The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1908-08-18
New York News Letter

A peculiarly mclodramatic ilustra.
tion Of the manner In which fortunes
change III New York has just come to
light in the West Side court Also il
raised a memory Of the old Tweed ring
and the days when the most notorious
boss New York ever had was enrich
ing himself and his friends in a way
which has been the envy and despair
Iof local imitators ever since Back
| in the late sixties when Tweed was in
absolute power one OF the contracting
firms working on the great so.called
public improvements started by the
ring was that Of Hughes and cooney.
It's head was Thomas Hughes whose
son known as Young Tom Hughes
was boy OF ten when In 1871 the
Tweed rule ended At his fathers
death ten years later Young Tom"
who was just finishing his college
course inherited about 100000. He
Immediately became we'll known
'Tcnderloin figure, squandering money
prodigally, Nearly every day he was
10 be seen driving a pair Of fast trot.
ters about the district, sometimes ac-
companied by small boy whom he
knew as Billy" Ennis. This was
William J, Ennis who, after Hughes
had gone 10 Europe and disappeared,
became patrolman. A few days ago
Police Lieutenant Ennis. as he has
now become, saw crowd OF small
boys annoying an old man who lay
under the stairs Of an elevated station.
The lieutenant aroused the man, and
there IN spite Of stubble, CRIME and
rayages Of dissipation recognized
young Tom" Hughes The next
day Young Tom" was sent to the
workhouse for six months.
The summer Of 1908 is likely to be
remembered in this city for years to
come as the Summer Of Seven
Plaques. No summer in recent years,
at any rate. can be recalled so fraught
with annoyance, discomfort and trag-
cdy, First in the remarkable list
came the Plague Of Heat, six weeks
Of blistering and rainless sunshine.
the worst recorded in thirty-two
years. This was followed by the
plague OF White Moths. From some
unknown source millions OF these in
sccts suddenly descended on the city,
gas and electric lights. invad-
ing houses and Offices and rendering
the streets slippery and dangerous OF
passage. They disappeared as sud-
denly and mysteriously as they
whittier no one knows After
the moths came the Plague OF Flies,
Never before have they been so nu- /
ncrous and annoying in spite Of the
fact that the streets are cleaner than
ever before. Then followed the
Plague of Mosquitoes which threaten
I'd for a time TO necesstate the clos
ng OF Offices. Following these came
he Plague OF Hydrophobia which has
,cen far more prevalent and deadly |
han ever before, and on top OF this
/ Plague of Murders, which not only
II numbers but in respect to mystery |
md brutality puts any dime novel in
he shade, OF course this plague may
&c largely attributed to its predeces-
iors, as May the seventh, the Plague
II Malaria which now has the city in
IS grasp. Altogether these seven
'lagues have been so pronounced and
leadly as to place the troubles of New
FORK a good second to the historic
mes which Moses sent to Egypt. In
ddition too may be mentioned at
east two minor plagues-those OF scan
nd automobiles Never has New
FORK society been the source of so
many startling revelations and never
ave autos claimed SO many and such
victims as in the last few
feekS, Altogether the Summer of
'lagues is one likely to be remember
d,