The Monmouth inquirer. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1865-1933, 1924-05-01
MURPHY, CHIEF OF
TAMMANY, DIES
Leader of Organization for ~
Years Succumbs to Digestive
Attack in His Home.
SMITH POWER IN HALL
Democratic Chiefs, Overcome With
Grief, Defer to eovernOr-con-
fuses Political FieId-RuIed
Over Wigwam Many Years.

New York.-At the threshold of
what he felt quite certain would be
the GROWING achievement of his ca
reer-the possible. nomination of Gov
ernor Smith for President-Ch Charles
F. Murphy, leader Of Tammany Hall,
died suddenly of acute indigestion in
his home, No. 305 East Seventeenth
street, in his sixty-sixth year.
Mrs. Charles F. Murphy was in At
Iantic City when the Tammany leader
died, and the grievous news was not
broken to her until she returned to
town at $40 in response to message
stating that he was reiously i'll. She
had occupied drawing room on the
train and was accompanied only by
her maid.
Having attained the Zenith of pow
er during twenty-five years of con-
tinuous leadership, Mr.. Murphy had
trained no one to succeed him in an
ticipation either of retirement or
death. Consequently his passing left
Tammany Hall stunned. and bewil-
dered
With one accord, Democratic lead
ers, although still dazed by realiza-
ton of personal loss and the uncer-
tain political consequences to the
organization, turned to Governor
Smith for guidance and counsel. A
triumvirate of district leaders Foley,
Goodwin and Dooling may, for the
present, become the titular directing
force in Tammany, but it is generally
agreed that the actual head and
spokesman of the organization hence
forth will be Governor Smith.
Coupled with all discussions of Mr..
Murphy's death was conjecture as to
what effect it would have upon the
Presidential prospects of Gov. Smith.
Opinion was general that the Smith
boom would suffer from the absence
of Mr. Murphy from The National
Democratic council table when the
convention assemblies here in June.
During the last ten years, particu-
larly, Tammany has been freer of
political scandals than at any other
time in its history and, in general,
the character and ability of the men
it nominated for Office had greatly i'm
proved.
Charles Francis Murphy was born
in the old Eighteenth Assembly Dis
trict on June 20, 1858, the son of Mr..
and Mrs. Dennis Murphy. He was
educated in the public schools and
obtained his first job in Roach's Ship
yard at Ninth street and the East
river.
Young Murphy thrived on the hard
work and at seventeen was an active,
hard-muscled youth. At that age, he
formed the Sylvan Social Club, COM
posed of boys of from fifteen to TWEEN
ty years of age, with himself as lead
er. Out of the membership of the
club he formed a baseball nine, the
Senators, which beat everything in
it's class for several seasons. Murphy
was the catcher and good one.
Both on the diamond and in the club
house, his word was law with his
associates.
Charles F. Murphy, according to
the most reliable information obtain
able, did not die rich man. His
fortune is variously estimated at
$250.0O0; 100000 and $75O,OOO. All
his associates interviewed by The
New York World agreed his estate
would fall far short of $1,000, 900.
The Good Ground place of Mr..
Murphy and the point adjoining it
upon which Mr.. Murphy had erected
a few bungalows are figured to rep
resent an investment of about $780,
600, but saleable for only about half
that figure. He also owned a few
parcels of property in Manhattan
Some Of Mr.. Murphy's business ven
lures did not prove successful
The consensus Of his friends was
that his fortune would hover between
100000 and $750,O00, even after
everything had been taken into ac-