The sun., 1905-12-31
BOSSES ONCE, FORGOTTEN now
RACK AN EXAMPLE OF THE
CHANGES or Politics.
\ Powerful Tammany Leader TIL the
Divorce Scandal Drove Him Into Oh
scurlt, Others Conspicuous In Politics
VINO Have Dropped Out or Sight.

James A. Fack called attention to the
rapidity with which political conditions
change IN this city and the quickness with
which men OF prominence are forgotten
after they drop out OF public life.
Flack was one Of the most conspicuous
and powerful leaders Of Tammany Hall
sixteen or seventeen years ago. He had
been County Clerk and Grand Sachem Of
the Tammany Society and was serving his
term as Sheriff. Many thought he would
eventually become the leader Of the or
ganiZation.
One day in 1854 it became known that
he had secured bogus divorce In order to
marry the woman with whom he had been
long living, and in consequence OF the re-
suting scandal Flack was driven into oh
scurity. He was heard OF again In 1892,
when the public learned for the first time
that he had married, after the death OF his
first wife, the woman for whom he had
risked all
This information was disclosed in the
death notice of the second wife. Afterward
Flack again disappeared from public view
and was not heard of until he died.
The announcement Of his demise came
as a surprise to thousands OF people simply
because they thought he died years ago.
They had not seen his name in the papers,
and for that reason concluded that he must
have joined the silent majority.
Nor was his case unique. There arc
hundreds of men still living in this COM
munity who were once conspicuous in pub
lie affairs and who have been forgotten
by the public at large.
Take the case of ex-Mayot Thomas F.
a. -. Rn,,- hat
governed Tammany Hall after the death
of John Kelly and he was Mayor of the city
only little more than ten years ago.
He was a politician of great skill and q
man of rare executive ability. Yet how
many OF the general public know whether
Mr.. Gilroy is living or dead?
In order to remove any doubts on the sub
iect il may be said that the ex-Mayor in
very much alive. Since his retirement from
Office he has kept out of politics and devoted
his time exclusively to business. He has
large real estate holdings and he is active In
the anagement of the Twelfth Ward Bank,
of which ha was once pres dent
When William NJ. Wins was nominated by
OGell for Mayor last fall III, younger gener-
alton of voters said; "Ivins2 WINS? Why,
who the devil is Wins, anyway While the
old codgers exclaimed: Il thought he was
dead long ago" Yet Mr.. Wins is but IS.
and decade and a half ago he was con-
stantly in the public eye, having been secre-
tary TO Mayor Grace and City Chamberlain
for two terms.
II was he who acted as Grand Inquisitor
for the Fassett Legislative committee which
investigated the affairs of the city in the
early 9Os. After that Mr.. WINS turned to
the practice of law as his exclusive oocu-
patton, and was soon forgotten by the public
at large
And there is ex-Mayor Smith Ely who
was elected to govern the city in the same
year that Samuel j. Tilden ran for the
Presidency of the United States. He again
served the city as Park Commissioner in
the Strong administration, but since then
his name has rarely appeared in the public
prints Mr. Ely is still doing business in
real estate at the old stand in Gold street.
1t was a little more than nineteen years
ago that John Kelly died, and the Big Four
composed of Richard Croker, Thomas F.
Gilroy, Hugh j. Grant and W. Bourke
Cockran-slicceeded him in control OF
Tammany Hall. OF these, three are now
olt of active politics, andthe fourth, Cock
ran, HAS OIg iSNdihON w puc''S
life after long soiourn outside the breast
works. Croker has settled down abroad
and Grant and Gilroy now never darken
the Wigwams doors.
1t is a notable fact that OF the big district
leaders of those days and the days following
when Croker was in absolute control, but
two are still actively in the game: They are
Patrick keenan, Of the Sixteenth district and
James j. Martin of the Twenty-seventh
Col. NJ. j. Murphy and Judge Diver
are dead but former Coroner Fitzpatrick,
who was for many years leader OF tne
Fourth and who bearded Croker in his den
when John C. Sheehan was made deputy
leader, is still in the land Of the living.
James Boyle, who was the leader OF the
Seventh, gives his whole time to the oyster
business, and Martin Engel. who used to
rule de Ate, can at i'll be found OF an even
ing at the Cafe Boulevard.
John B. Sexton, Police Commissioner
under Mayor Van Wyck and power in
Tammany Hall, is now stock broker
and seems to be entirely out OF politics
as is James p. Heating, Van Wyck,s Com
missioner of Public Works. Both were
district leaders, but their names are now
seldom heard in Fourteenth street.
Then there is Larry Delmour Whispering
Larry the younger fe lows used to call him.
tower of strength in the Croker regime,
but now a back number in the organiza-
ton. John j. Scannell Van Wyoks Fire
Commissioner is another OF the Croker
old guard of whom little is heard these days.
Several years ago he turned the leadership
of the twenty fifth over to his brother,
George Scanncl, who still holds 1t.
John F. Carroll, Croker's deputy, has
also disappeared almost entirely from the
public view mainly because he takes little
interest in politics these days. William
Sohmer formerly leader Of the Tenth. has
also dropped out of politics and devotes all
his time to the real estate business.
Among the other political celebrities Of
a few years ago OF whom the public rarely
or never hears in these days are ex-Sherih
Tamsen and ex-Coroner Hoeber. Both
were products of the Strong administration
and were very much in the public eye while
in Office. Tamscn still has an office In
Avenue A, where he acts as notary and sells
books DR.. Hoeber continues to practise
as physician,
Ollie Teal, who with the aid Of bunch OF
blond typewrters ran the Peoples Munic-
ipal League campaign when Justice Scott
was candidate for Mayor, has disappeared
from view. and Sol Berliner is Consul at the
Canary Islands. Ollie's last attempt to
break into the public service wac when
Strong was elected Mayor. He afterward
confessed to Inssc' OConnor, who fire.
quently commented on men and affairs.
that he got his name in the newspapers and
that was all he did get Now the news
pa pers mention him no more