Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-09-19

| and vices were of a common kind
| and his virtues coarse and cheap,
why write column editorial on his
death? His politics was the ward
politics of New York" and he was
always the tool of shrewder politi-
clans" Morrissey. a Tammany man.
in association with Horace Greeley
and Samuel ]. Tilden. fought William
NJ. Tweed and the Tweed ring. Nor
risSey was expelled from membership
in the Tammany Society by John
Kelly, leader of Tammany. ran for
the State Senate as an independent
Democrat in a Tammany district and
beat the Tammany nominee. He had
a crude idea that workingmen-with
whom he had nothing in common
ought somehow to get a living out of
the public treasury" Morrissey went
to work in a wallpaper factory at II
years old. worked in a stove foundry
for $3.50 a week, was a deck hand on
a steamboat and carried trunks on
his back and then became long
shoreman before going into the prize
ring.
Is it necessary that a man shall
swing a pick himself in order to want
just treatment for men who do swing
picks? Might not politician have
wanted to improve by laws the state
of workingmen without taking the
money out Of the treasury. but by get
ting it out of employers?
I"ELL, we'll, let US on with our
w knitting. | have a Letter from
my old friend Charlie Harris, the race
horse writer, which goes with this
story. I will let you read 1t:
Quoting from your suggestion
there's a chance for a good story of
John Morrissey' in your ramble of
August 10, I comply with a yarn of
the early career of the old hero Of the
ring and the congressional chamber.
Among the landmarks Of New York
City was the basement saloon on the
southwest corner OF Broadway and
Houston street, opened in the early
40s by a man named Florence. It's
interior resembled the ordinary well
fitted up drinking place-a quadrangle
about 80 feet wide and so feet deep.
paved checker pattern with black and
| white marble squares. Entrances
were on Broadway and Houston
street. On the left-hand side from
the Broadway entrance stretched a
long and highly polished mahogany
bar, which was ga 'nished by several
| heavy silver water pitchers. At the
! rear of the room was an oyster coun'
ter. the floor being otherwise unob-
structed, except in cold weather, when
large, oldfashioned coal stove occu-
pied the center.
! LAS Florence kept only the best
! beverages, the place became the re-
/ sort of the higher class of sporting
! men, who are proverbially good hvers.
/ There gathered such men as Ben
Va Sullivan "TOnnV' Mo-
! CURE, Tom Hyer. William Dancer.
! Johnny Ling and other men about
town. After some years Florence
sold out and opened roadhouse at
| Macombs Dam Bridge, and his sue
cessor at the Broadway place was
! Gale Mitchell. During Mitchells oc-
cupancy of the place, still known as
! Florence's,' there took place mum
Der of terrible rough-and-tumble
fights.
! Morrissey as a hard and desperate
| fighter had come down the river to
New York. Among the proprietors OF
stands in Washington and Fulton
Markets were a number Of men noted
| for their prowess as rough fighters
! The ace of this pack was Tom Nc
Cam. Morrissey's reputation as a
Knight of the Fivcs' excited jealousy
among the market men and word was
sent to Troy through the skipper of
river boat that if the iron worker
would come to the city he would meet
/ his master. Not long after. on bit
| ter Winter night. a burly young man
| with rudy features and curly red hair
stepped up to the Florence bar. He
wore heavy. closely buttoned over
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