The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-02-06
Denny" Downes Dead
Well Known Sporting Man Succumbs to Pneumonia at His Residence in New York.

l News reached here to-day of the
 death in New York, last evening, of Dennis Downes one of the best known l sporting men in the East. Pneumonia, with which he was afflicted eight days, l caused dissolution. Word of his pass
 ing was received by his children, who reside with two of his three sisters,
 at the family homestead, 3336 Fair field avenue. The third sister is a
 resident of Brooklyn. Denny as he was familiarly called by his friends, was Al years of age and was New
 York boy born.
 His mother who died four years ago,
 was the owner of a valuable tract of land covering number of acres front ing on Fairfield avenue, just west of Ash Creek bridge. Denny" was in the habit of passing his summers here and to all intents and purposes was resident of this city, though he nev- CT lost his voting residence in New York. His three children have for years made their home at the Fairfield
 avenue homestead, where they were cared for by their grandmother dur ing her life and by their aunts, sisters of their father, since the death of their grandmother. The children are Eve lyn, a local telephone operator, Thomas and Mary. In addition to his children the deceased leaves three sisters, Alice, Lizzie and Eva.
 Denny was member of Tammany Hall and was a warm personal friend and political associate of Sheriff Tom Foley and the Sullivans, Big Tim' and Little Tim.'' He held several of ficial positions in the sheriff's office under the regime of various Tammany Hall sheriffs.
 Iir a1i ofE iof no fnr C made him a power in the circles where in he Shone and he was ever alert to do favor for a friend. Many a poor fellow that was down on his luck, and up to his neck in trouble who owed much to Denny" Downes, for it was well and truly said of him that he would never quit once his aid was as- sured in behalf of one in a difficulty. As a sport he was "dead square" and he took pride in having it known that he could not be used, nor would he be a party to an unfair deal.
 Columns could be written of incidents connected with his career. He fol- lowed the races when the Sport of Kings was the real thing in New York How it feels to have a roll big enough to choke the conventional ele- phant was no novelty to him; but like most hail fellows we'll met money to him meant nothing.
 AlcIl O1 IAllAO, OOAAAyB AAnO AiAOSe of the products of New York's East Side of a generation ago, was wise be- yond his day and generation. With the ways of the world he was fam1l- jar almost to the point of being an ex- pert. He got his knowledge in the atmosphere of metropolitan life out or which have come many or the DE burg's foremost politicians and sport ing men, He was of the generation that gave to New York politics such figures as "Big Tim' Sullivan, Charlie Murphy, the Tammany leader; Flor rie Sullivan, Long Pat McCarren, the unconquerable and unbeaten leader of the Brooklyn Democracy: Sheriff Tom Foley, Battery Dan' Finn, George B. Mcclellan, present mayor of the great CT city, Congressman Sulzer and host of lesser lights.
 Up to the last Denny retained his .tpull' in New York politics. The leaders found him serviceable in many ways and they knew that he was al- ways to be trusted. In more than one important mission did he show to advantage.
 Most of the past summer he spent at the homestead in Fairfield avenue. He looked after the business interests or the estate left by his mother whose l death was blow he never fully recov- cred from. When Fairfield avenue was ordered widened to Ash Creek, he looked after the curb and guttering of the entire strip facing his property, of 1000 feet. He had plan i ned to dispose of some of the lots this spring, having during the present win ter declined several offers for the en- tire plot of ground. While his health has not been of the best for some weeks, it was not thought at the time he was stricken that the illness would terminate fatally, but despite the best of medical attention he failed to re- spond to treatment. His remains are now in a morturary chapel in New York awaiting the decision of the fam fly as to the final disposition of the