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Show The Late John Kelly's Wife. New York, May 22. "What shadows we are and what shadows we pursue," spoke Edmund Burka in a burst of eloquence elo-quence years ago. . I could not help recalling re-calling these lines this afternoon as I saw a small, stooped shouldered, weary looking look-ing little woman with a child held by the hand walking in Central park. It was a woman who not many years ago wielded more influence than the occupant of the White House. She wsis the beloved wife of the greatest political boss that America Amer-ica has ever known, John Kelly. Her house was the center of political gravity. All the big and little men in the Democratic Demo-cratic party flocked there, and in the back parlor of that home some of the biggest political di&ls in the history of the state were consummated. She was the most courted and petted woman in the town. She was Mr. Kelly's second wife, a niece of the famous fa-mous Cardinal McClosky, a woman of independent fortune, splendid attainments attain-ments and everything to make her feel at peace with the world. Her husband was a great big, broad shouldered, strongly built man, who wielded more power than any man in the Democratic party. Rich gifts were laid at her feet by men who hoped for political preferment. prefer-ment. She was the envy of every woman of her acquaintance. But, alas, how soon we are forgotten! John Kelly is dead. Tammany Hall is going through the greatest crisis in its history, and Mrs. Kelly, the petted and pampered wife of the boss, is living in luxury, to be sure, for she is still weaUhy, but the political friends of her husband have deserted her. They never call to see her now. There are no more conferences in the little back parlor. Her name is forgotten, and only a few of her friends are still loyal. She has two pretty children, the elder about 10 years of age, who bids fair to become as great physically as his father. Mrs. Kelly goes through life uncomplainingly, uncom-plainingly, but, should she wish, she could make a great stir. For she has in her possession nil the political papers and documents of her late husband a rich mine, indeed. There are many secrets contained in these papers, and if Mrs. Kelly so wished, she could write a book that would outsell any of the memoirs in the market today. Some day she may do this. She has collected all' these papers pa-pers together, and they are now in such shape that they can be drafted for publication publi-cation without any difficulty. FOSTEB COATES. |