The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1909-08-12
GLIMPsEs OF MARTY KEEsE.
New York City Halls Famous Janitor
Who Arrested Boss Tweed.

NEW Iork OitJ 7ails Famous JanItof
Who Arrested Boss Tweed.
Martin j. Reese. who recently died
In Long Island City at the age of sew
enty-two. was janitor and custodian
of the city hall at New York for TWEEN
| ty-elght years.
Marty Reese az the aged janitor
| of the city hall has been known to
mayors. aldermen. politicians and
newspaper men who have come and
gone there for more than quarter of
a century. had most interesting his
tory.
For nearly ten years he ran with the
old volunteer firemen. fought through
the civil war with the Ellsworth fire
zouaves and saw the gallant colonel
of that organization shot. He was
himself wounded at the battle of Bull
Run. AS a deputy sheriff he arrested
William NJ. Tweed and Comptroller
Connolly and guarded the latter In his
Incarceration in Ludlow street jail. He
enlisted in the famous Walker filibus-
tering expedition. was one of the first
three men to walk over the Brooklyn
bridge and stood guard before the
stand on which General Butler and
Horace Greeley spoke in City Hall
park.
The old janitor always took great
delight In telling of his joining the
Walker expedition. He and several
of his friends attended meeting in
the Bowery thpatcr one night. mt
which General Walker spoke. They
became so enthused with his account
of the possibilities of his venture that
they enlisted on the spot. On the
way down the bay when the eXpedi-
ton started Marty and his compan-
ions bubbled over with the fun of the
thing and made so much disturbance
and played so many tricks on the boat
that they. were put ashore at Sandy
Hook. 1T was In January. and 1t took
us three days to get home. but | never
have been sorry that they put us off
the boat" he would say. He also al
ways congratulated himself. with good
reason, on the failure of another sea-
fill vacancy on the steamship Pacific
and had gone on board when the man
whose place he was to fill turned up. |
Reese was told that he would not be |
wanted. He went ashore much disap- |
pointed The boat sailed and was new
er heard of again.
The pension question was always a
sore spot to- Reese, A man who knew
of his having been wounded in the
war asked him with surprise once why
he had never applied for a pension.
'Why should ~ the old man replied.
II have always been disguised with
the number of undeserving people who
receive pensions. Do you realize that
the amount of money already spent by
the country in pensions exceeds the
cost of the war;
One day Reese was asked what was
the most exciting scene he ever saw in
City Hall park. The Greeley Butler
he replied promptly. 1t
was just after the war. and the people
were very excitable. There was big
.rowd. and the police and we deputies
were out in full force. The people
heard Greeley through all right, but
when Butler got up he was Kissed and
booted, and we looked for serious trou-
DE Several missiles were thrown on
70 the platform, and one of them, a
sound apple. struck on the table be-
side which the general was standing.
He instantly picked it up. took out his
Knife and peeled, halved, quartered
md ate it, coolly waiting for the dis
to die down. | have always
hought that act saved his life. | was
old later that there were several men
n the crowd with revolvers who had
,ome to the meeting to kill the gen.
,ral His GOODNESS completely won
,ver the crowd, however"