The sun., 1919-09-08
JAMES W. OSBORNE,
FOE OF GRAFT, DEAD
Special Prosecutor for City in
Many Hard Fought Cases,
Succumbs.
HE HAD FIERY TEMPER
Never Happy Unless Engaged
i'm Rough and Tumble
Legal Battle.

Legal Battle.
James w. Osborne, former Assistant
District Attorney of New York city,
special prosecutor Of public graft and
always one of the most picturesque hg-
ures in the courts of this city, died In his
apartments in the Sherman Square Ho-
tel some time between / o'clock yester-
day morning and noon.
Angina pectoris resulting from acute
indigestion, is given by the doctors as
the cause OF his death. He was GIL years
old and Is survived by his wife, Leila
Grey Van Wyck Osborne, whom he mar
rled In 1895, and one son, James w. Os-
borne. Jr. James w. Osborne I'd,
nephew, IL Al Assistant United States
District Attorney in New York.
Mr.. Osborne's death, from all appear
ances was sudden His son said that
on Saturday he and his father went to
the courts of the West Side Tennis Club
at Forest Hills and played several sets.
They quit because Mr.. Osborne. Sr.. de-
clared that he was tired and that he
"ached all over the body"
Il lef. father about o'clock at Forest
HIS" the young man sad. I'VE had
watched. the matches between the Aus
tralians and the Americans and l told
father I'd drop in at his apartments at
noon to get him. We were going back
to the courts and were to resume play
ing. I was not particularly alarmed by
fathers complaints. He has suffered
from acute indigestion for five years.
"As l gather 1t from the hotel people,
father got to his apartments about
o'clock last night. He had eaten no
lunch and had had no dinner. He
stopped in the Manhattan Chess Club
and played until II. Mother was with
her father, former Justice Augustus Van
Wyck, in the Marie Antoinette. She
stayed there all night.
AT midnight father went out 10 get
something TO eat. He ate very heavily.
understand. He went to his rooms
about 12:45.
Finds Father Dead.
IT entered his apartments at noon to-
day, opened his door and called:
Hello, father. Time to get up. Re-
member we have a match on today
He did not respond and went to the
bedside. Ills hands were quite rigid and
cold. A cigarette had fallen from his
fingers and had burned n hole in the
sheets. I knew that he was dead, but l
called near by physician and my own
doctor, DR.. j. Holman, 204 West 10th
street.
THE funeral will be entirely private
The services will be conducted here in
the Sherman Square on Wednesday
morning. Father will be buried in
Greenwood Cemetery"
At a great dinner In the Waldorf AS
toria, Charles Hughes. then Governor,
presented Mr.. Osborne as the most
widely known lawyer In New York
city"
Not oy,l,, mn. aY,,,u o.ho-.. A.. .s,.
widely known lawyer in this city then,
but his fame grew. He was the hardest
fighting legal practitioner In this city
and he was never entirely happy unless
he was involved in a fight The more
acrimonious the battle the better Mr.
Osborne enjoyed himself
His Introduction into a case meant
that that case was going to pick up. His
forte comprised criminal law and politi-
cal Investigations, II is likely that he
would not have been such an unques-
toned success in his profession had he
essayed other branches Of his profess
sion because a Touchdown and dragout
legal night where real anger was aroused
and personalities battledored around was
recreation for the square jawed North
Carolinian.
He was absolutely fearless astonlsh-
ingly frank and possessed OF hair
trigger temper when his word or the
word OF his clients was impugned. His
entire legal career, crowded with more
fights. experiences and general tumult
than six average lawyers would ex-
perience in a lifetime, was probably
more colorful than any of his contem-
poraries.
A Hunter or Grafters.
At the time OF his death he was a
member of the law firm of Osborne.
Lamb & Wilcox, 115 Broadway. But II
was as Assistant District Attorney and
subsequently as a hunter for grafters
that he came into great prominence.
Everything he did, in and out Of court,
he did with a tremendous drive He
was rugged of build and had every phys
ical attribute of the two listed fighting
man who had no particular aversion to a
scrap. mental or physical, at any time
and on any premise.
He was appointed an Assistant Dis
trict Attorney by District Attorney De-
Lancey Nicoll in 1892, He was retained
by successive prosecutors. regardless of
politics, until his resignation In March,
1908.
At the time OF his resignation, Will
lam Travers Jerome was District At
torney. Later Osborne. an astute DEM
| office and those who were in New York
in 1905 will not forget the wild fight in
which Jerome went forth campaigning
with Poor jim as his battle cry. Mr..
Osborne became so enraged on several
occasions that he called upon his op-
ponent to come forth and do personal
battle. Later, after his wrath had
! cooled he was warmest in praise Of the
able Mr.. Jerome.
While Mr. Osborne was Assistant Dis
trict Attorney he prosecuted such noted
murder trials as those of Roland Mo-
lineaux, Albert Patrick, DR.. Kennedy,
DR.. Meyer and DIR. Buchanan He was
known TO have stormed at a witness for
thirteen successive hours never letting
up and never faltering, growing stronger
and more aggressive as the hours passed,
while the hapless victim wilted until the
truth came out and the case was won
or lost.
Born in North Carolina.
He was born on plantation near
Charlotte, N. c., and was graduated
! from Davidson College. He came to
New York when about 25 years old and
began practicing law. He discovered.
however. that criminal law was going
to be easiest for him, and not having
specialized in that he enrolled In the
Columbia Law School and after another
year was admitted to the New York l3ar
again.
Soon after his admission he attracted
the attention Of Delaney Nicoll, then