a Tammany candidate he was elected TO
the Assembly I'm 1895 He was three times
refusing to vote for the Tweed charter.
Re bobbed up again as a candidate Of the
New York Democracy in ls77, then
went over TO Irving Hall and served In the
Assembly from 1870 TO 1852.
H. ran as the Tammany candidate for
Sheriff on the ticket which Abram ). Hewitt
headed for Mayor. but Murphy was defeated.
n. was a Tammany Senator from 1893 to
lSss He was induced TO run for Sheriff
again on a fusion ticket in 1875, and was
defeated by James A. Flack, and the next
wear Col William /. Brown defeated him
for State Senator. In Murphy's last cam
paign the Citizens Union assailed him
declaring He " entirely unworthy To hold
any Office 81 public trust and his presence
g. any such Office is menace 10 the public
interests He did not again run for
office
lie was appointed Excise Commissioners
IN july 1898 Mayor Van Wyck made him
president Of the Board OF Health IN lsss
H. had no qualification for that office
eNrrpf those OF the perpetual ofiic"holder.
When George Gould refused 10 allow Rich
ard Cookers compressed air company TO
hang IT, pipes from the elevated railroad
structure. Commissioner Murphy pro
duu-d wonderful scientific testimony That
'hc structure was IA danger 81 collapse
and Manhattan stock was attacked,
When GOV Odell signed III" single
sad-i Polio. bill for S"~ YORK H. Feb
rIArv. 1901 Mayor Van Wyck a. once
appointed Murphy Polio. Commissioner
Murphy wanted u mAk. Thomas byrn"s
iis hr-i d.puty, bul Croker iutistcd that
b-yery must have the place. Murphy
va tie Inninhl. D'-yrfy ia" real, bead -
tLr lr,,artmrut, aud tiry vent Eat together
aNru flr Low administration cams a.
h4rply vac q m"iub-r - the launiahy
i4giY Committee ~ fl,e. which 'ruk"T
appointed a hon the agitaiiDn Over 'h' puiin"
s.afHalr is-'aiur a'db., bat all ihr same
tlf lafui=sf ~ 4 iintn"Tu" ark"d To- lac
sGd lirNsIy removal ifuin th" drlsaH b
usUI
N Muuph, lu-i thr i,mnAhy leadership
,lt.F , 90 il-tfl,H u thr I.fiinafi'r ~ lsfs
u, sf drfaats,d 10 BATTERY pau Pan
~ iuusfal - 81, io.s all H. III 80 nat
4f.aH u.siilis al NJ AipiaInsurH iiaiuh
i N.ri hiusIsay urnf biani siI'ff
oiaiasf, Asiss
I. .ms uhurn DIED 90 80 bu'a' i.a