The Washington times., 1906-10-01


broadway, by shooting himself in the
head His family was fl the adjoining
room.
Body Found by BelIboy.
The bullet which enGed Adams life
passed clear through his head ana
/ lodged in the wall of the private haU-
way leading 10 his apartments. He was
found lying on the floor OF his bedroom
dressed In his night gown.
Adams had fired the shot standing IN
front Of mirror and had fallen back
ward over q chair near his desk
The body was discovered by a coIored
beAboyr Ernest Miller. who entered
Adams apartments with a pass key.
He notified the hotel management
DR.. Julius j. Thornley,. the house
physician, said Adams had been cead
quite a while
The policy king was last seen about
the hotel at o'clock last night, when
he weat 20 his room.
According To Coroner Harburger let
ters found f. ADAMS room indicated
that he died worth from S. .000. 900 10
100000. and the coroner insisted that
there must be some reason other than
heavy financial loss 10 prompt abe cE-
policy zing - ssla ~
-s-1--a- OF Is ng alone.
Recently it haI bsel tat 1e
had worried a great JeA n5 Ias1
night lie appeared to be In verE
melancholy mood. Only 2. day " two
ago he told g personal IrirIId lat he
was almost distracted
no one but Adams knew the ez. ent
OF his losses through Jhe NJ J. sage
& CO. bucket aHoD deal When the nrul
which Adams hacked literally, went
The wall, it was at FIRST supposed the
policy king had cleared anywhere from
100000 10 100000. Events showed
that Adams had been the victim Of a
gang of crooks
Their plot had its inception when
Adams was stiu iu Sing Sing. serving
a term for policy backing
Adams Once Immensely Wealthy.
Adams was al one time reputed to be
several times a millionaire. He was
said to have owned at least S2.o59.0J0
worth of real estate, backed more than
100 saloons. and practically owned two
brewerIes
Adams was q curious mixture He
clung Loyalty TO the associates and the
ways which made him q millionaire. and
at the same time was ambitious for the
social success of his wife and children.
1t was the ambition OF the father to
have his family enter society frequent
ed by people Of recognized refinement
and position. He sent his eldest ser,
Lawrence 3. Adams. 10 Harvard with
that purpose in view
Son Ostracized at College.
Young Adams was bne, manly fel-.
low. a good student. and with pleasing
qualities. He made many friends. but
when II became known in the university
that he was the son of ZAP Adams.
the policy king." some OF his former
friends dropped him.
The experience of his eldest son at a
large university was a blow 70 the
father, and when Il came time e. send
the second son. Louis 3. Adams. 20 col
lege he was sent 10 Heidelberg. The
third son. Alb rt J. Adams. jr., studied
law in New York
Began Life as Brakeman.
Adams - = a Rhode Island Yankee
He went to New York from Providence
thirty-dve years aso. when be was
about twenty-scYeB years Old. lie was
then a brakeman on the Kew York New
maven anu IAdl tLOAu L0llL AlA 4F.iA IT'D
with some sports and quit railroad
ing 10 become a policy runner Tor
Zachsriah Simmons and his tlree broth
ers. The Simmons brothers were then
tie policy kings, having the backing
Of the Tweed ring.
Adams was EJt a runner for any
length Of time AS scon as he master
ed the tntricacles of the game he start
,d out for himself on a small scale.
He used the drawings of zach Sim
mons until he had broadene6 his busi-
ness sufficiently 90 hafe his own draw
ings
Then he brauched into ''eweat" aaue-
He never dealt himself hut would put
up a bank roll Tor othelg giging them
a percentage or the profits, The stakes
ran from a penny Up
King Of Gamblers.
Later ne backed gambling games IN
Sixth avenue. These were called "stu-
dents games" the wEite chips for rou-
lette costing but 8 cents Later he en-
tered into o partnership. 1t IS SAID. with
"Shang'' Draper. snd ran a number es
large faro banks n and DraDer. II -
said, at one time controlled tarce-fffl :
Of the fdTO banks In New York
All this time The policy business was
expanding In 1882 II was said ADAM
owned over 80 gambling places az
various kinds.