The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-03-19
PHIL DAILY STILL LIVING
Famous Club Proprietor Supposed to
Have Died Years Ago.

Have Died Years Ago.
In the auction sale Of cal stale 40
Long Branch y. J held ia me name
OF Mrs Catherine Daily thv taor that
Phil DAILY, for many years naed as
the proprietor o.; The most famous
gambling establishment in America.
the Pennsylvania club. al Long
Branch( is still alive, caiae out as a
matter Of surprise % On, public. "he
once famous gambling house owner
has been in such con plete retirement
for the last twelve years that sketche g
of his career published when he was
supposed to be MORALLY in were So
commonly regarded as marking Inc
close Of his life that even old friends
were surprised to hear that he stin
lives
The effects of a pistol wound re-
eeiyed IN an attempt 70 rob Daily I'm
New York twenty years ago, broke his
health in the few years following,
though the Pennsylvania club, with
Phil Daily as proprietor continued for
some time to be one of the features Of
Long Branch summer life, open gam
bling at the seashCre resort was stop
ped eight years ago. In the meantime
Daily his health breaking fast became
2 helpless invalid and without hope
OF recovery, has lived on at Long
Branch in obscurity
All of his affairs some years ago
passed into the custody of his devot-
ed wife, and Mrs DAILY. famous
through Monmouth county for her
charities and her earnest religious
work, was commonly regarded as his
widow until In the sale of numerous
parcels OF real estate, including the
Pennsylvania club house, to settle up
the affairs and clear mortgages on
the DAILY property, brought out the
Tact that the celebrated ex-spOrting
man still lived.
Through the management OF the
wife and the help Of friends the es-
tate, including property that DAILY
gave his wife in the prosperous peri
cd, OF his career, was found to be
worth about $4,000, an amount suf-
fcient to insure the comfort OF the
family, to which DAILY always had
been generously indulgent.
Phil DAILY began life as a country
boy and though he simply drifted in
to gambling, he early organized what
was then the highest class and most
exclusive gambling club in the couni
try. There were restrictions on pub.
lie gambling al Long Branch in the
earliest DAYS of the Pennsylvania club
which DAILY established there. but as
DAILY ran his club it became a place
for which the resort was noted. and
its fame for its equipment and it's cuts
inc was quite as wide as the notoriety
that it attained for the high play that
went on there.
DAILY prlded himself upon the repu-
tation for strict honesty and SQUARE"
dealing that both he and his club had
won He would allow no sharp prac-
tice, no swindling or cheating. no Jug
giery He went so far In this that he
would not permit minors or even res.
ldents OF Long Branch to play in his
club
Rich players learned to trust DAILY
so implicitly that It led to introducing
q new feature in gambling resorts.
They would 20 TO DAILY and place with
him $4,000 or as much as 100000 at
a time, and say that they We're going
10 play the races or try their luck
at cards and would play against" the
deposit At the end OF the season. or
after the gambler had got enough. the
remainder OF his deposit would be
handed TO him. In these transactions
no receipts were given by DAILY and
no accounts kept.
Among those who sought the club
lot us dinners were such men as
President Chester A. Arthur. Samuel
ward, Charles Reed, John Chamber.
lain, Pierre and George l. I,orillard
John Hoey, the founder of HOLLYWOOD:
J b. Haggin, the Californian, Charles
Freischmann, the Cincinnati manufac- |
urer; James Fisk Jr., John Morris /
sew and James Gordon Bennett the |
younger.
In December, 1883, DAILY was shot |
~ Edward Meredith, and narrowly es.
'aped with his life. He had been de.
Dyed to an address at 400 Fourth av-
niue by repeated notes urging "im.
lortant business and signed "Addie
stanton, and In room to which he
vas admitted was attacked by man
Who shot him in the head. The OBJ
ect was robbery. but though DAILY had
$4,000 in cash in his pockets and
wore a fortune in diamonds. the rob.
'ers had to make their escape without
ooty. Edward Meredith, Henry Her
mann, Adelaide Stanton. and Ella
hammond later were arrested for the
tempted robbery. and Meredith was
onvlcted and sent to Sing Sing for a
)ng term.
Daly never recovered from the ef-
'cts of his wound, though he contin.
ed to conduct the Pennsylvania club
)r about a dozen years. Though he
lade enormous profits from his club.
ouse and also conducted other gam
ling enterprises Days expenditures
ere so great that in the closing
ears of the Pennsylvania clubs suc.
ass it was a matter of general know
dge that his expenses usually were
year ahead of his profits, but the
me OF the club was so great that
ltll the fight on gambling in New
'rsey that brought the closing of the
ong Branch clubs, he always found
Ipltal ready to back his game for a
'rcentage of the profits.
Mrs. DAILY, alWavs was opnOeod 20