The sun., 1910-12-28
| John Z. BRODSKY PASSES OFF
Jt>r or THE "BIG FOtR OF
DE ATE" ~ GONE.
t,rm~r East side Politicians Career and
rhat Of His Associates Recalled The
pa,. Of Arthur. PiAit and Canl<Iinx.
in ~ay Nothing af SMALLER Fry.

Arr,.lr~ round table Of local Importance
OIL rn.. ,ieath Of John T.. Brodsky lawyer
and rsL estate operator. at the German
Hospital m Monday night As a friend
~ awv"r Dan O'Reilly, who was a can
adAt" IN the days when the Eighth Assem-
-, l., i-'ricr WAS larger geographically and
, l"u.,niy larger politically than IL ia now.
..i y"~'erday upon receipt Of the news.
.R,nd~kv hasn't been doing much since
K.e Inn walked uI, the Bowery". never
90. 49, there was a oSy. many days W hen
. my Brodsky. ~ the then German
district called him. was n very important
90. mage in municipal and State afeirs.
Iu" nlll which resulted in the inCorpora-
r.,r # Manhattan and Brooklyn into one
..- FOR instance. was introduced 10y
i,>V He was an advocate of cable
..d- IN Manhattan in early days, and
.u. 49, strong in debate. he talked long
.ni earnestly in favor Of bridge to con-
g..' Manhattan and Brooklyn and later
.a,. establishment by the greater city of
,nral gardens. To mention only few
. ,he things he wanted done and sue
.'i.d IN gett ing done
When the old timers heard OF MIR Brod-
~ death yesterday they told Of thin gs
~ brought in "reminiscences of Garfield
.rd rhe fight that Platt and Roscoe Conk-
nS made against Garfield Of Chester A.
irrhur n the days when Arthur WAS not
l're-ldent of the United States but colleC-
,n- # the Port Of New York. and Of the
,,orous days when the three who with
Rrndsky made up the Big Four Of de
N'" Silver Dollcr Smith, Barney Rourks
nd Handsome Johnny. known TO politI-
.,l history "a John j. OBrien. Republican
der Of de Ate. Chonny Brodsky was
90" last of the four TO die
II q Brien was goodlooking enough io
Loo. ulcknamsd Handsome Johnny 50.
vas Chonny BrodslSy He wasn't very
all hui he had dark cye- and reg,ila fea
'urss and eloquence came from him like
milk from a cocoanu' Also he had a
unl.gr degree on hi name And when.
,hout eight years ago. Chonny decide TO
move from his home in DE Ate in Riving-
street near Eldridge to live In an apart
In.nt IN Harlem. the entire Ate Wed with
me another 10 do his moving for him
He wasn't then the power he once had been
IN the days OF the Kitchen Cabinet in the
nack room Of the saloon AT Is Forsyths
-tree,. with Barney Rourke. the proprietor
-irtlng in state: but DE Ate remembered
,vha, Chonny once had been. and so the
-auhful formed in a long line TO carry
"a the moving vans the crayon portraits
of great personages who had gone before
nm
The leath of Mr. Brodskv yesterday
secAlled especially when the late Senator
rlart resigned from the United States
senate because. so his enemies used To
>ly. Roscoe Conklin had resigned a. an
front 20 Garfield. thereoy earning for
MI .k.rs, ~ l.
.nough the Platt followers insisted that
he nickname should go TO 'onklin. rather
nan Plat.
And remember said the same friend
4 DaR o Reillys when telling about tn"
.me Dan ran for the Assembly against
harley Adler. and Dan. 80 his friend said,
r,ut up ssOS which sornebodv ia De Ate
>aw first and went ON and spent II against
ban. 50 that the latter was beaten 10y
-iStean votes on money he had put up him
elf remember real election nights IN
hose DAYS in DE Ase There was one
Ugh, when we all sat in the rooms of the
lohn J. OBrien Association. one flight
IN from Jim McManuss saloon. at Grand
nd hrisiie streets listening To the returns
m would come a runner with good news
about Barney Rourke's candidate. Let's
"sll him Smith.
Sixt' election disfric' of DE Ate ASSEM-
, " distric' Smith. i32: Bla-b la. nothin
-'Hooray.'
-.Thoid Election distric'. Ate Assembly
,iistric'. Smith. 5,t votes. Bla a-bla. l vnie.
ABut from that time on the runners
anne IN with the entire vote for smith
,tter IL was all over we all went down
-tairs with Brodsky and the others 10
Jimmy McManuss saloon TO celebrate
looked around as We lined up az the
Dar and noticed that Johnny % 'Brien.
he peerless leader Of the district who
nv right should have led the way. hadn
ONE down stairs with us Two steps
AZ a time I ran up to- the association rooms
md found him sitting sadly in front OF
ne big blackboard on which the votes
nv election dist tricts had been chalked
Come on down, Johnny. l said TO
- Brien We've licked EN-
I'm he down in a minute. answered
Handsome Johnny. rubbing his brow
rsr, ousiy "a he studied the blackooard
m trying 10 think out who that low dog
Sas that voted for Bla- Bla in the Third
That . the kind OF district de Ate was
n n. gjsddest days Of Chester A. Arthur
and John +. Brodsky. Brodsky was
rorn Of German parents in New York
" on MAY 10. 1850 He was prepared
uv private teachers and IN the pubic
,aools for the law school OF Columbia.
rom which he was graduated with the
I"gr.. Of LII B in the class Of 1873. He
yas admitred 70 the bar in July. is7c.
and began TO practise law under the firm
nlrn.. " Johnson. rilton Brodsky.
Nlr Brodsky was a nephew OF the late
f.dg. John 4 Dink-l of the Municipal
fl F'Irf. ana bTOGShy gov u'- NaVh"-' I'o-
'ical training a. manager OF Jtdg- |
blnk-.'- campaigns: Twice. Judge Drnk.'i !
- elected bu, when Judge Dinkel upon
AkIng his fourth campaign ~a- de-
..arad by Judge Alfred St"ckler now an
.lI-rrc. of the supreme Court John r. !
i5.. l-hv moved down TO de Ate and !
IRA. sht~ay became one Of tho Big Four
and 'ea- nicknarn-d Z honny.-
Htrd-ome Johnny Brirn was the
R"ulrlIcan leader OF de Ate and he was "a
...r n, { hester A. Arthur. Chonny Brod |
-. -non p"carne known IN d. Ate a- he. !
.,- iaylsn Spend.-r Of money in N"
r-'r.., Not even Handsome Johnny |,
E-."r could outdo Chonny Brodsky IN
...,"-p-Ir! IN distributing II. Ii was n
.u. vr-n the sources OF revenue IN de
- V"I" many.
Iu.r.. wa. a constant fight between
.pury Brods.Sy and Silver Dollar smith
,tra.r = few months as 10 which should
.',..' 't.. assembly al Albany and which
....l a",,..pt tn. less desirable Office Of
'.!,.rran OF IN. city. IL goes without
.l.YrI, nat one Of them had 10 go Ia tn"
l..i".fnautr Office as election day came
...up. pIi each rather would 20 10 Albany.
yr,.. fnF Albany