The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-03-01
PEOPLE OF THE GAS HOUSE DISTRICT HUMAN
LADDERS ON WHICH MURPHY ROSE TO POWER
How Political Satraps of the East Side
Rose to High Places by Their
Management of Human
Pawns

sprang at Jerry with snafl ana Luroa
his teeth in the mans leg.
| Hes bitten me-" howlcd .t.rrv H..
Now I'll kill the cur" and d., drew hi.
revolver. '
But with one Of those intense ,onc,,.
Of human sentiment the s,mp,,bv y,
the spectators was on the side II Gro,.
| ory's dog.
mo. you won't shoot the dog" crea
several men furiously.
Put up your gun. Jerry. for God.
sake!" pleaded one Of the ,nIloc,,r,.
friends.
There was tusslc in tho Senate +,
which chairs and tables w.r, ,,ar.
Wurned and attempts were mad. IN
wrest the revolver from tho .ufr,r.,,ed
man. The weapon exploited u.IIn., ,ha
room with smoke. and in tn. ,.gflsion
the Great Dane and his ml.,,r woro
hustled from the scene.
Before the cries and upIrolr hal nh.
sided the gong of an amp...n., v,s
heard outside. Somebody hld -.., In
Bellevue. and the white coated ..i..,,n
entered, case in hand. II" uu.,kI, .,r.d
whispering Jerrv's leg and th, vr... 4.d
collector screamed with n.u .. his
wound was cautcrized 1t H. q pun to
have to record that he meyer suffered
any further consequences from the
Great Danes revenge, aIthuuei he. .on.
fided to his intimates that IN. nar ~
rabies always haunted him whenever h.
passed dog In the streets thereafter
Several weeks later chanc"d .l meet
McMadden and asked him concerning
the case OF his protcgc Str,r.,iick.
Billy hunohed his shoulders as he
laughed and held up his stainel fingers
to pinch his cigarette.
ITS up the river for his" hD aid
calmly.
why. how is that | asked aaI he
told me the story of duplIcity. far
illustration of the methods h> which
the political satraps dealt with tn. YES
and liberties Of their human paWua.
Everything had been fixed" foo save
Steeplejack. The two wltnc,s., On
whose testimony his conviction r,sted
had received their warning t. l..A!n
away and had agreed to do so. .N.l in
case of his being found guilty h. would
have been paroled. according ,p the
programme.
But Windy Gnlcy. true to h.- So
briquet, had been a little too gdrr.i lls.
Windy's means OF existence figured IN
a job that he held on the padded pay
roll Of a city paving contract. II va, a
loafing JOB for him, his duties consisting
in acting as bagman for the nrganIza-
ton In collecting fifteen of their Sky
dollars a month from the other boys. he
q lining his fnI1 h,.
OF his office as collector. The D.s'r.c,
Attorney, however. had got wind Of The
affair.
Of his pull" boosted that H. hat 'h.
Congressman. the leader and all the hs
fellows "where he wanted them" fht'
they could refuse him nothing and THAT
IL they did not treat his hroth,r-.n-law
Steepleiack tenderly he would p.tcn
to the District Attorney and gc, worry
body else in wrong. His seer fear
was that in the event of StecplcjacAs
being sent up he would have his brother
in-laws wife and children on his hands
for support.
Alas for the weakness OF human ma
ture and the treachcry Of gashouse CON
hdences, His friend to whom he con-
ideu ran DdselI 10 make nltnStI SDl.u
with the CONGRESSMAN by telling him
of Windy's indiscretlons. The matter
was laid, bcfore the organization which
decided that an example must be made
even of a prospective "squcaler."
Windy lost his snap" ON the paving
contract. The case against Steeple-
jack was pressed yiciously. The absent
witnesses mysteriously reappeared and
testified as to his wickedness. he was
ard brought before stern
and inheXihlc Judge, who gave him a
lecture and a Shaping sentence
"And why not?" commented Billy
McMadden. III you're going TO do a
favor for anybody, wouldn't you rather
do 1t for the organization than for a
line up man? That's human nature,
and good business for lawyer"
SO Steeplejack spent five years in
Sing Sing making bristle brushes simply
because his brother-in-law had neg
lected to observe the wisdom of Solo
mon. that wise old judge and politician:
Curse not the king no not in thy
thought, and curse not the rich in thy
bed chamber; for bird of the air shall
carry the voice. and that which hath
wings shall tell the matter"